Saturday, March 06, 2010

American Indians in Children's Literature featured at DIVERSE: ISSUES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

I read this article when it came out in Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and meant to link to it, but can't find a link. So, I'm pointing to it today. They sent Nick Burchell, a professional photographer to my office.  That's the photo he took.  I think vanity is the reason I didn't point to the article when it came out. The work I do is about the work, not about me, and the article is mostly about me. I enjoyed talking with Mary Annette Pember, the reporter who did the article.  


Getting to Know Debbie Reese

Recent articles Pember did include one about graduation rates of American Indian and Alaska Native students, and another about elders as educators at tribal colleges. On the Diverse site, enter her name in the search engine to see other topics she's done.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a great article! Made me love your blog even more to know the amazing accomplishments of its author!

I also clicked on and read the article about graduation rates among Native Americans, which raised a lot of questions for me. As a child I was homeschooled by parents who taught me to place no value whatsoever on a government-issued piece of paper that says "we approve of you," and encouraged to seek *real* learning. As a mother who now teaches my own children at home, I am further preserving my family's culture by passing on those same teachings to my children. So my personal bias makes me ask, "So what? Do grad rates from government schools mean anything to this people?" while the homeschooler in my wonders: is there a homeschooling movement within the Native American culture? One that--like my own--teaches children according to family and ancestral traditions, rather than government standards?

Phil K said...

Interesting article in Diverse. I am looking forward to your new book Artifacts: How Images of Indians Are Used to Nationalize America’s Youth. I hope you include literal images as well as literary ones in this important study.

Anonymous said...

. . . well, I tried to find out on my own, but the only Native American home school group here in Virginia appears to have disbanded (at least online). This topic so intrigues me that I'm taking it up for my class (I'm in Berglund's class at NAU). I'll let you know what I find, if anything! :)