Perkins Holds Teacher Prep On Paiute Reservation

The faculty and staff of the Perkins Elementary School in Moapa took a trip outside the box on Friday, January 23. For the school’s Teacher Preparation Day, the faculty members enjoyed a special day-long presentation at the Moapa Paiute Indian Reservation.

The aim of the program, coordinated by Perkins Principal Ken Paul and Moapa Education Support Center Project Facilitator Della Salazar, was to promote

Paul stated that the purpose of the day’s activities was not to fix all of the relationships and solve all of the problems in a single day; but rather to build trust, give a feeling of value and to send the message that someone cares. “If a child feels that they belong and that someone cares, all the academics will follow,” Paul said.

Perkins Elementary has a diverse student body with 13% of its students being Paiute tribal members. In addition 30% of Perkins students have hispanic background.

This type of diversity often brings differing world views into collision, Paul said. Often this results in ‘my world’ vs ‘my world’ thinking. “I may have a completely different set of life experiences and upbringing than someone else,” Paul said. “The trouble is that often we come in conflict because we are intent on defending our own world view. We are holding on to our own view and don’t stop long enough to say what is our world going to look like.”

Paul stated that it was important that diverse groups understand each other’s perceptions and how they differ.

Paul asked those in attendance to participate in an activity which had school faculty interacting with tribal members learning about details of tribal government and culture. The groups discussed ways that the tribe was independent as a sovereign nation; dependent on the outside world for certain goods and services; and interdependent with the broader culture in sharing common issues and challenges.

Tribal chairman, Phil Swain, was asked to speak to the teachers and staff about the rich history of the tribe; its triumphs and struggles. Swain spoke about the extent of the tribes traditional lands, the impact that had been felt by early white settlers and the establishment of the reservation in 1872.

Swain also spoke about how the tribal members were traditionally taught to live in harmony with the land. He briefly discussed the use of native plants for food and medicine and the tribe’s ancient use of agriculture in the region.

Following Swain’s presentation, the Perkins staff and faculty were treated to several traditional Paiute songs sung by tribal elder, Raphaella Benn Spute. The group then broke for a lunch provided by the tribal members.

In the afternoon, the teachers received a tour of the Tribal Education Center to service children on the reservation. Later in the day, the group was taken on a bus tour to see the extent of the reservation.