In contrast to the chaotic corridors outside, Johnson Brown’s Navajo language classroom at Chinle High School provides a peaceful oasis. The windowless room possesses a comforting ambiance, enriched by the gentle melodies of a Navajo flute playing softly in the background. The language spoken within these walls is one that many of the students have been exposed to from a young age in their own homes. As a former native language speaker himself, Brown leads the class with a composed and dignified demeanor.
This classroom presents a plethora of knowledge for the students to absorb, owing to the intricacies and complexities of the Navajo language. The walls are adorned with posters depicting various shapes, numbers, and animals, all labeled in Navajo. Furthermore, the blackboard is filled with Navajo sentences. The room’s four computers have been specially programmed to allow the students to type in the Navajo alphabet, which features an elaborate series of accent marks.
However, what distinguishes this class and its mission is the notion that it serves as a sanctuary for preserving the native language and culture, which hold immense value to the Navajo people. At the helm of this class is Brown, one of the local teachers cultivated by the reservation and relied upon to safeguard Navajo traditions that may otherwise fade into obscurity. For many years, children on the reservation were sent to government or church-run boarding schools, where speaking Navajo was strictly prohibited. Just a generation ago, Navajo teachers were a rarity, and the concept of Navajo language classes was unheard of on the reservation.
In recent years, this landscape has transformed with the concerted efforts of the Navajo Nation and external organizations to increase the number of Navajo teachers and preserve their language and culture. This Navajo crusade aligns with a larger national movement to recruit minority teachers who have a better chance of connecting with students of the same race or ethnicity, according to experts.
The commendable endeavors of the Navajo Nation caught the attention of the Ford Foundation based in New York City in 1991. The foundation, already involved in a $25 million initiative for minority teacher education, partnered with the tribe to establish the Navajo Nation Ford Teacher Education Program. Collaborating with six local colleges and universities in the Southwest, this initiative provided Navajo teachers’ aides with the opportunity to study their native language and earn a bachelor’s degree in teacher education. Although the Ford Foundation’s financial support is concluding as graduates like Brown secure teaching positions on the reservation, the Navajo Nation is determined to continue this effort and produce their own teachers. For the tribe, this matter is crucial as it pertains to the preservation of their way of life.
Children growing up on Indian reservations are part of the Native American population that disproportionately experiences poverty, unemployment, and various social challenges such as alcoholism and drug abuse. According to the American Indian College Fund, most reservations have unemployment rates of 60 percent or higher. Additionally, only a small number of Indian nations operate gaming operations, and even those do not generate sufficient revenues to address needs in healthcare facilities, water systems, job training, elderly care, and education. A further exacerbating factor is the high dropout rate among Native American students. A longitudinal study conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, which surveyed students in the 8th grade in 1988, found that 16.9 percent of American Indian students had dropped out by 1994. This dropout rate was higher than that of all other minority groups, according to the survey. Nationwide, several organizations are taking steps to address the scarcity of Native American teachers on reservations. For example, Philip Morris Companies Inc. granted $200,000 for teacher-training and -development programs at nine tribal colleges last October. Working in coordination with the college fund, these grants aimed to increase the availability of special education and native-language courses at these colleges. The grants also aimed to counter the negative attitudes towards the teaching profession that linger on reservations due to the significant impact of the former church and government boarding schools, which were considered as detrimental to Navajo culture.
In addition to their teacher training courses, students are obligated to enroll in 17 hours of Navajo language classes offered by Diné College. This college is well-known for its curriculum that is rooted in traditional knowledge and cultural values. Many participants in the program consider the Navajo language requirement to be the most distinctive and useful aspect. They believe that they are able to communicate more effectively with their students when they speak to them in a familiar language.
Doris Davis, a graduate of the Navajo-Ford program who teaches English to 7th and 8th grade students at Chinle Junior High School, conducted an informal survey among her students. She discovered that they understood her lessons better when she explained concepts in both Navajo and English. Davis explains, "I often see the Navajo children becoming lost. I can see it in their expressions, and that’s when I switch over to Navajo and say, ‘This is what I’m trying to convey to you.’"
