@prefix edm: . @prefix dcterms: . @prefix dc: . @prefix skos: . edm:dataProvider "CONTENTdm"@en ; dcterms:isReferencedBy "http://resolve.library.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/catsearch?bid=1208974"@en ; dcterms:isPartOf "University Publications"@en ; dcterms:issued "2015-07-13"@en, "1971-10-01"@en ; edm:aggregatedCHO "https://open.library.ubc.ca/collections/iel/items/1.0115116/source.json"@en ; dc:format "application/pdf"@en ; skos:note """ Indian Education Resources Center University of B. C. Vancouver. SPECIAL ISSUE HOME-SCHOOL CO-ORDINATOR What Is A Home-School Co-ordinator The system of Education in the province has been such that little or no recognition is given to people not of middle class background or whose beliefs and cultures differ to the extent that this in itself contributes to the lack of success of many students. That a serious gap exists resulting in lack of two-way communications between schools, students, parents etc., is a fact well accepted. One group of people who are seriously concerned about this problem are the Indians! The average Indian parent sends his children to school completely trusting in the school system, its teachers and the curriculum and yet he faces the disastrous certainty that few if any of his children will complete their education. Why? Because there is no two-way exchange of communication between Indians and schools. Indians have never been involved or consulted. Teachers on the other hand are also concerned but hesitant and unsure of taking that first step. Teachers need help to make that step. The Indian student also faces a tremendous battery of doubts and confusions when he enters the provincial schools. He must be encouraged, guided, counselled and generally helped to feel at home in a school and made confident that his lessons can be relevant to his future. The Indian Home-School Co-ordinator was born. It became his job to setup and encourage communications. He is the liaison between home and school and it is here that his priorities lie. He will act in many capacities also as the person to encourage, guide and help Indians in their education. The role of Indian Home-School Co-ordinator is rapidly becoming recognized as a vital link in the Indian Education problem today. He is an Indian and as such understands Indian problems and difficulties and can work constructively toward solutions. Although not academically qualified by teaching standards, he must be respected in that he is known and accepted by schools, etc. and he can serve in an excellent capacity. There is no definite standard set of duties for the Home-School Co-ordinator as the needs and problems vary from area to area. His duties include: 1) Act as liaison between: teachers - students teachers - parents students - parents parents - school board parents - band council band council - school board Dept. Indian Affairs - school Dept. Indian Affairs - Indian people Indian - probation, police health, welfare guidance & vocational counsellor - 2 - 2) Interviewing student regarding marks, attendance, ambitions, personal problems. 3) Interviewing parents on Educational matters, child progress, education involvement and participation. 4) Meet with principals, teachers staff on matters concerning mutual co-operation between Indians and the educational system. 5) Help in making student applications, vocational post school, residences, special programs, and boarding programs, etc. 6) Aid students in matters of tuition allowance, student allowance, etc. 7) Help in Education Committee meetings. 8) Report to Band meetings on educational matters. 9) Lay groundwork for Adult Education Program. 10) Become involved in Special Educational Projects. The Home-School Co-ordinator is not essentially required to perform these duties but may find himself involved: 1) Truant work. 2) Court work (aside from advisory capacity). 3) Teacher or instructor in school. This description and outline of duties can be discussed and modified in each local area, according to need. ********* ******* ***** * * * * BCNITA PROJECT - G. N. Wilson. At our last conference in the Prince Rupert area it was passed by the membership that we embark on a project of collecting materials on Indian culture and general information on Indians. This material to be distributed by the Indian Education Resources Center at U.B.C. In the past year both the Indian Advisory Office in Victoria and the Resources Center have been flooded with letters of request for any information on Indians. The request came from school children from all the grade levels and from the high school and university level. BCNITA has recognized the need to collect informational material to meet these requests. In the next few months materials will be collected and ordered and will be available through the Indian Education Resources Center. - 3 - The First Citizen's Fund will be asked by BCNITA and the Resources Center to fund the project. All the material will be available through the Center. If anyone in our membership knows of or has in their possession any material which he thinks should be good informational