small enough to win, big enough to matter

nitanahkohe: So I know quite a few people who teach young kids,...

Sat, 25 May 2013 15:42:15 -0400

So I know quite a few people who teach young kids, who want to design curricula and provide resources for their students that are respectful of Native communities and teach non-Native kids some cultural sensitivity & histories…but most of them, being non-Native, don’t know where to start with that. My three biggest tips for that have always been to (a) privilege Native voices (b) tie the past with the present (c) don’t fossilize Natives in their own unit—weave these resources and histories together into the broader curriculum, rather than imply to students that Natives are an ethnic oddity or compulsory PC-lesson.

In that vein, I’ve been trying to help a friend who teaches young kids to find some books for the classrooms at her school, so that these things are available to students on the regular and are readily accessible to non-Native teachers looking for resources for their curricula; I have been shocked to see how many disgusting books are out there, written by non-Natives, with no care for cultural sensitivities of any kind! So: here’s some of the books on the list I’m suggesting to my friend—I’m hoping there’s some parents & educators on here that could benefit from the time I’ve spent sorting thru all the gross stuff! Here’s the list, with a brief description (these are mostly targeting the lower end of the K-4 range, but if you’re working with kids on a pre-K level you might also be interested in the selection of books by NW Coast artists at Native Northwest; I’m also compiling a list of books for intermediary/secondary grades and will post that when it’s finished):

The Star People (SD Nelson, Standing Rock): A young Lakota girl narrates the story of how she and her little brother, Young Wolf, survive a prairie fire. They had wandered away from their village, entranced by the changing cloud shapes created by the Cloud People. They fall into a river and are guided home by their deceased grandmother, one of the Star People, who are the spirits of the Old Ones. The acrylic illustrations are inspired by the Native American ledger-book art of the late 1800s.

Tallchief (Maria Tallchief, Osage): A picture-book autobiography of the early years of America’s first internationally significant ballerina. The story opens with Tallchief’s birth on an Osage Indian reservation. Her Scots-Irish mother made sure that Maria and her sister received dance and music lessons, and eventually her father persuaded her to choose between piano and dance. The story ends when, at age 17, Maria left home to seek her fame and fortune as a ballerina in New York.

Eagle Song (Joseph Bruchac, Abenaki): It’s a shock for fourth-grader Danny Bigtree to move to Brooklyn from his Mohawk Nation reservation: suddenly he has no friends, and his classmates taunt him, asking him where his war pony is and telling him to go home to his teepee. Bruchac weaves into the story the legend of the great peacemaker Aionwahta, who united five warring Indian nations into the Iroquois Confederacy and turned an enemy into an ally. Can Danny be, like Aionwahta, an agent of peace, and find a way to transform the school bully into a friend? This appealing portrayal of a strong family offers an unromanticized view of Native American culture, and a history lesson about the Iroquois Confederacy; it also gives a subtle lesson in the meaning of daily courage.

Giving Thanks (Chief Jake Swamp, Mohawk; Erwin Printup, Cayuga & Tuscarora) : A special children’s version of the Thanksgiving Address, a message of gratitude that originated with the Native people of upstate New York and Canada and that is still spoken at ceremonial gatherings held by the Iroquois, or Six Nations.

When Beaver Was Very Great (Anne Dunn, Anishinaabe): The short pieces range from folk tales of Native American origin myths (the antics of Beaver, Rabbit, Otter, Bear, and others) to nature writing and contemporary stories of peace, justice, and environmental concern. Brimming with insight, vibrant with strength and beauty, these indeed are stories to live by, for all ages. Divided into the four seasons of the year, many of the stories are perfect to be read aloud to children.

When the Rain Sings (various; Ojibwe, Lakota, Omaha, Navajo, Cochiti, Kiowa, Tohono O’odham, Hopi, Ute): A collection of poems by Native Americans in grades 2-12. Most of these selections were written in response to images of Native artifacts or historical photographs. The young writers’ personal reactions and associations to these images leave readers with a strong sense of each one’s experience as a modern Indian, and of the values that each holds dear. The book is a work of art in itself, with dozens of full-color and black-and-white photos from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian. The pages are also decorated with detailed border designs. Eight nations are represented.

