Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm Not Good At Typing And It Goes Faster. I Have Friends On The Rez In Sanders Arizona And Have Visited. No Electricity Or Running Water And Sheep In The Front Yard Was A Surprise To Me. I Am Starting To Teach Myself Navajo. I Am A Weaver And My Adopted Navajo Mother Is As Well. I Know About Working With Poor And Difficult Kids. I Do Want A Slower Less Stressful Job. My School For The Last 10 Years In Phila. Is Very Fast Paced And Requires Pusing Bright High School Kids To The Limit. On My Visits To Pueblos In New Mexico I Have Met With Potters And Talked About Teaching Their Traditional Methods.
Small town NM will have opportunities for teachers. It's hard to find teachers and keep them so many openings. There has to be a website for teaching positions in the rural communities.....good luck.
I'm Not Good At Typing And It Goes Faster. I Have Friends On The Rez In Sanders Arizona And Have Visited. No Electricity Or Running Water And Sheep In The Front Yard Was A Surprise To Me. I Am Starting To Teach Myself Navajo. I Am A Weaver And My Adopted Navajo Mother Is As Well. I Know About Working With Poor And Difficult Kids. I Do Want A Slower Less Stressful Job. My School For The Last 10 Years In Phila. Is Very Fast Paced And Requires Pusing Bright High School Kids To The Limit. On My Visits To Pueblos In New Mexico I Have Met With Potters And Talked About Teaching Their Traditional Methods.
Interesting. Since you have to hit the SHIFT key with every capitalization, it seems like it would be more work, LOL!!
Good luck. You apparently don't see working with difficult kids as stressful. I would think that the "Rez" would be among the most thankless of all teaching jobs, since you have to deal with a different culture and (apparent) widespread apathy. It's good that some are cut out to deal with such. If you are already familiar with Navajo culture, that's a plus.
?Teaching yourself to speak Navajo? There are people who live on the REZ and cant learn that language. It is an Athapascan dialect, actually a unique dialect, a derivative of the Eskimo languages.
Most of the Navajos will tell you that you must learn the language from a child. Multiple vowels are significant such as in the name Tohajiillee. Tohajiillee, by the way is a school district out there.
Most of New Mexico find nothing romantic about the Navajos. Schools in the various Pueblos would be much more beneficial to the people. Anything the Navajos can do, the Pueblos for the most part can do better.
Navajo is difficult and listening to Navajo language tapes morning and night have helped my pronouncation. I have a good ear. My Navajo Mother speaks no English. I can even make her laugh. I agree about Pueblo pottery, but not about weaving. My connection to the Navajos is through the yarn sent to them at Basto Redondo. My family owned the mills that sent the yarn. I'm from Germantown.
In fact, my next book is titled "Mama, don't let your kids grow up to be .............
TEACHERS!" LOL.
Ideascubed, your post is very interesting. I would like to know more about your teaching experiences in New Mexico. I agree with the above statement. It sounds awful, but I would severely caution anyone from becoming a teacher. I also taught in the inner city (not New Mexico).
I have friends who work and live on the rez, and it is definitely not for everyone. You are very isolated from the rest of the world. Have you taught in inner city Philadelphia schools? Or, have you been in the suburbs? If you are used to inner city problems, then you may be able to transition to teaching on the rez. It is extremely challenging, and not many people last. It is good that you have visited the rez, because then you have an idea of what life will be like. One problem is that people go into it with stars in their eyes and misconceptions. Of course, rural New Mexico is seriously in need of good teachers. They especially need people who are willing to stick around.
I have friends who work and live on the rez, and it is definitely not for everyone. You are very isolated from the rest of the world. Have you taught in inner city Philadelphia schools? Or, have you been in the suburbs? If you are used to inner city problems, then you may be able to transition to teaching on the rez. It is extremely challenging, and not many people last. It is good that you have visited the rez, because then you have an idea of what life will be like. One problem is that people go into it with stars in their eyes and misconceptions. Of course, rural New Mexico is seriously in need of good teachers. They especially need people who are willing to stick around.
Yes, I 've been teaching for over 20 years in the city of Phila. and a 1/2 in difficult middle schools with gang members and extreme poverty. I've been robbed, threatened with a gun, and threatened with a heavy chair.
For the last 10 years my experience has changed. My students are the best and brightest in Phila. Teaching at a magnet school means long hours doing paperwork even in art and trying hard to challenge these kids. The students we teach win awards for their work and get lots of scholarships for college. My biggest problems are with parents who don't think that their children can do any wrong and senioritis (that horrible disease that strikes kids even in their junior year).
I feel very positive about my future with students in the New Mexico area. Passion for art is something I'm good at transmitting. I can get young people to surpass their imagined abilities. I'm good at sticking.
I chimed in with my two-cents a while back on another thread, but feel compelled to add to this one. I teach on the Navajo Reservation. I will have taught here for two years once the year is over (2 weeks left!!!!!). For those wanting to come teach on the reservation, I commend you. However, if you were given other options, I would caution you to look deeply at your other options.