This observation aligns with statistics provided by the Navajo Nation, which indicate that 82 percent of individuals aged 5 and above on the reservation speak the native language at home. The Navajo language can be heard in various settings across the reservation, from casual conversations to broadcasts on the local country music station.
Johnson Brown, who teaches a class focused on reading and writing in Navajo, recognizes the cultural importance of preserving a language that might not otherwise be formally taught. Brown reflects on his own educational experience, stating, "When I attended school, there were no Navajo classes, and all of my teachers were non-Indians." Brown was previously a security guard at Chinle High School before becoming a teacher, and he remarks, "Our language is disappearing." Although some of his students are fluent in Navajo, they lack proficiency in reading and writing. Brown aims to provide information and resources to these students.
Chinle, where both Brown and Davis are based, is one of the larger towns on the reservation. It is located at the entrance of the expansive and lush Canyon de Chelly, an area with farmland that has sustained families for generations. Chinle is situated near the center of the vast Navajo reservation, which spans 25,351 square miles across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The reservation boasts breathtaking yet desolate scenery, characterized by sculpted sandstone formations, canyons, low hills, mountains, and prairies. Small settlements are scattered sparsely, and lengthy drives between towns are common.
The remote locations of many family homes, combined with the deep connection that people have to the land, pose challenges for students pursuing higher education who may need to travel or relocate. These challenges are particularly felt by participants in the program, who tend to be older and have familial responsibilities. Recent statistics reveal that 88 percent of participants are female, 82 percent have children, and their average age is 39.
"It’s not as if there is a comprehensive public transportation system," remarks Pat H. Stall, the education program coordinator at the University of New Mexico at Gallup. "The commuting time is just something you have to deal with out here, but it does present some challenges."
Other obstacles, perhaps, might be more difficult to overcome than the logistical ones. Many aspiring teachers face a lack of support from their families, especially from those members who are skeptical of the impact classroom teachers have had on the lives of Native Americans. Prescott College’s Perry estimates that only about one-third of her students receive backing from their families, largely due to a perception influenced by past boarding schools. "Traditionally, education was seen as a means to destroy the culture and language," Perry explains. "The parents of my students went through that kind of system, and my students did as well. There isn’t much belief that education can bring positive changes because it has caused social disruption for families in the past."
Nowadays, more than 74,000 students on the reservation attend public schools that follow the policies of Arizona, New Mexico, or Utah, making up approximately 80 percent of the student population. The remaining 20 percent go to Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) schools, which receive funding from the U.S. Department of the Interior. Some BIA schools have transitioned to grant or contract status, granting reservation officials greater autonomy and control.
Most schools on the reservation are a far cry from the boarding schools of the past. For example, it is common to see Navajo words, phrases, and sentences written on blackboards or displayed on walls.
At Shiprock’s Mesa Elementary School, where nearly 98 percent of the student body is Navajo, the influence of Native American culture is immediately apparent. A large piece of paper stretches across the main hall, serving as a "clan" chart where students write down the name of their Navajo family branch. Another sign asks, "Hadoonee Nili?" meaning "What is your clan?" Glojean Todacheene, the principal and one of the few Navajo administrators, takes pride in her heritage. She has made progress in hiring Navajo teachers, overcoming initial skepticism from Navajo parents who were wary of Anglo-run schools. Some parents had only experienced Anglo teachers and assumed they would provide better education for their children. Currently, approximately half of the teachers at Mesa Elementary are Navajo.
"It wasn’t until the late ’60s that we started seeing one or two Navajo teachers, and now children express aspirations of becoming teachers or principals," Todacheene explains. "If we are promoting self-sufficiency among tribal people, and the school system is a major employer, it should be available as a job option rather than relying on individuals from the other 49 states."
At Mesa Elementary, it appears that the primary concern of Native American teachers is the lack of classroom materials printed in Navajo. Marilyn Deal, a 4th grade Navajo teacher and graduate of the Ford program, collaborates with an Anglo teacher to teach the native language to his students while he instructs her students in science. In her mathematics class, students learn addition, subtraction, and also write numerical names in Navajo. Deal, a grandmother of four, struggles to find materials that are relevant or recognizable to her students, many of whom have never left Shiprock. She often encounters resources with "East Coast" terms like "skyscraper" that she needs to explain to the children.