material, please send a sample of it to the Resources Center. Thanking you in advance for your co-operation. ******************************** In the next issue of the newsletter watch for a feature article on the Indian Studies Program being carried on at Camosun College, Victoria. ******************************** ***** * * * * SCHOOL CURRICULUM - Bernelda Wheeler. "We see nothing of ourselves in the school system. There is nothing to identify with. We can't relate with the curriculum of our schools". This is the outcry of many of our younger generation in the past three to four years. It is a valid complaint, and certainly one that had to be voiced from the relevant part of the society that had the complaint to make. But, be it well known that our area is actively doing something to alleviate the situation, in a way that all schools may benefit, and all students in the schools. I mentioned the Hahopayuk conference two or three columns ago. This conference has had wide and far reaching effects in the Alberni Valley. In the past two months, we have seen citizens of the native community going into the schools to demonstrate their arts and crafts, and relate something of the various customs and histories of our people to the very interested and delighted little people in the classrooms. The latest innovation is one which, I've been given to understand will be available eventually to all schools within the area, and that is a complete unit in the grades two to four level, dealing with Indians. The unit is presently in progress at the Redford School open area, and was developed by the hard work and efforts of the teachers of the area, and their principal, Mr. Ron Hess. Resource material is not the easiest to obtain, and from the material obtained, copies have to be developed that are of a level of understanding to the students, who will be involved in this particular unit. To make the unit more interesting and relevant to the students, they have had Native people go to the open area to demonstrate such crafts and art as beadwork, and carving, and this with a great deal of success. From what I can understand, the students were enthralled, and their attention undivided. - 4 - Of course, there must be something great to send the students home with for the coming vacation. A salmon barbecue for lunch, Indian dancing and singing, this was the accumulation of the past two weeks on this special unit for the students at Redford. A very happy and interesting two weeks featuring the participation to the first citizens of this country. Does it prove anything? For one thing, judging from the interest of the students, it is a much needed item. It gives the native students confidence in themselves. It involves adults of the native community. Most of all it proves once again, that to have a successful event, people must work together all for the benefit of children, of all races. If it is beneficial, then it should be part of the curriculum. If it is part of the curriculum, it should be recognized by the Department of Education. It is is recognized by the Department of Education, then the resource people should be paid. **** ****** **** (Mrs. Bernelda Wheeler is the Director of The Alberni Valley Friendship Center and a free lance writer in the same area.) **** ****** **** NEW BOOK ARRIVALS Flap or Nobody Loves a Drunken Indian - by Clair Huffaker, David McKay Company, Inc., New York, 1967. When I read this book I laughed, I cried, and I became very mad at the misunderstandings and cruelty to some people towards others. I could not put the book down once I had started to read it. Mr. Huffaker made the characters come alive. He made them three dimensional and very believable. Flapping Eagle is the type of person needed in every revolution. He is resourceful, wise, and not afraid of man, nor beast, nor any woman, either for that matter. He is a natural born leader, a man willing to fight for a cause he knows is right. Flap is a likeable person. His friends love him. He knows how to persuade people. Their cause and problems become his cause and problems. Flap is aware of the injustices of the world, and he unselfishly fights those injustices. I cannot say too much about the other character in the book. They are all so loveable and so real. Even Silver Dollar has a real very true story to tell. The problem with him, is that he forfeits his self-pride for money and recognition by the white man, and forgets that he is an Indian and his first duty is to his people. The bigots such as Raffery are the people this world could do without. They cause pain and suffering to satisfy some sick need in themselves. They fear that which is different, and try to destroy it in any way possible. It is unfortunate - 5 - * this type of man which our society creates, to lesser or greater degrees. I don't know if I agree with Flap's method of taking care of him, but I was certainly satisfied when Raffery was thoroughly beaten. When Flapping Eagle and H-Bomb were killed, I cried. I had expected that to happen; there was no other way for the book to end. However, it was so funny, sad, brave, pathetic