Navajo Nation Program Evan Bossenbroek

Abstract 3 T550

Abstract 3: “Disparities in Discipline” and “From a Place Deep Inside.”

Summary: "From a Place Deep Inside: Culturally Appropriate Curriculum as the Embodiment of

Navajo-ness in Classroom Pedagogy,” by Tarajean Yazzie-Mintz is based on Yazzie Mintz’

observations of three different Navajo women teachers that used Culturally Appropriate

Curriculum.1 Yazzie-Mintz describes how she selected participating teachers in the study,

looking at grade level, school type, school location, whether or not they lived in the local

community, years of experience, and fluency in the Navajo language. The three selected, Marie

Dineyazhe, Erma Benally, and Carmela Martinez taught in different circumstances, had a

spectrum of teaching experience and different levels of fluency.2 Yazzie-Mintz describes the

importance of establishing clan relations between her and the subjects of the study and the

importance of research on Native issues being done by Native people.3

Yazzie-Mintz then goes on to describe how each of the three women use Culturally

Appropriate Curriculum in their classroom. Dineyazhe used the Navajo language as a process

through which her students can better understand and utilize the content being taught.4 Benally

incorporated cultural activities into her classroom, celebrating culture in conjunction with the

process of learning.5 While Martinez has Navajo heritage, she teaches in a private school in

Massachusetts, and while she does not speak the language, the cultural values instilled in her by

her upbringing are infused into her as an individual and as a teacher.6 All three of these women

1
Tarajean Yazzie Mintz, "From a Place Deep Inside: Culturally Appropriate Curriculum as the Embodiment of
Navajo-ness in Classroom Pedagogy," Journal of American Indian Education 46, no. 3 (2007): 73,
www.jstor.org/stable/24398544.
2
Ibid, 75.
3
Ibid, 75-77.
4
Ibid, 78.
5
Ibid.
6
Ibid.
Navajo Nation Program Evan Bossenbroek
Abstract 3 T550

“teach from a place deep inside; who they are as Navajo women, guides what they teach and how

they teach, and to whom they teach.”7

When describing Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, Yazzie-Mintz says that “culture

embodied by the teachers can either be conscious or unconscious.”8 It looks different for

different teachers, and the use of language, culture, and the implementation of values all are a

product of and contributor to one’s education philosophy.

“Disparities In Discipline: A Look at School Disciplinary Actions for Utah’s American

Indian Students,” by Vanessa Walsh from the University of Utah Law School looks at the

disproportionate use of disciplinary tactics against Native students in the public school system in

Utah. Native students are nearly four times as likely to be disciplined as a white student in the

same school.9 As the disciplinary actions get harsher, the disparity worsens, with suspension

being ten times more likely for Native students and referral to Law Enforcement being six times

as likely.10 This study provides data to back up the school-to-prison pipeline and addresses issues

found in no-tolerance policies and the presence of School Resource Officers.11 Walsh also talks

about how American Indians are classified as ‘involuntary minorities’ and have been

systematically oppressed by the United States Government and how this has a lasting impact on

children that is not always evident at first glance.12 While this report does not offer a solution to

the complex problems addressed in it, Walsh claims that the data presented is evidence that there

is a problem that needs to be addressed.13

7
Yazzie-Mintz, “From a Place,” 80.
8
Ibid, 85.
9
Vannessa Walsh, “Disparities In Discipline: A Look at School Disciplinary Actions for Utah’s American Indian
Students,” The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (2014): 3,
https://www.nawj.org/uploads/pdf/conferences/CLE/Disparities%20In%20Discipline.pdf.
10
Ibid, 9.
11
Ibid, 6.
12
Ibid, 7.
13
Walsh, “Disparities,” 20.
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Reaction and Evaluation: I thought that much of the information provided in the Yazzie-Mintz

article was insightful and interesting though I found the structure and style of the article a little

confusing. Specifically, I didn’t understand why the information was presented through such an

individualized lens. This may be because I am used to reading overly detached articles written by

professors that do not utilize the same methods, but I think that something more concrete could

be taken from the teachers being studied. Observations of the women doing very different things

are brought together with one very broad idea that is not very discerning. When describing each

teacher’s teaching style, Yazzie-Mintz concludes that “Amazingly, the three teachers in this

study—Marie Dineyazhe, Erma Benally, and Carmela Martinez—all teach from a place deep

inside; who they are as Navajo women, guides what they teach and how they teach, and to whom

they teach.”14 Culture is a part of identity – of course your morals and personal philosophy

impact the way you teach. I wish that this article made more specific claims about the

effectiveness and morality of certain teaching styles.