Berry Magic (Betty Huffmon, Yup’ik): Long ago, the only berries on the tundra were hard, tasteless, little crowberries. As Anana watches the ladies complain bitterly while picking berries for the Fall Festival, she decides to use her magic to help. “Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsa-ii-yaa (Berry), Atsaukina!” (Be a berry!), Anana sings under the full moon turning four dolls into little girls that run and tumble over the tundra creating patches of fat, juicy berries: blueberries, cranberries, salmonberries, and raspberries. The next morning Anana and the ladies fill basket after basket with berries for the Fall Festival. Thanks to Anana, there are plenty of tasty berries for the agutak (Eskimo tee cream) at the festival and forevermore.

Sunpainters (Baje Whitethorne, Navajo): Grandfather Pipa calls Kii Leonard into the hogan to tell him that the sun “has died”; a solar eclipse has washed the surrounding mountains in and deep purples and reds. He explains to the boy that he must wait respectfully for the Na’ach’aahii, who come from the Four Directions carrying a paint brush and a can of paint, each responsible for replacing a different color of the rainbow. Repainting the world after the eclipse, the Na’ach’aahii restore life and allow the rebirth of the sun-processes pleasingly depicted in the Southwest-style art.

The best advice.

Sat, 25 May 2013 13:58:08 -0400

The best advice.

"Today is a day of mourning for the children of Chicago. Their education has been hijacked by an..."

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:42:40 -0400

“Today is a day of mourning for the children of Chicago. Their education has been hijacked by an unrepresentative, unelected corporate school board, acting at the behest of a mayor who has no vision for improving the education of our children. Closing schools is not an education plan. It is a scorched earth policy. Evidence shows that the underutilization crisis has been manufactured. Their own evidence also shows the school district will not garner any significant savings from closing these schools.

This is bad governance. CPS has consistently undermined school communities and sabotaged teachers and parents. Their actions have had a horrible domino effect. More than 40,000 students will lose at least three to six months of learning because of the Board’s actions. Because many of them will now have to travel into new neighborhoods to continue their schooling, some will be victims of bullying, physical assault and other forms of violence. Board members are wishing for a world that does not exist and have ignored the reality of the world we live in today. Who on the Board will be held responsible? Who at City Hall will be held responsible?”

- Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis commenting on today’s news that the Board of Education has voted to close 50 Chicago public schools.

While only around 40 percent of children in Chicago are black are Latino, 90 percent of children whose schools will be shuttered are black or Latino.

(via thepeoplesrecord)

I Know It's Basically the Same as Pandora

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:13:11 -0400

But I am fascinated by the Google instant mix function. Probably because it uses my own music and I assume there’s some sort of analysis that takes place.

talesofan8thgradeteacher: blueandbluer: gaypocalypse: Diane...

Sat, 25 May 2013 11:12:26 -0400

talesofan8thgradeteacher:

blueandbluer:

gaypocalypse:

Diane Sawyer: So, have you thought, how many women is enough? How many women [on the Supreme Court] would be enough?
Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Nine, nine. [Applause.]
Sawyer: Oh! Oh. [Laughs.]
Ginsburg: Well, there’ve been nine men there for a long long time, right? So why not nine women?
(x)

RUTH FOR ALL THINGS

I’m just saying that my life motto might be “What Would Ruth Do?”

pluckypalaeontologist: pinecounty: necroluste: J.R.R...

Sat, 25 May 2013 10:17:44 -0400

pluckypalaeontologist:

pinecounty:

necroluste:

J.R.R Tolkien, looking at flowers.

Apparently people hated to go for walks with him because he would stop and look at every tree for like 20 minutes.

EXPLAINS THE BOOKS

jtotheizzoe: Planet Travel Posters Sets Mars & Venus by Ron...

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:48:18 -0400

jtotheizzoe:

Planet Travel Posters Sets Mars & Venus by Ron Guyatt

Deviant Art || My Store || Facebook || Twitter

The Project:

Space tourism is still a long ways off, but it’s not hard to imagine that someday, tourists will visit the natural geological landmarks of other worlds much like they tour the Grand Canyon, Mount Everest or Ayers Rock. Each of these great tourist destinations needs a classic retro travel poster to entice visitors. Until the day people settle off world and make their own destinations many of these may be the places that people will want to travel too. I hope that these posters can inspire people to think beyond our world to the limitless possibilities of the Universe.

Posters Available at My Store

I want to go to there. And there. An there.
I propose we add the Geysers of Enceladus and the Great Crater of Mimas to the itinerary.

heyelaine: khealywu: cokekitty: OpenDyslexic is a free-to-use...

