A blog about my experience as a "Reading Coach", Teacher and Basketball Coach on the Navajo Reservation! 
The Worst Type of Racism
When I talk about the “worst type” of racism in the United States I’m not speaking about grown men walking around in sheets and hoods, the rebel flag, or even mascots. Right or wrong those are things that you can “deal with” and are visible. I’m speaking about standards for future professionals at our major universities and the treatment of minority professionals in general.
One of the things that I’ve noticed while working, is that many of our native teachers are not properly trained or prepared by the universities. Because of who they are they are passed on by the “diploma mills” just because someone may feel sorry for them, or it looks good for the university whether they made the grade or not. When my wife was going into “Teacher Ed.” she inquired at several universities here in Arizona on requirements, as we were looking for the most economical way to get it done. One university found out that she is native and where she is teaching and only required a “term paper” about her experiences and of course our money in order to get her degree from the program. We were both “taken aback” and questioned them about the practice. The only thing they could say, “We are proud that we are able to graduate so many native teachers!” We never contacted them again. Still there are others that come out to our schools and hold ‘Master’s Level’ classes for our teachers, and they are the easiest classes ever. In fact, they are the easiest Master’s classes that I’ve ever taken. I watch as my colleagues struggle and receive “A’s” for their assignments and my wife and I both ask, “Why do we even bother to study?”
This even filters down to the State, when it comes to certification. I recently asked the state about how many "Native" teachers are passing the state exam. They told me that they couldn’t give that information out to the public. However, I often wonder when we have some teachers that can’t even identify a “noun” or “verb” in a sentence.
Someone wise that I know once told me about the efforts of the “church” and “do good liberals” in the US when it comes to Native people, “Natives don’t need saving, what they need are opportunities.” I would like to add that they also need to be trained properly in order to take advantage of these opportunities and do their best.
BTW - This post is not anti-affirmative action, and shouldn't be mistaken as such. I shall delete any post that attempts to make it so. Affirmative Action gives Women and Minorities an “opportunity” to prove themselves, though it is misused by many entities to make themselves look good. It is user error and not a policy fault.
One of the things that I’ve noticed while working, is that many of our native teachers are not properly trained or prepared by the universities. Because of who they are they are passed on by the “diploma mills” just because someone may feel sorry for them, or it looks good for the university whether they made the grade or not. When my wife was going into “Teacher Ed.” she inquired at several universities here in Arizona on requirements, as we were looking for the most economical way to get it done. One university found out that she is native and where she is teaching and only required a “term paper” about her experiences and of course our money in order to get her degree from the program. We were both “taken aback” and questioned them about the practice. The only thing they could say, “We are proud that we are able to graduate so many native teachers!” We never contacted them again. Still there are others that come out to our schools and hold ‘Master’s Level’ classes for our teachers, and they are the easiest classes ever. In fact, they are the easiest Master’s classes that I’ve ever taken. I watch as my colleagues struggle and receive “A’s” for their assignments and my wife and I both ask, “Why do we even bother to study?”
This even filters down to the State, when it comes to certification. I recently asked the state about how many "Native" teachers are passing the state exam. They told me that they couldn’t give that information out to the public. However, I often wonder when we have some teachers that can’t even identify a “noun” or “verb” in a sentence.
Someone wise that I know once told me about the efforts of the “church” and “do good liberals” in the US when it comes to Native people, “Natives don’t need saving, what they need are opportunities.” I would like to add that they also need to be trained properly in order to take advantage of these opportunities and do their best.
BTW - This post is not anti-affirmative action, and shouldn't be mistaken as such. I shall delete any post that attempts to make it so. Affirmative Action gives Women and Minorities an “opportunity” to prove themselves, though it is misused by many entities to make themselves look good. It is user error and not a policy fault.
Total Comments 0