I found the Walsh article to be very effective in its stated purpose of starting a

conversation by revealing a problem and discussing issues that contribute to it. Walsh presents

data very clearly and effectively alongside a brief discussion of modern and historical social

issues. I particularly appreciated the way she addressed the increased presence of Student

Resource Officers and how it is correlated with a higher number of students becoming involved

with law enforcement.15 I think that some SRO experiences are positive – like when there is a

mentorship component to the program, as Walsh acknowledges.16 However, I am of the opinion

that until there is a significant reform to the way police are trained as well as how we deal with

punishment in our criminal justice system, SROs are probably not the best idea.
14
Yazzie-Mintz, “From a Place,” 80.
15
Walsh, “Disparities,” 6
16
Walsh, “Disparities,” 6
Navajo Nation Program Evan Bossenbroek
Abstract 3 T550

Application: One of my favorite parts of the Yazzie-Mintz article was how Dineyazhe invited the

cafeteria ladies into her classroom for cultural activities.17 This is an activity that builds the sense

of community in the school and strengthens cultural identity across generations. Dineyazhe

knows when to step back and let an expert lead the activity. It also ties into their broader social

studies curriculum. For Ms. Dineyazhe, culturally appropriate curriculum influences the content

of her class and approach she takes, as her culture has influenced how she views the world.18

While I do not have the same background as these women, the spiritual, religious and

epistemological traditions of my family have many similarities to that of the Navajo. I can use

the concrete technique of inviting others into the classroom while looking for connections

between my identity and the identity of my students while not making assumptions.

My biggest takeaway from the Walsh article is that schools should adopt a restorative

justice mentality when approaching discipline reform. Better yet, give students a reason to be

there, engage them in the learning process so their education takes on meaning. I am currently

reading Ta-Nehisi Coates’ “Between the World and Me” and he writes;

“the laws of the schools were aimed at something distant and vague… To be educated in

my Baltimore mostly meant always packing an extra number 2 pencil and working

quietly… The world had no time for the childhoods of black boys and girls. How could

the schools?... All of it felt so distant to me. I remember sitting in my seventh-grade

French class and not having any idea why I was there.”19

Poor kids don’t need no-tolerance policies or SROs to thrive and grow, they need to be

seen and loved by those around them. I can not change a school's established policy right away,

17
Yazzie-Mintz, “From a Place,” 82.
18
Ibid, 82-83.
19
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me (New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015), 25-26
Navajo Nation Program Evan Bossenbroek
Abstract 3 T550

but I can deal with issues in my class in a way that respects student's dignity, intelligence, and

humanity instead of immediately lashing out with harsh consequences. Systematic change starts

with individual acts of kindness and humanity, which I can establish in my classroom.
Navajo Nation Program Evan Bossenbroek
Abstract 3 T550

Works Cited

Coates, Ta-Nehisi. Between the World and Me. New York: Spiegel & Grau, 2015.

Walsh, Vannessa. “Disparities In Discipline: A Look at School Disciplinary Actions for Utah’s

American Indian Students.” The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law (2014).

Accessed January 14, 2020.

https://www.nawj.org/uploads/pdf/conferences/CLE/Disparities%20In%20Discipline.pdf

Yazzie-Mintz, Tarajean. "From a Place Deep Inside: Culturally Appropriate Curriculum as the

Embodiment of Navajo-ness in Classroom Pedagogy." Journal of American Indian

Education 46, no. 3 (2007): 72-93. Accessed January 14, 2020.

www.jstor.org/stable/24398544.