Sat, 25 May 2013 09:46:31 -0400

heyelaine:

khealywu:

cokekitty:

OpenDyslexic is a free-to-use font that is designed to help those with dyslexia read better. The text is weighted, having a heavier bottom, which is thought to increase readability for dyslexic people. You can download it for free here.

I don’t have dyslexia myself, but in the event any of my followers do, I thought I’d share. Maybe it will help people.

Worthwhile reblog.

I’m dyslexic and I find this super readable. Goddammit, where were you, font, when I was in Mrs. Wright’s 4th grade class?

beinglazyfortherevolution: gadaboutgreen: sandandglass: Wayne...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:31:26 -0400

beinglazyfortherevolution:

gadaboutgreen:

sandandglass:

Wayne Allyn Root - seriously, look his face in the last gif.

This makes me so sick.

these entitled, privileged bastards.

I want to punch him. In the face.

: Man Killed In Horrible London Machete Attack, Racist Brits Would Like To Kill A Few Billion More

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:19:56 -0400

: Man Killed In Horrible London Machete Attack, Racist Brits Would Like To Kill A Few Billion More:

publicshaming:

What do you do when a man is killed in the streets where you live? According to some wonderful humans, you call for the mass slaughter of all those who practice the same religion that the killers may practice!

There was a horrific attack today in Woolwich in southeast…

"A student blows up at a teacher, drops the F-bomb. The usual approach at Lincoln – and, safe to say,..."

Fri, 24 May 2013 08:01:11 -0400

“

A student blows up at a teacher, drops the F-bomb. The usual approach at Lincoln – and, safe to say, at most high schools in this country – is automatic suspension. Instead, Sporleder sits the kid down and says quietly: “Wow. Are you OK? This doesn’t sound like you. What’s going on?”

He gets even more specific: “You really looked stressed. On a scale of 1-10, where are you with your anger?” The kid was ready. Ready, man! For an anger blast to his face….”How could you do that?” “What’s wrong with you?”…and for the big boot out of school. But he was NOT ready for kindness.

The armor-plated defenses melt like ice under a blowtorch and the words pour out: “My dad’s an alcoholic. He’s promised me things my whole life and never keeps those promises.” The waterfall of words that go deep into his home life, which is no piece of breeze, end with this sentence: “I shouldn’t have blown up at the teacher.” Whoa.

”

- Lincoln High School in Walla Walla, WA, tries new approach to school discipline — suspensions drop 85% (via mchotdog)

what a radical idea yo

(via matthewdgold)

Bam. Kids “misbehave” for actual, real, valid reasons. And have feelings.

(via amydentata)

For fuck’s sake, it takes the people in charge so long to figure shit like this out! Good for Lincoln High!

(via psychetimelapse)

This needs to be the policy EVERYWHERE…

(via 3dela)

Seriously.
(via iwantthewater)
As much as I love this, it’s important to remember that the demands of being a teacher often extend what can reasonably be expected from a human being. We’re absurdly busy and much of our work is emotionally draining, so sometimes we literally don’t have the time or energy to act as a semi-counsellor to all (or even some) of our students, especially given that it’s not usually in our job description, and doing so can put us into complicated, high-stakes legal situations.
Students can also be disruptive for valid but dull reasons, like, “this class is boring,” “this class is poorly-structured,” “we haven’t been set any boundaries for behaviour”, “the boundaries the teacher set are unreasonable” (all of which are solvable problems), but sometimes students just don’t like you, or they’re tired, or they want attention, or they’re not very mature - all of which are understandable issues, but they’re not easily fixed and often are influenced by a metric fuckton of factors that you as a teacher have no control over. There’s a *lot* of reasons to misbehave in a class, and sometimes we just don’t have the time to figure out why a student is misbehaving.
Another potential issue is that if you go too far with the understanding-kids’-feelings approach, you can end up like Nr. O’Neill from Daria, and be completely ineffectual and disrespected by your students. It’s not fun, and it’s not nice, but sometimes you have to be a taskmaster.
This isn’t to say that teachers shouldn’t try to be patient, kind, and forgiving with their students, but sometimes it’s just not possible to take on that kind of pastoral role in the face of everything else we have to do.
(via auntytimblr)

fifthgradeisonfire: feralworks: THEY WERE FIGHTING AND WERE...