and real the way it happened, that I could not help but cry. I wanted to begin erecting monuments, composing songs, or writing stories so the whole world could know what kind of man Flap was, and what he was trying to do. But, then, his simple funeral as described in the book seemed more fitting. All Flap really wanted was peace and a good drink. He had simple needs. I found it hard to realize this book is fiction. It lives and moves. Even now I want to believe Flapping Eagle lived, and that his people are having a better lived before by other people in other areas, and will probably be lived again by still more people, because the story of Flapping Eagle is the story of any man or woman who ever grew tired of being put down and finally decided to do something about it. It is the story of a many who becomes angry because a little girl cannot get medical aid and dies, and because an old man dies of a broken heart. It is the story of a man who respects other people and animals, and they respect him in return. It is the story of a man who tries to re-educate the population of the United States. It is the story of a man who can look down from heaven and laugh at the government lawyers trying to find a way out of the last treaty found by Wounded Bear, Mr. Smith. Nobody Loves A Drunken Indian is the story of a man. ***** ****** ***** The Mountain Goats of Temleham - Retold by William Toy - Illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver The Mountain Goats of Temlehan is an original legend of the Tsimshian Indians retold by William Toy and illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. The mountain goat symbolizes nobility on the totem pole of the Tsimshian Indians. This legend shows the disaster that befalls the men of Temlehan when they fail to match the nobility of the animals. The great, hunters of the village become wasteful and careless. They ignore the old law that states they should kill only for food. As a final insult they bring home a kid for the children to play with. The children, by their fathers example are cruel to the kid. Raven Feather, a young boy, rescues the kid and returns it to the mountain. The goats become angry at the way the people are treating their brothers. The disguise themselves as a new tribe and invite the villagers to a feast on Mount Stek-yaw-den. After the feasting and dancing the villagers are sent tumbling down the mountain to their death. Raven Feather is the only one saved. The kid gives him a cloak which enables him to leap from crag to crag down the mountain. Raven Feather returns to the old people and the children of his village and becomes a wise teacher. The one-horned goat becomes his family crest. Elizabeth Cleaver has done an excellent job of illustrating this legend. The vivid greens, blues and reds make a colourful portrayal of the words. - 6 - This book could be used at the primary or intermediate grade levels. The illustrations would capture the interest of the primary age level but I think the vocabulary would be too difficult for the children below grade four. Words such as 'revenge', 'procession', 'ointment' and others may hinder their reading. I would suggest oral reading by these teacher to familiarize the children with the legend and then independent reading by these children who wished to read it on their own. Because the wording is not simple and the illustrations are not childish the book will also appeal to the intermediate grade levels. The reading of this text could lead them on to other tellings of the same legend. Once Upon A Totem by Christie Harris treats this legend in a slightly different way. How Summer Came to Canada is another legend illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. A reliable source in Children's Literature told me this is the beginning of a series of legends illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. They will help to fill a great gap in books for young Indian children. ***** ****** ***** * * * * * * * HOW TO GET A HOME-SCHOOL CO-ORDINATOR If there is a population of 500 Indian students in one area or district, a Home-School Co-ordinator can be requested and fully financed by Indian Affairs - Education Division. If there are 250 Indian students in a district, then Indian Affairs - Education Division will finance 50% of the cost of a Home-School Co-ordinator and the school district or the First Citizens Fund will carry the other 50% of the costs. Indian people - Education Committees in conjunction with village councils (It may mean several bands) - and then a representative Education Committee should be set-up, and these people as a special committee, negotiate with the school district, regarding the setting-up of a Home-School Co-ordinator. When the need for a Home- School Co-ordinator has been established - then the Indian Affairs - Education Division - through the District Superintendent of Indian Schools, should be approached regarding financial contracts etc. In some instance, this contract has to be entered into by the Indian Affairs Branch and the Indian Village Council, or a recognized Indian organization. For