Background on myself: I am a white 26-year-old male. I'm from the area (outside of Farmington, NM [four corners area]. I attended public school where the Navajo population drasitcally outnumbered anglos, spanish, etc.
My point to this post is not to give you an autobiography of my life. It's to simply point out that I am from this area and I'd like to think that I am pretty knowledgeable about Navajo history. Even at that, it is an extremely difficult position to teach on the reservation.
In just the two years that I have been there, there have been these "saviors" from back east (boston, philadelphia, florida and even Canada). They come in thinking how they can make a difference; how they know the 'answers'. What they don't understand is that you can not bring what works there and apply it here. It just won't fly. The school district I work for has brought in 'experts' from all over the world, be it from the east coast of the USA, California, Australia (not kidding). You name it, they've been here. These all-knowing people have been in our classrooms, observing us and mentoring us with the goal of improving students' test scores. They find out that it is a completely learning environment here than elsewhere. You can not threaten a student with grades or retention. They have bigger issues. Also, most adults in a child's life live off of the govenment. Thus, education has no impact on their life (to them). Many wish to live just as their fathers, grandfathers have. Others, still, wish to join the military yet have no clue that one needs at least a high school education to do even this. Back to those teachers from back east. All but one lasted a year.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are a lot worse jobs out there. There are some of my students who are really bright and I really enjoy being a mentor in their lives. The one thing I try to stress to my students daily is that with them being Native Americans, their educational aspirations are endless. They get tuition paid for!!! I would have killed for that as I will be making student loan payments til I'm 80. However, again, many just don't see the need for education.
I'm sorry to rant. Again, I commend you for wanting to teach on the reservation. I just hope that you don't try to change the world alone. It's a very complicated process. Life on reservation hasn't changed in hundreds of years. It's doubtful to change in the next hundred. Maybe, just maybe, change is not wanted?
Anyways, best of luck to whatever you choose. I hope you didn't take this personal. I was just stating my experiences from past educators who have come in with their own vision, only to see that vision fail miserably.
I chimed in with my two-cents a while back on another thread, but feel compelled to add to this one. I teach on the Navajo Reservation. I will have taught here for two years once the year is over (2 weeks left!!!!!). For those wanting to come teach on the reservation, I commend you. However, if you were given other options, I would caution you to look deeply at your other options.
Background on myself: I am a white 26-year-old male. I'm from the area (outside of Farmington, NM [four corners area]. I attended public school where the Navajo population drasitcally outnumbered anglos, spanish, etc.
My point to this post is not to give you an autobiography of my life. It's to simply point out that I am from this area and I'd like to think that I am pretty knowledgeable about Navajo history. Even at that, it is an extremely difficult position to teach on the reservation.
In just the two years that I have been there, there have been these "saviors" from back east (boston, philadelphia, florida and even Canada). They come in thinking how they can make a difference; how they know the 'answers'. What they don't understand is that you can not bring what works there and apply it here. It just won't fly. The school district I work for has brought in 'experts' from all over the world, be it from the east coast of the USA, California, Australia (not kidding). You name it, they've been here. These all-knowing people have been in our classrooms, observing us and mentoring us with the goal of improving students' test scores. They find out that it is a completely learning environment here than elsewhere. You can not threaten a student with grades or retention. They have bigger issues. Also, most adults in a child's life live off of the govenment. Thus, education has no impact on their life (to them). Many wish to live just as their fathers, grandfathers have. Others, still, wish to join the military yet have no clue that one needs at least a high school education to do even this. Back to those teachers from back east. All but one lasted a year.
Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are a lot worse jobs out there. There are some of my students who are really bright and I really enjoy being a mentor in their lives. The one thing I try to stress to my students daily is that with them being Native Americans, their educational aspirations are endless. They get tuition paid for!!! I would have killed for that as I will be making student loan payments til I'm 80. However, again, many just don't see the need for education.
I'm sorry to rant. Again, I commend you for wanting to teach on the reservation. I just hope that you don't try to change the world alone. It's a very complicated process. Life on reservation hasn't changed in hundreds of years. It's doubtful to change in the next hundred. Maybe, just maybe, change is not wanted?
Anyways, best of luck to whatever you choose. I hope you didn't take this personal. I was just stating my experiences from past educators who have come in with their own vision, only to see that vision fail miserably.
Dear loboABQ Thank you for your feedback. I will take any help I can get. Are there any art positions in your school? I have read and am reading lots about Native Peoples. I teach projects based on their techniques. I don't want to change their world, but perhaps help them appreciate the value they have in the richness of their traditions.
In Phila. I have met with students and parents who did not appreciate the value of an education. Not just the poor, but families that have a greater income will act like what you teach has no value.
The many successes my students experience more than make up for the latter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
bacich
