SJC professor Dr. White-Kaulaity provides insight for us, as teachers, in our teaching role and responsibility concerning Indigineous Voices excerpted below:
Many teachers may feel that using Native American voices is too complex, too controversial, too risky, too time-consuming, too political, too painful, and too many other things. It may seem easier to leave them out of the curriculum, stick with the literature textbook, concentrate on the big test, and stay in the comfort zone. If such attitudes are prevalent among language arts teachers, my hope is to change this way of thinking.” (White- Kaulaity, 10)
“In relation to choices and young minds, author John Gaughn says in his book Cultural Reflections, “School is a controlled environment. We condition children to behave in certain ways, to assume certain attitudes, to become certain kinds of Americans” (23). Will our students learn to be thoughtful and appreciative of other voices, viewpoints, and perspectives? Many voices wait at the doors of classrooms, and it is up to teachers to say, “Welcome. Come into our classroom.”” (White- Kaulaity, 11)
The inclusion of Native American Literature in non-native classrooms “invites inquiry, and it sometimes carries limitations, risks and boundaries”, and “Teachers must be prepared to answer, explore, and handle questions and issues that arise not only from the literature but from student voices and their responses and reactions. The encounters and experiences of Native Americans, both past and present, are not always pretty pictures. Sometimes, Native authors’ writing could be misinterpreted rather than under stood because they write honestly about their experi ences. Their voices evoke emotion while they express anger for being misunderstood, disrespected, oppressed, and colonized. They may speak of mistrust for non-natives who abuse their culture and language, exploit their talents and resources, imitate and abuse their sacred ceremonies, and they distrust people who generally look down upon them as inferior and invisible. Teachers must be prepared to guide students in their awareness and understanding that there are contrasts in the American experience and literature reminds us of this.” (White- Kaulaity, 12)
These changes reflect the new ways of teaching language arts: a curriculum of inclusion rather than exclusion, a curriculum that utilizes and advocates for the power of voices rather than only the voices of power. If we teach our young about other cultures living with and among them, we help shape personali ties, attitudes, and lives. As teachers, perhaps we could transform for better understanding and appre ciation among people. Native American Literature can help this happen now and for the future. (White-Kaulaity, 15-16)
The Voices of Power & the Power of Voices (Fall 2006)