American Indian Educators in Reservation Schools

by Terry Huffman

Overview

The role of Native American teachers and administrators working in reservation schools has received little attention from scholars. Utilizing numerous interviews and extensive fieldwork, Terry Huffman shows how they define their roles and judge their achievements. He examines the ways they address the complex issues of cultural identity that affect their students and themselves and how they cope with the pressures of teaching disadvantaged students while meeting the requirements for reservation schools. Personal accounts from the educators enrich the discussion. Their candid comments about their choice of profession; their position as teachers, role models, and social service agents; and the sometimes harsh realities of reservation life offer unique insight into the challenges and rewards of providing an education to Native American students. Huffman also considers the changing role of Native educators as reservation schools prepare their students for the increasing complexities of modern life and society while still transmitting traditional culture. He shows that Native American educators meet daunting challenges with enduring optimism and persistence. The insights these educators offer can serve those in other communities where students navigate a difficult path out of discrimination and poverty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780874179460
Publisher:	University of Nevada Press
Publication date:	02/15/2013
Edition description:	1
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	3 Months to 18 Years

About the Author

Terry Huffman is a professor of education at George Fox University, Newberg, Oregon, and the author of several books, including Theoretical Perspectives on American Indian Education: A New Look at Educational Success and the Achievement Gap.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction 1

1 Hope for a Better Tomorrow: Affinitive Educators and Facilitative Educators 11

2 Every Reason to Succeed: Characteristics of the Educators 35

3 Challenges Are Every Day: Prevailing Challenges Facing the Educators 53

4 If I Made a Difference for One: Intrinsic Rewards Serving Reservation Students 78

5 Not Every Child Is the Same: Reservation Schools in the Era of No Child Left Behind 94

6 Spread Like Wildfire: Importance of American Indian Educators 113

7 You Have to Know the Culture: Cultural Identity and Tribal Cultural Education 130

Appendix: Methodology, Theoretical Framework, and Research with Native Peoples 152

References 163

Index 173

Editorial Reviews

This book is a must-read for all educators across Indian Country and would certainly benefit pre-service teachers, particularly those who are being trained at tribal colleges.” —Tribal College Journal

Tribal College Journal

American Indian Educators is a strong addition to education and Native studies collections. . .” —The Midwest Book Review

The Midwest Book Review

This is a scholarly and sensitive study of veteran Native American educators who have devoted their careers to the education of Indian reservation students. It’s grounded in solid ethnographic principles giving voice to Native American educators. The book provides meaningful ideas about what it takes to be a successful educator with students in reservation schools.” —Ricardo Garcia, author of Teaching for Diversity: A Guide to Greater Understanding  


“To my knowledge, no one has tackled this subject to the depth that Huffman has done. I consider this book an immense contribution to the sociology of education and to American Indian studies.” —MaryJo Benton Lee, author of Ethnicity Matters: Rethinking How Black, Hispanic, and Indian Students Prepare for and Succeed in College  


"American Indian Educators" is a strong addition to education and Native studies collections, a core addition for community and college libraries.
Midwest Book Review, Library Bookwatch, March 2013

From the Publisher