off reserve (urbanized districts) , a census may be needed to establish the need or the type of services involved, and this again should be worked through the District Superintendent of Indian Schools. A basic suggested rate from Indian Affairs is $500.00 per month, or based on the persons existing rate before becoming a Home-School Co-ordinator. ***** ****** ***** * * * * * * * - 5 - this type of man which our society creates, to lesser or greater degrees. I don't know if I agree with Flap's method of taking care of him, but I was certainly satisfied when Raffery was thoroughly beaten. When Flapping Eagle and H-Bomb were killed, I cried. I had expected that to happen; there was no other way for the book to end. However, it was so funny, sad, brave, pathetic and real the way it happened, that I could not help but cry. I wanted to begin erecting monuments, composing songs, or writing stories so the whole world could know what kind of man Flap was, and what he was trying to do. But, then, his simple funeral as described in the book seemed more fitting. All Flap really wanted was peace and a good drink. He had simple needs. I found it hard to realize this book is fiction. It lives and moves. Even now I want to believe Flapping Eagle lived, and that his people are having a better lived before by other people in other areas, and will probably be lived again by still more people, because the story of Flapping Eagle is the story of any man or woman who ever grew tired of being put down and finally decided to do something about it. It is the story of a many who becomes angry because a little girl cannot get medical aid and dies, and because an old man dies of a broken heart. It is the story of a man who respects other people and animals, and they respect him in return. It is the story of a man who tries to re-educate the population of the United States. It is the story of a man who can look down from heaven and laugh at the government lawyers trying to find a way out of the last treaty found by Wounded Bear, Mr. Smith. Nobody Loves A Drunken Indian is the story of a man. ***** ****** ***** The Mountain Goats of Temleham - Retold by William Toy - Illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver The Mountain Goats of Temlehan is an original legend of the Tsimshian Indians retold by William Toy and illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. The mountain goat symbolizes nobility on the totem pole of the Tsimshian Indians. This legend shows the disaster that befalls the men of Temlehan when they fail to match the nobility of the animals. The great, hunters of the village become wasteful and careless. They ignore the old law that states they should kill only for food. As a final insult they bring home a kid for the children to play with. The children, by their fathers example are cruel to the kid. Raven Feather, a young boy, rescues the kid and returns it to the mountain. The goats become angry at the way the people are treating their brothers. The disguise themselves as a new tribe and invite the villagers to a feast on Mount Stek-yaw-den. After the feasting and dancing the villagers are sent tumbling down the mountain to their death. Raven Feather is the only one saved. The kid gives him a cloak which enables him to leap from crag to crag down the mountain. Raven Feather returns to the old people and the children of his village and becomes a wise teacher. The one-horned goat becomes his family crest. Elizabeth Cleaver has done an excellent job of illustrating this legend. The vivid greens, blues and reds make a colourful portrayal of the words. - 6 - This book could be used at the primary or intermediate grade levels. The illustrations would capture the interest of the primary age level but I think the vocabulary would be too difficult for the children below grade four. Words such as 'revenge', 'procession', 'ointment' and others may hinder their reading. I would suggest oral reading by these teacher to familiarize the children with the legend and then independent reading by these children who wished to read it on their own. Because the wording is not simple and the illustrations are not childish the book will also appeal to the intermediate grade levels. The reading of this text could lead them on to other tellings of the same legend. Once Upon A Totem by Christie Harris treats this legend in a slightly different way. How Summer Came to Canada is another legend illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. A reliable source in Children's Literature told me this is the beginning of a series of legends illustrated by Elizabeth Cleaver. They will help to fill a great gap in books for young Indian children. ***** ****** ***** * * * * * * * HOW TO GET A HOME-SCHOOL CO-ORDINATOR If there is a population of 500 Indian students in one area or district, a Home-School Co-ordinator can be requested and fully financed by Indian Affairs - Education Division. If there are 250 Indian students in a district, then Indian Affairs - Education Division will finance 50% of the cost of a Home-School Co-ordinator and the school district or the First