A New Teaching Adventure, Stateside

Oh hey there! Long time no see!

As you probably know, I've been accepted into JVC since my last post, "graduated" from Seattle U, and am now teaching at Paschal Sherman Indian School on the Colville Indian Reservation just outside of Omak, WA. I am teaching 5th and 6th graders in a 7th grade level reading class every day and grades K, 1, 2, 5, 7, and 9 in a Catechism/Reflections class throughout the week. I've been here about a month and am settling pretty well. Sorry, it's taken so long to post but it's been a long month. So far, I have merely been affirmed in my desire to work in the field of Indigenous/PostColonial education in some way. That's not to say that it hasn't been hard, it's been rough. The kids often come from rough backgrounds (like Belize), and know that the classes I'm teaching are mostly bullshit (kind of like Belize) and that I am mostly full of shit (right on the money). But, I feel like I'm starting to get to know the school and the kids and the cultural divides are not nearly as wide. I think it's going to be a great year. And I have a lot more confidence in myself teaching after the last PostColonial excursion, so I feel like I can at least fake my way through it.

Ironically, the slightness of the cultural divides has been fascinating, especially in watching my room mates. It's funny because I've mostly been in my element (though homesick for Seattle a bit), while they're in a whole different universe.

Julia and Jean

Jeana is from New Jersey and Julia is from New York. I'm pretty sure that Julia is convinced that all of Washington is like scrub-brush Omak. The town of Omak itself is pretty "Cowboys and Indians", with half the town being on the Reservation and half off. The first day we arrived was the weekend of the World Famous Omak Stampede and Suicide Race. And thus I experienced my first rodeo. I could go on for years about the rodeo, but in a word all I'll say is that it was fascinating. Stuff like this happens there:

Also, did I mention that Paschal Sherman is four years old and state-of-the-art? Yeah, it got built with 40 years worth of BIA money. There are SmartBoards (the most amazing invention since the spork). There is a dormitory. There is a beautiful chandelier of steel salmon hanging in the atrium. There is an atrium. There is funding from national grants. There are class sizes of no larger than 25. There is an amazing atmosphere of conviviality and professionalism between the staff. It is probably the best run school I've ever worked at. Did I also mention that it is freaking gorgeous:

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So, in terms of atmosphere, Paschal Sherman looks to be on the opposite end of the spectrum from Claver School. There have been and will be challenges, but there will also be amazing moments to relish in the thrill of learning. Yeah Learning!

Oh, and I'm assistant coaching football. Ha!