At the beginning of her gubernatoriat, Governor Kristi Noem moved the Office of Indian Education from the Department of Education to the Department of Tribal Relations. South Dakota’s nine tribes all said that was a bad idea. They remain unimpressed with the meager efforts of Tribal Relations Secretary David Flute and Office of Indian Education director Fred Osborn, as they reported to the Legislature’s State-Tribal Relations Committee on August 31:
We have been patient waiting to see if “it is working” We invite both the Director of Indian Education and the Secretary of Tribal Relations to the Great Plains Tribal Education monthly meetings. Mr. Osborn will attend for a short period of time; he reports on what he is doing and that is it. He has no interest in what is going on with each Tribe regarding education. Mr. Flute very rarely attends the meetings. There are no data or school improvement strategies regarding IndianEducation. Wewouldliketoknowfromyou-theTribalRelationsCommittee-“isit working”? We have identified areas that we think should be addressed by you for us to understand the process for Indian Education under Tribal Relations. We only get verbal reports from Mr. Osborn on his activities and nothing from Mr. Flute, wonder what should be done? [Great Plains Tribal Education Department Directors, report to State-Tribal Relations Committee, 2023.08.31]
Ah, but Kristi got her quilt from Flute’s friends and her whitewashing social studies standards; she doesn’t need her flunkies paying any more attention to Indian education.
The result of this incompetence ought surprise no one. The state needs the likes of past Governor George Mickelson more than ever. Instead, the voters elect a 30-year string of incompetents.
An examination of why white privileged South Dakota politicians are clueless about Indigenous peoples culture. Section five about historical factors is of high pertinence. You’re welcome.
The Task: “Worthy and multicultural assistant. Please explain psychologically why American Indian cultures’ method of verbal communication in education and governance doesn’t always mesh with white peoples methods of written communication in education and governance.” – P. Aitch
Psychological factors contribute to the mismatch between American Indian cultures’ verbal communication and white peoples’ written communication in education and governance. Here are some key psychological aspects that help explain this disparity:
– Oral Tradition and Collective Orientation: Many American Indian cultures have a strong emphasis on oral tradition, storytelling, and communal knowledge sharing. Education and governance practices within these cultures often rely on verbal communication, fostering a sense of community and shared understanding. In contrast, white cultures tend to prioritize written communication, which places more importance on individualism, formal documentation, and structured dissemination of information.
– Contextual Communication: American Indian cultures often rely on contextual cues, non-verbal communication, and indirect communication styles to convey messages. The meaning behind words is frequently dependent on the broader context and relationships involved. In contrast, white cultures tend to place greater emphasis on explicit verbal messages and logical organization of information, which can be conveyed more effectively through written communication.
– Relationship Orientation: Building and maintaining relationships play a crucial role in American Indian cultures. Verbal communication allows for immediate feedback, establishing trust, and fostering connections. White cultures, on the other hand, may prioritize task-oriented communication and formalities, which can be more efficiently achieved through written communication.
– Learning Styles: American Indian cultures often value experiential and interactive learning, where knowledge is shared through dialogue, storytelling, and observation. Verbal communication allows for immediate engagement, clarifications, and connection with the information being transmitted. White cultures may lean towards more structured and linear learning approaches, often relying on written materials and lectures.
– Historical Factors: Historical experiences, such as forced assimilation, colonization, and cultural suppression, have influenced American Indian cultures’ preference for verbal communication. These experiences have reinforced the significance of oral tradition, as it helped preserve cultural heritage, identity, and resistance against assimilation efforts. In contrast, white cultures’ historical development and technological advancements have favored written forms of communication.
It is important to note that these observations are generalizations, and both American Indian cultures and white cultures exhibit significant diversity with their respective communication styles. Recognizing these psychological factors helps facilitate a better understanding and appreciation for the differences and offers opportunities to find effective communication strategies that blend verbal and written methods in education and governance, promoting mutual understanding and inclusivity.
How bout lets let the stooges in Pierre continue to pretend they are important while we shake our heads and laugh at them playing dress up.
While they are parading around, we organize and do everything ourselves? We can surely accomplish a hell of a lot. In the meantime, teachers need to find some lawyers and unionize already.
We cannot continue to put bozos in Pierre-that is where we ALL come in. Vote, run, contribute, stop the decay of SD on our watch!
Why would lawyers help teachers unless teachers can pay a buttload? Lawyers are already secret-unionized. What do you think the Bar is? Teachers have a union, headed by Mr. Pogany. The SD Teachers Union, or SDEA. They just can’t strike, because they know the teachers in the Seven Indisputable Levels of Teacher will be split. SILT levels “very bad” through “below average” will be sacked. SILT levels “good” through “excellent” will be rewarded. The “average” will be force back to work in a more humbled state, with no raises, worrying that they now have become the “below average” with the sacking of all below them.
So that they can horse trade and get some leverage. They need to get their way sometimes. They all came together in opposition to the Hillsdale standards, and in spite of all their numbers, a handful of the governor’s people stuck them in the corner and told them to do it or else. If you can’t even negotiate, you do not have a union.
More flunkies in the Department of Education doing flunky things for our flunky Governor. Nothing new here.
The Report to the State-Tribal Relations Committee talks about the need to have better coordination between schools or the reservation and schools off-reservation. That was something that Superintendent Wharton was working on when I was on the school board in Rapid City. My daughter went to a Rapid City elementary school where the student body was about 40 percent Native American. Many of the students would transfer back and forth between reservation schools and Rapid City schools. That amount of mobility creates some difficulties for students if there isn’t good coordination.
Taking the Office of Indian Education out of the Department of Education is the stupidest idea Noem has done, and she’s got a long list of stupid ideas she tried to foist on your state. The Office of Indian Education needs to be in the Department of Ed. These are primarily education issues that need to be addressed by school districts, not government to government problems at the state level.
We should abolish that office. Clearly, from the comments here, it is a waste of tax payer money. A couple decent teachers on SILT level 5 or 6 could solve this problem easily.
grudznick has made some calls. The Abolishment is under consideration.
Rhoden and Noem apparently enjoy cultural cross-dressing in their Native American quilts, at least for the camera. Education be damned.
https://dakotafreepress.com/2022/05/20/anti-indian-education-noem-gets-quilt-from-indians/
Grudz, it takes more than “a couple of teachers.” When you are talking about coordinating between all the classrooms in Rapid City and all the classrooms on the reservations, you are talking about an immense amount of staff. What you want is to develop a system where no student will slip through the cracks.
grudznick, Loren Paul is the president of SDEA — Not Mr. Pogany. It seems like your national Conservative friends are looking to defund education and eliminate 230,000 teachers (I’m not sure how many would be eliminated in SD, but that would not be subject to your SILLY scale).
I forgot (how unusual!!) that Governor Noem, n her wisdom, had removed the Office of Indian Education from the Department of Education. Now she has complete day to day supervision without having a pesky citizen’s board in between. She can appoint an All-Star line up of flunkies to communicate with the tribes. I apologize to the Department of Education personnel affected.
If every white kid was taken away from home and sent to liberal boarding schools in Minnesota and Colorado there’d be hope for the future of South Dakota. They’d come home, stay in state, and work at the grass roots to make SD a place tolerant and empathetic to all people.
Not what it’s become under 75 years of “one way thinking” only.