Citizens Fund will carry the other 50% of the costs. Indian people - Education Committees in conjunction with village councils (it may mean several bands) - and then a representative Education Committee should be set-up, and these people as a special committee, negotiate with the school district, regarding the setting-up of a Home-School Co-ordinator. When the need for a Home- School Co-ordinator has been established - then the Indian Affairs - Education Division - through the District Superintendent of Indian Schools, should be approached regarding financial contracts etc. In some instance, this contract has to be entered into by the Indian Affairs Branch and the Indian Village Council, or a recognized Indian organization. For off reserve (urbanized districts) , a census may be needed to establish the need or the type of services involved, and this again should be worked through the District Superintendent of Indian Schools. A basic suggested rate from Indian Affairs is $500.00 per month, or based on the persons existing rate before becoming a Home-School Co-ordinator. ***** ****** ***** * * * * * * * - 7 - BCNITA CONFERENCE 1971 The B.C. Native Indian Teachers Association in conjunction with the Indian Education Resources Center has stated that, there pronounced weaknesses and inadequacies in the education field for native Indian students. The dropout rate and the lack of success in the provincial schools and federal schools is controlled by these two factors. What is the Indian Education Resources Center doing about it? Under the guidance and direction of the BCNITA - the Resources Center has involved itself in the following areas: 1. Publishing a monthly newsletter in Indian Education. 2. Developing Curriculum materials - see Volume 2 #1 issue of the Indian Education Newsletter - listing supplemental teaching units developed by Indian teachers about Indian people. 3. Asking schools to be aware of existing prejudicial and negatively biased materials (see Volume I #4 newsletter), and to counteract such material by including more positive oriented materials. 4. Making available - resource materials in the form of books, pamphlets, newspapers, printed materials on Indians - we have a section under B.C. Indians, Canadian Indians, North American Indians - all of these are available for loan, and should be used by teachers to enrich, innovate or supplement the existing school curricula (class sets are available for many books). 5. Promoting seminars on universities - for Education students and other interested faculties regarding Indian Education. 6. Encouraging all teachers and prospective teachers that we come in contact with to take the Cross Cultural Indian Education 479 course - at UBC. 7. The Indian Education Resources Center is available to any school set-up, to organize or to participate in, teacher workshops in Indian Education. 8. We are negotiating the development of Audio-visual materials, to be available from the Indian Education Resources Center. 9. Doing a Statistical Survey on the Boarding Home Program. Many secondary school Indian students have to leave home, to take part in grade 8 to grade 12 classes. Some of these students are hundreds of miles away from home.' A result of - 8 - 9. this survey would be to implement changes to better the existing program, so that the school product would be improved. 10. The BCNITA bi-annual conference (every six months) is set to implement plans of actions, rather than recommendations and resolutions. In October, 1971 - the first bi-annual conference for this school year, was held in the North Coast District. This district was chosen because it had the greatest concentration of Indian Day School Students - a total of 80 non-Indian teachers are involved. A large part of the 3 day conference was spent on a workshop orientation nature. The first day was spent in New Aiyansh, Nass River, B.C. The thirty or so BCNITA members were billeted out by the villagers of New Aiyansh, and the evening began with a very delectable Indian smorgasbord banquet. This was followed by a meeting of the villagers and other Indian people from the Nass River. The evening ended at 1:30 a.m. - with small discussion groups still actively pursuing some of the facets of Indian Education. The Boarding Home Program, the Guidance Counsellors, and the many implications of this set-up were discussed in detail. Enriched or innovated curriculum materials were dealt with. The Home-School Co-ordinators and their valuable work were also discussed. The Nass River people - the Nisghas are desirous of setting-up a Junior High School in the village of New Aiyansh, so that immature young students would not have to leave home until the Senior High School level. The BCNITA and Indian Education Resources Center were asked to support their demands in this respect. The second day of the conference was spent in Terrace, B.C. A tour of the school set-up (one elementary open area; one elementary traditional school set-up; a vocational school; the Senior and the Junior High School set-ups, and the Resources Center were viewed by the BCNITA members.) After