Preventing Extinction and the “When do you go back to school?” question
Saving the Dakota language from extinction is one of the highest priorities here. So, I was excited to see this PSA in Dakota!
Last year, I was honored to launch 10 of our school’s Dakota Language Immersion Program students into the wonderful world of reading and writing in English.
This coming school year (currently, kids are coming Sept. 14, though we teachers return this Monday), I’ll continue teaching reading to those 10 students, and will have either 12 or 15 from the Immersion Program in my new math class. With both the math and reading classes, we’re going to try something creative…
The two Dakota language teachers will co-teach with me. I’ll teach in English, they’ll translate and re-teach/support in Dakota!
Due to medical realities, I will be teaching primarily from home; two of my students will be learning full time from home, too. Meanwhile, the rest of the kids and the two Dakota language teachers will be at the school building Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays; Wednesdays are “no kids in school” days.
This creative scheduling is our school’s attempt to manage the COVID realities… but at the rate things are changing, we don’t actually know what will be happening by Sept 14!
We teachers are working on learning how to teach remotely. That’s our main focus between now and Sept. 14. Our school is working to get internet and a Chromebook into every child’s home so that when we need to teach remotely (due to COVID but also due to WINTER!), they will all be able to do so.
Lots and lots and lots of unknowns as we launch this school year, that’s for sure!