Recruiting New Teachers, a nonprofit organization based in Belmont, Massachusetts, released a report last year stating that programs aimed at helping paraprofessionals obtain teaching credentials can effectively contribute to building a diverse and culturally responsive teaching workforce. The report showcased the Navajo-Ford initiative as an example of such a program.
According to David Haselkorn, the president of the organization, paraprofessionals who become teachers can serve as excellent role models, particularly for students who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Haselkorn highlights the strength of paraeducator-to-teacher projects, such as the Navajo Nation Ford Teacher Education Program, in implicitly conveying the message, "I can do it, and you can too." The Ford Foundation’s involvement also brought much-needed credibility to the Navajo tribe’s efforts to train more Navajo teachers. The foundation provided nearly $3.5 million in funding over six years, enabling the establishment of an office of teacher education within the Navajo Nation, which will continue even after the Ford funding ends in March next year. Additionally, by directly giving the funds to the Navajo Nation, the program organizers assert that the Navajo administrators were able to have more control and influence over colleges and universities in determining the desired outcomes of the program. This marked the first time the Navajo Nation had such decision-making authority in partnership with educational institutions.
The program’s success has been evident in its annual reviews. To date, it has graduated 199 students, with more students expected to graduate this year and next. The program has maintained an average retention rate of 90 percent since 1992.
However, one ongoing issue has been the requirement of standardized tests for new teachers by states. Some Navajo students have faced difficulties with the Pre-Professional Skills Test (PPST), which serves as an entrance exam into teacher education programs, as well as the National Teacher Examination (NTE). This controversy surrounding standardized tests for Native Americans reflects a broader national debate on the exams’ racial and cultural biases. Critics argue that these exams unfairly disadvantage minority teachers. On the other hand, opponents of bias claims raise concerns about the potential consequences of placing less qualified, albeit culturally attuned, teachers in classrooms.
In response to these challenges, the consortium colleges involved in the program have agreed not to require the PPST from students. Elmer J. Guy, the deputy director of the Navajo Nation’s division of education, emphasizes that the PPST does not necessarily guarantee that individuals who pass the exam will be better teachers. As for the NTE, some prospective Navajo teachers continue to face obstacles. While Arizona institutions in the consortium do not require the NTE, the New Mexico education department mandates it for licensure. However, students who do not pass the exam in New Mexico can present a portfolio to a state review panel as an alternative licensure procedure. Fort Lewis College in Colorado has designed its program to meet New Mexico state requirements.
Navajo program administrators argue that the NTE is culturally biased. They assert that the aural portion of the test discriminates against bilingual Native American students, who must translate questions from English to Navajo and then translate their answers back into English. Anita Tsinnajinnie, the executive director of the Navajo education division, believes that a bilingual teacher who passes the exam is likely more capable than a monolingual teacher who also passes it. Furthermore, Tsinnajinnie emphasizes that while the program focuses on growing their own teachers, graduates from the program are equipped to teach anywhere.
The Navajo Nation has made a commitment to carry on with a program that focuses on training Navajo teachers, even once the funding from Ford runs out. Each of the consortium institutions has also agreed to continue their involvement in the process, assigning staff members specifically to work on Navajo teacher education projects. Additionally, Diné College is aiming to obtain accreditation for its own four-year teacher education program.
Organizers emphasize that the promotion of Navajo culture and language will continue to be a fundamental aspect of all the programs. Each institution will strive to provide "value added" attributes, tailored to the needs of Navajo students. These may include on-site instruction, part-time student options, Navajo faculty members, and counseling. All of these features have been developed to provide special support to Navajo teachers, who reservation officials view as crucial for the preservation and passing on of their culture.
Elmer Guy, from the Navajo division of education, emphasizes the importance of preserving tradition, not only for student knowledge but also for the wellbeing of his people. He states, "If you are not aware of your history, you are destined to repeat it."