school, a workshop orientation meeting was put up involving secondary teachers from the Hazelton - Kitimaat - Terrace - Prince Rupert Districts. The Indian Education Resources Center materials were displayed; the Curriculum Writers project, of Home-School Co-ordinators, the role of Indian Affairs Branch guidance councillors etc., were discussed. The third day of the conference was to head discussion groups in Prince Rupert - at the Northern B.C. Federal Teachers conference, for a full morning. Here, all of the areas already mentioned were dealt with. The afternoon and evening of the third day, were spent on business matters of the third bi-annual conference of BCNITA. A full detailed report of the third day conference would be made available to all BCNITA members in the two weeks and to other interested parties (if so requested). A preliminary observation of the third day, is that the initial aim for such an undertaking was accomplished. The BCNITA members, a section of the Indian people in that area, and the non-Indian teachers from these areas were offered the opportunity to look at possible areas of weaknesses and inadequacies which are existent in the school system, for Indian students. The very fact that a member of people involved in the 3 day conference were upset, because no package deal was offered to alleviate these problem areas reinforces our statement that weaknesses and inadequacies exist in the school system. To follow up - 9 - the third day orientation workshop, I would urge that all interested people in the education field, refer to the 10 point pre-amble to this article, and just see where they as individuals can do something about what is lacking in their respective schools, and then plan a course of action to better their school set-up. In addition those schools who have already embarked on innovative, enriched programming for Indian students, write in to us about your efforts, so that we can include it in our Indian Education Newsletter, and perhaps encourage other school set-ups to start similar programming. ****** ******* ****** ***** * * * * "Now here is something I would like to remark about. When Christopher Columbus landed on the Atlantic Shore he set his foot on North America and he reported back that her discovered a new world and there were savages and heathens living on this new world. Now I would like to prove that he was very wrong because for centuries and centuries our people had a prayer that they used to say to the Great White Spirit. It goes something like this: 0 Great White Spirit Whose Voice I Hear In The Winds Whose Breath Gives Life To The World Hear Me 1 Come To You As One Of Thy Many Children I Am Small and Weak I Need Your Strength and Wisdom May I Walk In Beauty Make My Eyes Ever Behold the Red and Purple Sunset Make My Hands Respect the Things that You Have Made And My Ears Sharp to Hear Your Voice Make Me Wise So That I May Know the Things You Have Taught Your Children The Lessons That You Have Written in Every Leaf and Rock Make Me Strong Not to be Superior to My Brothers But to be Able to Fight My Greatest Enemy - Myself Make Me Ever Ready to Come To You With Straight Eyes So That When Life Fades - As The Fading Sunset My Spirit Will Come to You Without Shame. Translated by Chief Yellowlark - 1887 - one of the great chiefs of the Sioux Tribe, South Dakota." From a recording by Chief Dan George, January 6, 1971, for the C.B.C. Radio Program "The Second Fifty". ****** ******* ****** ***** * * * * - 10 - WHAT THE HOME-SCHOOL COORDINATORS SAY One of the best ways to describe the duties of a Home-School Coordinator is to have them describe what they have actually done over the past month. Here is what four of them wrote: The month of August, my first on the job, was a month of meetings, School District Administrators, Counsellors in Indian Affairs and Manpower Counsellors. It has been an interesting new job meeting many people all Involved in the field of Education on the Local District levels. I should also mention the importance of meeting the Chiefs of the nineteen Reserves in the area We are in the early stages of setting up a program for Homework tutoring in the Chilliwack Area. I am fortunate in obtaining tutoring services of a group of teachers who have already had a volunteer program for Native Children last year in Vedder Crossing and Cultus Lake. Tutoring is held once a week in the Tzeachten Community Hall for a one to two hour period after school on every Thursday. We feel that homework tutoring is going to help student close the gap on their weak subjects. We hope to have the results to prove this as the year goes along. The program we are hoping to start at Kilgard has so far received a favourable reception from Parents, the School District Administrator and the Family Services Center in Abbotsford. The Kilgard project is a new one. I have had to contact the School District Administrator asking permission to use a vacant two room School for these studies. Not being familiar with Abbotsford Community, I contacted the Abbotsford Community Services Center for the purpose of securing some Tutoring