Fri, 24 May 2013 07:58:53 -0400

fifthgradeisonfire:

feralworks:

THEY WERE FIGHTING AND WERE ALL LIKE ARRRR IMMA GET YOU BITCH BUT THEN, WHAT, WHY IS THE FLOOR SO SPRINGY. BETTER TEST IT OUT.

Always reblog

Friday morning funny.

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: sonder

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:39:45 -0400

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows: sonder:

dictionaryofobscuresorrows:

n. the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story that continues invisibly around you like an anthill sprawling deep underground, with elaborate…

The Problem with 'Boys Will Be Boys'

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:02:19 -0400

The Problem with 'Boys Will Be Boys':

For months, every morning when my daughter was in preschool, I watched her construct an elaborate castle out of blocks, colorful plastic discs, bits of rope, ribbons and feathers, only to have the same little boy gleefully destroy it within seconds of its completion.

No matter how many times he did it, his parents never swooped in BEFORE the morning’s live 3-D reenactment of “Invasion of AstroMonster.” This is what they’d say repeatedly:

“You know! Boys will be boys!”

“He’s just going through a phase!”

“He’s such a boy! He LOVES destroying things!”

“Oh my god! Girls and boys are SO different!”

“He. Just. Can’t. Help himself!”

I tried to teach my daughter how to stop this from happening. She asked him politely not to do it. We talked about some things she might do. She moved where she built. She stood in his way. She built a stronger foundation to the castle, so that, if he did get to it, she wouldn’t have to rebuild the whole thing. In the meantime, I imagine his parents thinking, “What red-blooded boy wouldn’t knock it down?”

She built a beautiful, glittery castle in a public space.

It was so tempting.

He just couldn’t control himself and, being a boy, had violent inclinations.

She had to keep her building safe.

Her consent didn’t matter. Besides, it’s not like she made a big fuss when he knocked it down. It wasn’t a “legitimate” knocking over if she didn’t throw a tantrum.

His desire — for power, destruction, control, whatever- - was understandable.

Maybe she “shouldn’t have gone to preschool” at all. OR, better if she just kept her building activities to home.

I know it’s a lurid metaphor, but I taught my daughter the preschool block precursor of don’t “get raped” and this child, Boy #1, did not learn the preschool equivalent of “don’t rape.”

Not once did his parents talk to him about invading another person’s space and claiming for his own purposes something that was not his to claim. Respect for her and her work and words was not something he was learning. How much of the boy’s behavior in coming years would be excused in these ways, be calibrated to meet these expectations and enforce the “rules” his parents kept repeating?

There was another boy who, similarly, decided to knock down her castle one day. When he did it his mother took him in hand, explained to him that it was not his to destroy, asked him how he thought my daughter felt after working so hard on her building and walked over with him so he could apologize. That probably wasn’t much fun for him, but he did not do it again.

There was a third child. He was really smart. He asked if he could knock her building down. She, beneficent ruler of all pre-circle-time castle construction, said yes… but only after she was done building it and said it was OK. They worked out a plan together and eventually he started building things with her and they would both knock the thing down with unadulterated joy. You can’t make this stuff up.

Take each of these three boys and consider what he might do when he’s older, say, at college, drunk at a party, mad at an ex-girlfriend who rebuffs him and uses words that she expects will be meaningful and respecte, “No, I don’t want to. Stop. Leave.”

The “overarching attitudinal characteristic” of abusive men is entitlement.

corgiaddict: Baby puppy and his watermelon

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:46:52 -0400

corgiaddict:

Baby puppy and his watermelon

'Young Radical' calls for the revival of radical liberalism

Thu, 23 May 2013 20:41:55 -0400

'Young Radical' calls for the revival of radical liberalism:

Worth a read.

knowledgeequalsblackpower: kronosinasuit: Kerry Washington...

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:22:02 -0400

knowledgeequalsblackpower:

kronosinasuit:

Kerry Washington being amazing as always.

Understand colorblinders out there. Please get it.

10 Great Resources for Teaching About Racism

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:38:36 -0400

10 Great Resources for Teaching About Racism

Photo

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:39:01 -0400

Into the Strenuous Briefness: "This is a test, not a learning activity"

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:57:28 -0400

Into the Strenuous Briefness: "This is a test, not a learning activity":

iamlittlei:

That may or may not be directly quoted from the official proctoring materials of my state’s standardized exams.

Sums it up, doesn’t it?

In addition to missing class time to test, and missing planning time to proctor, I’ve also been missing my paraeducator on days when my own students have been…