The Education in the Schools Group of RRB promotes the use of educational resources that share firsthand perspectives of Indigenous People so that students, from pre-K through post doc, learn the history and cultures of Indigenous People and the US, including colonization and its impacts to the present day. This would include:
* Bringing Tribal members to meet directly with students and parents
* Encouraging professional development and training for teachers and parents
* Using a multi-dimensional approach, including experiential education
The Education & Schools Working Group of RRB meets monthly, either online or in person, and welcomes new people to participate. No specific experience required. We are 2 native women and 10 non-natives with a wide range of backgrounds. We enjoy our congenial working meetings.
Education & Schools Contact
Bonnie Sundance at BonnieSundance@gmail.com
OFFER to Teachers and other educators:
Our Schools Group is offering individual teachers 1 to 1 consultation with one of our team at no charge. We will answer your questions about bringing Native American Traditional Ecological Knowledge and values into lesson plans or offer specific lesson plans from Indigenous voices which you can use. Our team includes these women who have been educating themselves in this field:
* Emily Zinn of the Museum of Boulder
* Martha Dever and Laurie Rugenstein retired teachers and professors in the field of education:
* Bonnie Sundance, Masters Library Science: who has been learning informally in this field 2017-2023
We are concerned that our corporate run economy, government and consumerism aren’t sustainable and currently are degrading the planet. In contrast the Native American peoples before colonists arrived, lived in sustainable harmony with the Land and with Spirit, learning to create cultures, worldviews and ways which sustain all Life, and biodiversity with respect and reverence. It is important to include these Indigenous living and current teachings in every grade level and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, or TEK, to put us on the right track to supporting Life now and for 7 generations ahead.
In Fall 2023 we hope to bring together a cohort of elementary school teachers who have been bringing Indigenous materials and matters into the classroom this past year so they can share their experience with other teachers and answer questions.
Please contact BonnieSundance@gmail.com for further info and if interested in 1 to 1 consultations.
Education and the SCHOOLS WORKING GROUP of RRB ANNUAL REPORT 2023
Meetings:
Bonnie Sundance facilitated monthly meetings of the Education and the Schools Working Group, attended online by a core group of 4-6 people, held 3rd Mondays 4pm
Teacher Contacts: Our Schools Group
Posted an offer to individual teachers for 1:1 consultation with a member(s) of our group. Met with 13 teachers, either in person or via zoom. Teachers were from grades K-9 in BVSD and private schools. Also met with the Wild Bear Center’s Lead Educator and the Thorne Nature Experience, an organization that works directly with the schools.
Collecting and Vetting Resources:
Collected and vetted resources on Native Peoples for teachers, including an annotated bibliography of books for the classroom, web resources, and lesson plans. Shared these resources with BVSD teachers via their newsletter as well as in person and zoom conversations, and posted them on the Indigenous Resources page of RRB website.
Worked with Naropa Intern, Rachael Gula:
Rachael researched her own Native Hawaiian heritage and viewed other Indigenous resources as part of her 60-hour internship. She also helped with many tasks including tabling at the Wild Bear Nature Center event for Earth Day.
Supported other Projects:
Promoted showing of Jordan Dresser’s Film,“Who She Is”, at Chautauqua, and handed out a list of resources on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and posted that on the RRB website
Provided volunteer support for RRB’s Indigenous Peoples Day event at the Dairy Center for the Arts on Oct. 8 (see the program and speaker bios: and recordings of sessions
Future Projects:
Schedule a meeting of a core group of 5-6 teachers who are already doing a good job of teaching curriculum relating to Native Peoples. Ask them how they’d like to interact with each other and share their experiences with other teachers.
Identify ways to bring Native presenters into classrooms, including Native students from CU as presenters.
ABBREVIATED ANNUAL REPORT 2022 FOR RRB Education and the SCHOOLS WORKING GROUP
REVISED MISSION STATEMENT: Education in the Schools Working Group (SWG) of RRB promotes the use of educational resources that share firsthand perspectives of Indigenous People and that students, from pre-K through post doc, learn the history and cultures of Indigenous People and the US, including colonization and its impacts to the present day. This would include: bringing Tribal members to meet directly with students and parents, encouraging professional development and training, using a multi-dimensional approach including experiential education.