services in that Area. The reaction seems to be good. We hope to have this program started by the next few weeks. I have now more central locations which are planned for Homework tutoring. I feel at this time I must get my Chilliwack and Kilgard Program in motion before the Hope and Langley Programs are started. This of course is not due to priorities. I just can't be in four places at once. - Percy Roberts - Chilliwack Area Indian Council ***** ******* ***** (1) We have helped approximately 200 of our people to place themselves on the District voters list and hopefully we may have an Indian man for a school board position with a fair chance of success. We have received some fine moral support on this from our new District Superintendent, Mr. McFee. (2) We will soon have cur Indian Library started with 150 books, the majority of which are on Indians or by Indians. We hope to add to this a good selection of Practical Books to be used by our "handymen" (3) Our basic Indian Lesson kit is beginning to take form, (a) some good ideas were discussed and will likely be used in the tape section, (b) Mr. & Mrs. June Wyatt have reported that the written history of the Valley will be almost ready by November. (c) The picture section has - 11 - changed somewhat and we have planned to develop slides of the photographs because they would not be handled so much and would last longer. (4) We are in the planning stages in setting up a workshop on the Nicola Valley and its Indians and have received fair response from local teachers. If it can be financed, we would welcome any interested persons to take part, including our own people and students as well. Mrs. June Wyatt is co-ordinating the course and a devoted lady is she. We have received some response from our people to act as resource persons and I believe this will trigger a greater response once things get going. (5) Our school enrollment is down from last, year but we seem to have more students reaching the Grade Xll level. I am encouraging our Indian students to form clubs or discussion or social groups for the opportunity to get involved in extra curricular activities and to develop communications with each other. A tough project for our students because we face the terrible lack of transportation for these get-togethers, but even the first small step is a good one. - Robert Sterling - Merrit School District ***** ******* ***** I am, at the moment, falling into some pattern of service with the schools that I am serving in this district. Problem areas with students have cropped up at this early stage, and I wonder what a person might do, except become a part of the team that is working in these areas. At the initial stage of school opening I played a small role in the placement of approximately one hundred new students into the elementary and secondary schools in Port Alberni. We have faced many difficulties in the placement of some secondary students but we do hope that we might resolve something after two or three more conferences with the counsellors in these schools. The three special counsellors I am working with have had their work cut out for them with other conferences with the principals and other key people. I have had formal introduction to the administrators by the cp-ord- inator of Pupil Personal Sercives, Tom Hall, with whom I am working. Glen Aston, and George Allen are working with Tom as special elementary councillors hopeful of working with teachers trying to resolve problems of students, and or giving them direction to proper services required. We have just completed a trip to the Tofin-Ucluelet area where further formal introduction were made to the principals and teachers in that area. There are approximately one hundred new Native students in this area, due mainly to a new student hostel site which has been placed in this area. So, in rough round figures, there should be 700 students or over within my district. I am very fortunate in working under a superintendent who sees profit in continuing a project that we had last year with a group of parents. This project was to have teachers bring a better understanding to the parents, of what and how they are teaching in the schools together with possibilities of enlightment on report cards, open are a teaching - 12 - situations year one, two etc., level one, txro, etc., other terminology; programs, electives, optional to secondary students and so on. By the same token, we will be hoping to organize a group of Native speakers, who are well versed in Indian culture to speak to groups of teachers occasionally, as an exchange measure. This group of parents have already had a luncheon as an opening for this term. On October 19th, we will be expecting a very special guest speaker in George N. Wilson, Curriculum Consultant - Department of Education, at our initial meeting this term. Later in the year, we should be leading on into talks on sex education, drugs, etc, by well qualified personnel. So again, we look forward to a very busy year, what with problem students, & students with problems. They are cropping up. I have made initial contact with two behaviour