Option 2: Read Sherman Alexie’S Indian Education And Write

When I was five years old, my parents pulled my brother and me out of the public elementary school that we were attending and put us in a small Waldorf school nestled comfortably in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. It was at this school, surrounded by pine trees and poison oak, that I felt a sense of community for the first time. I spent all day, every day with the same children but it was not just this that made us so close. It was the beautiful and healthy learning environment that was able to shape us into such a strong community.

Sherman Alexie, in “Indian Education” tells his experiences in school on the reservation. Some of his teachers did not treat him very good and did not try to understand him. In his ninth grade year he collapsed. A teacher assumed that he had been drinking just because he was Native American. The teacher said, “What’s that boy been drinking? I know all about these Indian kids. They start drinking real young.” Sherman Alexie didn’t listen to the negatives in school. He persevered and became valedictorian of his school.

Adjusting to another culture is a difficult concept, especially for children in their school classrooms. In Sherman Alexie’s, “Indian Education,” he discusses the different stages of a Native Americans childhood compared to his white counterparts. He is describing the schooling of a child, Victor, in an American Indian reservation, grade by grade. He uses a few different examples of satire and irony, in which could be viewed in completely different ways, expressing different feelings to the reader. Racism and bullying are both present throughout this essay between Indians and Americans. The Indian Americans have the stereotype of being unsuccessful and always being those that are left behind. Through Alexie’s negativity and humor in his

The modern American society is best defined by its education. The “American dream” is founded on going to school, getting a good job, and becoming successful. Ironically, the actual native peoples of this country are actually the least likely to attain this dream. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples is not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures.

Education —an institution for success, opportunity, and progress — is itself steeped in racism. In Sherman Alexie’s short story “Indian Education” from his book The Longer Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is set in two places, the Spokane Indian Reservation and a farm town nearby the reservation. The story is written in a list of formative events chronologize Victor’s youth by depicting the most potent moment from each year he is in school. Alexie addresses the issue of racism in education by examining examples of injustice and discrimination over twelve years in a boy’s life. Victor faces his initial injustice in first grade when he is bullied by bigger kids, but his understanding of injustice becomes much more complex in grades two through twelve as he experiences discrimination against his American Indian identity. Familial experiences of a Native woman, Alexie’s style and humor, and Victor’s awareness of discrimination from grade one to twelve all reveal the grim reality of growing up and being schooled on an American Indian reservation.

In the short story “Indian Education” by Sherman Alexie the theme that is represented in each grade is racism. Throughout Alexie’s life he experiences more and more accounts of racism in school. Also, Alexie experiences levels of hardship as he gets older. Thus, the story’s theme statement could be summarized that racism enables hardship in one's life.

Influences come from anywhere- teachers, family, peers, school, the list goes on and on. In his narrative, “Indian Education”, Sherman Alexie depicts moments and people in his life that have impacted him. His stories range from bullies at school to life on the reservation. Each section varies in topic, however each connects to one common theme. For instance, avoid conforming to stereotypes is a theme of “Indian Education”.

Through the years minority groups have long endured repression, poverty, and discrimination. A prime example of such a group is the Native Americans. They had their own land and fundamental way of life stripped from them almost unceasingly for decades. Although they were the real “natives” of the land, they were driven off by the government and coerced to assimilate to the white man’s way. Unfortunately, the persecution of the Natives was primarily based on the prevalent greed for money and power. This past impeded the Native American’s preservation of their culture as many were obviated of the right to speak the native language and dress in traditional clothing. Because of this cultural expulsion, among other

After finishing middle school and the first two years of high school, I finished out my High School years at Jenkins. Jenkins is where I discovered I wanted to work with children. And not just any children, I wanted to work with special needs children and children who were only slightly behind. I had a friend there who had a learning disability. She could function just as well as the rest of us in the class; she just had a hard time grasping certain concepts. She was always picked on and decided that she wanted to give up. I felt horrible. My heart was broken because

Native Americans are a very well known community within the United States and their history behind. Some people love learning about their culture and language and some people hate it. At the start of my research I wanted to learn more about their cultures. Once I began my research I started to find more information about the education that Native Americans were receiving. These articles all caught my attention because it was an issue that doesn’t get the attention it should have. I began to find articles that spoke about how the lesson plans should change in order to improve the teaching about Native Americans culture. Most of the lesson plans that are in place now talk little about the culture of Native Americans or even about the impact they

The summer before my junior year in college and for the next three years, I was a part-time nanny for a 10-year-old girl who was diagnosed with ADHD. I did this on a full-time basis during the summers. This job gave me an understanding of the effects of medication (Ritalin) on behavior. These experiences gave me a strong background in working with a diverse group of children.

After struggling with the department of education and guiding my son through the right path, I decided to become a paraprofessional for children with special needs. I absolutely love my job. Being able to help other children by accommodating their needs is a true blessing. Providing children with the tools necessary so they can accomplish given goals and expectations according to their specific needs makes me feel like a successful assistance. I have learned to be patient, understandable and resourceful for both children and families in my classroom.

Children were taken away from their homes and told everything they knew was wrong. They were sent to boarding schools to change their culture. These boarding schools were run by the United States government. The government's goal was to civilize Native Americans. They sent children to these schools against their will. Native American children were educated like Americans and they had to change their native ways to be more like whites (Cayton 266). Teachers abused their students and beat their native ways out of them. They were not allowed to see their families so they would try to escape, but their attempts were unsuccessful. The United States government’s Boarding Schools of the mid-late 1800s irreparably changed Native American culture.

Throughout history, Native Americans have been discriminated against, stolen from, and forced into appropriation, particularly in the education system. In the short story “Indian Education,” Sherman Alexie describes his schooling from childhood to adolescence. Alexie’s usage of formatting and other literary devices develops the themes of starvation in acceptance, starvation in understanding, and starvation in friendship. From the start of the short story, Alexie begins portraying the lack of acceptance and friendship in his childhood. Sherman Alexie structures the story to create a timeline for the reader.

My most defining experience would be my struggles in the school system. At a young age, I was in pull out programs because I had poor comprehension in reading. I wasn 't ‘special needs ' but I was put in the same pull out as them. I remember when I was in