Education and the Schools Working Group WORK IN 2022:
- L. Rugenstein and B. Sundance acting co-coordinators of the SWG were elected (1/30/23); to represent SWG at monthly meetings of the Right Relationship Boulder Coordinating Council.
- Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) formalized their partnership with the SWG through a Memorandum of Understanding, October 2022.
- Members served as advisors for the writing of a Land Acknowledgement which is read before BVSD Board and their other meetings and will be posted on BVSD buildings.
- Members attended BVSD Partnership meetings.
- SWG provides suggested Indigenous resources for 3000 BVSD teachers every two weeks on a selected theme with Kelly Wade, TOSA (Teacher on Special Assignment).
- SWG developed a relationship with Heather Bender at Buffalo Bill Center of the West Plains Indian Museum in WY. This has resulted in connections with several people in Indigenous Education for All work in MT and WY. This connected SWG to two professional development courses that are recommended to BVSD. (see below) M. Dever and L. Rugenstein each attended and are so enthusiastic about their experience and learning with Heather.
- J. Zelazo volunteered to be a liaison for SWG with CU, a connection now being developed to identify professional development resources.
- L. Rugenstein was able to get a mural removed at Crest View Elementary because it inaccurately depicted the Sand Creek Massacre. This has developed into a strong connection within BVSD through meeting with Crest View’s Diversity, Equity, InclusionI committee.
- M. Dever, formally a public school teacher and university teacher educator, has become a contributing member of SWG.
- SWG received many requests from Boulder County schools and has met with teachers and principals, including one in Saint Vrain Valley School District.
- SWG added to the RRB website an Indigenous Resources list.
- SWG held seven working group meetings in 2022. We have 6 core members, 22 on email.
WEBINARS AND CONFERENCES ATTENDED BY MEMBERS:
- National Tribal & Indigenous Climate and 2022 NTICC
- Rising Voices Conference
- Montana Dept. of Ed webinars
- Remembrance Ceremony
- CU Global Climate Summit, Right Here, Right Now
Sharing Highlights from 2021 Annual Report: and Recommended Lists of Resources
* Arranged for two Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) staff to meet with two Arapaho women, Teresa HisChase and Billie Sutton, to hear their ideas about Arapaho input and inclusion into a culturally-appropriate curriculum.
* Created and guided, through two of our non-native members, a 3 month long forum of 7 sessions for those interested in sharing study and interest in Native American voices in books, film, and webinars. Developed 10 pages of Indigenous Resources listed under 7 topics – useful as introductions, eg. to Boarding Schools, Sand Creek, etc.
* Created and produced the “Indigenous Resources for Teachers’ event in collaboration with the Museum of Boulder, Our Sacred Earth, Wyoming PBS, and AIYLI (American Indian Youth Leadership Institute).
Provided the list of Indigenous Resources for Teachers, vetted from Indigenous voices, to all attendees and sent it to BVSD teachers. It offers full lesson plans ready for teachers and homeschool parents to use as well as supplementary materials.
Comment from a teacher concerning this event: “I truly appreciated attending the Native American resources workshop that you offered at the museum. You had fabulous guest speakers. I gained so many ideas for my in-class 6-week unit and my travel elective.” from Jennifer Perlick, 7th Grade Western Hemisphere Studies Teacher, Summit Middle Charter School.
Cathy Zimmerman’s 4th grade class in May 2021 created this wonderful website about their studies: Cathy Zimmerman’s Heatherwood 4th Grade Website Project 2020-2021
Through two of our members we provided each library of BVSD middle and high schools with the book, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States for Young People.
Sharing Highlights from 2020 Annual Report
* Through Jennifer Garfield, Director of Curriculum, provided BVSD several lesson plans from an indigenous perspective which teachers could use for Indigenous Peoples Day and Native American Heritage Month
* Participated in a task force and provided BVSD with a “Suggested Selection Criteria for Indigenous Material” list for vetting culturally-responsive material. Click Here to see full list (Suggestions are important for anyone interested in Indigenous Material)
* Began identifying resources for educators, written and vetted by trusted Indigenous Peoples and organizations, including children’s books.
* Purchased Indigenous library materials for one BVSD school, and offered to purchase resources, including books and DVDs, for other schools when arrangements are made to encourage their use.
* Supported teacher Cathy Zimmerman’s 4th grade pilot program at Heatherwood Elementary focusing on Indigenous Peoples of the area, primarily the Ute, Arapaho, and Cheyenne, but also many other tribes.