problems to date, & one of these sounds like a terribly lost child at 14. One other student is slow learning problem who needs help from mental health services. The child has responded well to special suggested method of learning so far, the parents consent is another thing. - Roy Haiyupis - Port Alberni School District ***** ******* ***** The Lament of The Native I long for the days of long ago When I could ride with my warriors On strong swift horses Into the sweet smelling spring breeze And chase our enemy in the dark night Who have fled with fear and fright But now I am lame and old No longer young, tough and bold, I have no horse to ride, For we, are slowly losing our pride I am no longer wise like the fox in the forest I am no longer nimble and swift like the deer I cannot see like the eagle who flies in the sky For I am like the bat who flies during the day My people will soon be lost, Our language, our customs and songs will go When these are long gone, Where, will I with my people go? Only the Great Spirit does know. Written by Martin Williams (Age 15) - 13 - Greetings from the Kootenays! September - Whew! What a month! I imagine everyone is kept busy trying to get their students settled for the new school term. Surely, nobody can complain of a boring month! When I returned to "work" in August, I was full of spirit & optimism! As the weeks wore on, the corners of my mouth began to droop and my "get-up and go" was ready for a transplant! "how", I puzzled, "could so many things change in the time I was away?" It's strange how today an issue is an emergency, and tomorrow it's fizzled out, and somehow resolved itself. All the trauma plotting and tension that it created, seems pointless or unnecessary 24 hours later. Life.' Probably my major crisis was trying to accommodate approximately 4 teenagers who had planned to leave the Kootenays and enter a Boarding Home in the Okanagan. These students, I felt, would benefit from a new environment. None of them had any home to return to on the reserve. (A house maybe, but, not a home) They had each requested this transfer, and I felt they had valid reasons for a change. In any case, only one of the students was able to leave. I was told that there were no accommodations to be found in the Okanagan. Why wait until September to discover this? Surely, if you are requested 2 months in advance to locate these Boarding Homes, you must realize there would be s slight urgency to have accommodations settled by September 1st! It was also pointed out to me that there is no reason to have Kootenay students leave the area since schools are available here. Why argue,, with a deaf mute? Your efforts are in vain. I would also be interested to know how you arrange transfers to another area, and if you receive as much co-operation as I did. The school supply cheques came or did they? Well, anyway some got them and some might have and well .... and if you did get a cheque for $15, $20, or $25, how are you suppose to know its a "School Supply" cheque? Does it indicate what it is for? Oh well! Let's spend it on something . This summer we discussed the students personal allowances and means to control it, specifically to help curb truancy. Well, I attempted to keep a monthly record of the school attendance, and deduct 50C-1/2 day, $1.00-a full day. I spoke with the students and they felt this was a fair deal. If your absent with a legitimate excuse, no deduction. If your in the pool hall for the school day, well, that's different. I suggested this to my District Office and they felt it would be an impossible task, since they are issuing cheques to approximately 800 students. Any ideas on how to curb truancy would be appreciated. Already we have snow on the mountain peaks. They really look so much more impressive with their white coats. October has been really pleasant so far. September was miserable. - 14 - My September driving mileage was approximately 1700 miles for the month. I've purchased a bicycle, not only for the sake of ecology, but for my sake. You can really waste away behind a steering wheel! - Patty Wright - Cranbrook ***** ******* ***** ******* ***** * * * * RETURN ADDRESS: INDIAN EDUCATION RESOURCES CENTER HUT 0-12, ROOM 2 UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA VANCOUVER 8, B. C."""@en ; edm:hasType "Periodicals"@en ; dcterms:spatial "Vancouver (B.C.)"@en ; dcterms:identifier "LC2629 .I535"@en, "LC2629_I535_1971_10_01"@en ; edm:isShownAt "10.14288/1.0115116"@en ; dcterms:language "English"@en ; edm:provider "Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library"@en ; dcterms:publisher "Vancouver : Indian Education Resources Center"@en ; dcterms:rights "Images provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the University of British Columbia, Xwi7xwa Library: http://xwi7xwa.library.ubc.ca/"@en ; dcterms:source "Original Format: University of British Columbia. Archives"@en ; dcterms:subject "University of British Columbia"@en, "Education"@en, "First nations of North America"@en ; dcterms:title "Indian education newsletter"@en ; dcterms:type "Text"@en ; dcterms:description ""@en .