Tribal culture can create an impasse in the classroom
But these situations can readily be turned into advantages
By Richard Leon Linfield, Ph.D.
I often had my community college English classes divide into small groups to discuss issues. I had many students from the Navajo Nation, the Diné people. One student, Alexander, sat in the back row and was reluctant to engage with the small groups. He spoke and wrote better English than most, but held back from expressing himself. He told me in private that he had been taught by his mother and aunties that a man of their community should not draw attention to himself.
I told Alexander that if he engaged with the small groups, he would not have to draw attention to himself, but could discuss and ask questions in a way that helped others.
I asked him to talk with his mother and explain that if he made good grades in the class, he could motivate his little brothers and sisters to do well in the larger world of schools and careers.
Concentration and comprehension are among the “soft skills” Alexander lacked. Soft skills also include critical thinking, flexibility, positivity, and commitment to doing schoolwork. Without soft skills, students cannot excel in college level reading and writing.
Many low-income students experience stress from challenges that include inadequate housing, lack of enough to eat, and home or neighborhood violence. A 2014 report from the National Scientific Council on the Developing Child at Harvard highlights how chronic stress impairs the brain’s key learning centers. These are the centers associated with attention, working memory, and emotional regulation.
Tribal peoples often face challenges of deprivation, especially if they live on reservations. It is a testament to their determination that so many Native American nations have established their own colleges.
My Native American students in community colleges responded well to instruction in soft skills and often created memorable writing — especially when they wrote about their culture.
Takeaway: encourage Native students to talk about who they are and to write about it. Your non-Native students will get a valuable education from what Natives share.
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