tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post4348618769305910276..comments2024-03-18T16:51:10.406-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Student Protests Continuing (Now at Ingraham)Melissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger53125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21779150984588894362014-10-28T13:37:44.689-07:002014-10-28T13:37:44.689-07:00I was unaware of Policy 2336 - but my student note...I was unaware of Policy 2336 - but my student noted that last year in freshman history the class spent about an hour on indigenous people and Columbus in the fall. I don't know if that was a school wide policy observance.<br /><br />tamiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-89746107167101015062014-10-24T16:06:54.183-07:002014-10-24T16:06:54.183-07:00Here is the specific language on Disability Histor...Here is the specific language on Disability History Month - It even proscribes holding assemblies:<br /><br />"Disability History Month: Shall be observed during the month of October by conducting or promoting educational activities such as school assemblies or guest speaker presentations that provide instruction, awareness and understanding of disability history and people with disabilities."<br /><br />How many schools follow that? <br />Veterans Day is supposed to involve at least 60 minutes of educational activities pertaining to Veterans during the week.Ragweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12491896585801927302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-36230020720662952812014-10-24T14:50:27.675-07:002014-10-24T14:50:27.675-07:00Disability History Month (October)
How about foll...Disability History Month (October)<br /><br />How about follow the IDEA month!<br /><br />Wow really Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59780208064351527372014-10-24T14:38:43.252-07:002014-10-24T14:38:43.252-07:00An annual assembly in honor of indigenous peoples ...An annual assembly in honor of indigenous peoples day is not unreasonable, nor does it open the gates to dozens of other holidays for every ethnic or marginalized group.<br /><br />For one thing, Indigenous People's Day is now a required observance in Seattle Public Schools under policy 2336. Only 5 holidays are included in that policy:<br />Veterans Day (Nov 11)<br />Constitution Day (Sept 17)<br />Temperance and Good Citizenship Day (January 16th - is that some sort of dodge of MLK day? I see an amendment in the future).<br />Disability History Month (October)<br />Indigenous Peoples Day (2nd Monday in October).<br /><br />There are no other required observances. The policy does not dictate how it should be commemorated, but an assembly seems a reasonable approach.<br /><br />For another, Indigenous people are only asking for one assembly that would celebrate indigenous culture and recognize injustices done to more than 500 separate tribes in the US alone, as well as hundreds of Canadian First Nations and tribes of indigenous peoples in Mexico, Central and South America, over the course of more than half a century. There is no request to have a separate assembly to commemorate the Trail of Tears, the Wounded Knee Massacre, Colonial Wrights horse slaughter on the banks of the Spokane, and a thousand other massacres, relocations, and broken treaties. There is no request for a separate assembly for the Lakota, Tlingit, Yakima, and Coast Salish, even though there are hundreds of separate Native cultures, speaking 800 different languages in 26 separate language groups. <br /><br />So, no, this does not create a precedent for every ethnic group to have its own assembly. It does seem reasonable though for there to be assemblies or some other sort of events to recognize African-American, Asian, and Latino/Hispanic identity, culture, and history. That's 4 assemblies per year. I think the kids can handle that.Ragweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12491896585801927302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-4585582766373525162014-10-24T14:07:17.594-07:002014-10-24T14:07:17.594-07:00Thanks but your guilt trip is not mine! I have exp...Thanks but your guilt trip is not mine! I have experienced racism, I just don't have to blame an entire group for it. It's really draconian.<br /><br />PC sucks Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33683548629508141362014-10-24T13:43:04.975-07:002014-10-24T13:43:04.975-07:00Friends of Ingraham has a well publicized grant pr... Friends of Ingraham has a well publicized grant process.."<br /><br />But the students have their OWN grant. See, don't even need funding.<br /><br />PC, if you are an American, we all share in the blame, to one degree or another, for racism in our country. Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32180684923534944802014-10-24T13:31:16.485-07:002014-10-24T13:31:16.485-07:00Rosemary D. please speak for yourself, no one in m...Rosemary D. please speak for yourself, no one in my family was ever involved in anything you mentioned. You might have shame, but not WE! Stop dragging your issues through time and projecting them on others who have nothing to do with it. <br /><br />PC sucksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-75087593821857981702014-10-24T13:22:36.956-07:002014-10-24T13:22:36.956-07:00Thanks Ragweed.
As to the request for "Image...Thanks Ragweed.<br /><br />As to the request for "Images/art and culturally significant items that reflect contemporary Indigenous life ways," as Eric already mentioned, Friends of Ingraham has a well publicized grant process, with grants consider 4x per year. The next grant submission deadline is December 8. If this club wanted to submit a request to purchase some materials for school display, this is one format they might use to solicit funds.<br /><br />Successful grant recipients are those that have done their homework in advance and reflect it on the grant application. In this case from my perspective, that would include describing how and where such articles were to be displayed and that appropriate permissions to do so had been obtained, confirmation of the specific cost of the item(s) as well as anything unique to the situation. On the FOI FB page we have records of past grant awards so you can get a sense of what we have funded and at what levels in the past. <br /><br />Rosemary D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45408488502087717462014-10-24T13:07:09.449-07:002014-10-24T13:07:09.449-07:00Student Voice:
---------------------------------
...Student Voice:<br />---------------------------------<br /><br />Dear Mr. Floe October 19, 2014<br /><br />The Latino/Native Club students strongly urge you to consider the following recommendation; <br /> A Native Focused Program in the school. With Indigenous instructors, perspective, curriculum, materials, and culturally responsive learning experiences <br /> Yearly assembly dedicated to recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day <br /> Images/art and culturally significant items that reflect contemporary Indigenous life ways <br /> Adoption and Implantation of H.B. 1495 Since Time Immemorial Curriculum per SPS Resolution No. 2014/15-10 <br /> <br />These recommendations would serve to eliminate myths, racism, and stereotypes towards Native/Latino people and support bringing visibility to issues and contemporary Latino and Native experience.<br /> <br />We want Ingraham to commit to social justice, educational equity, and active effort to eliminate institutionalized racism.<br /><br />A yearly assembly dedicated to Indigenous Peoples day <br />Currently there are no images, art, pictures, or cultural items that reflect our heritage at Ingraham H.S. Native/Latino images, art, pictures should be prominently displayed around the school <br /><br />Lastly having a Native focused program would support all of the above recommendation and would provide a unique educational experience affording our population an opportunity to be successful and increase the graduation rate of Native students.<br /><br />We look forward to meeting with you and our community leaders to forward these recommendations<br /> <br />Sincerely,<br /> <br />Native/Latino Club MembersRagweedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12491896585801927302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48958869496883420482014-10-24T11:53:31.108-07:002014-10-24T11:53:31.108-07:00Carole, is it your understanding that they student...Carole, is it your understanding that they students want this to be an annual event? If so, that redoubles my concern. Because if it was annual, as you suggest they want it to be, then I anticipate that the students of Japanese descent might well want an annual assembly to remind us of the evils of internment. The Chinese American students would certainly be justified in asking for an assembly to remind us of Seattle's shameful history in its treatment of the Chinese laborers who came here in the late 1880s and early 1990s, and were subject to humiliating laws, forced repatriation, ridicule, vigilante attacks and hair cutting. And I'd also expect an assembly request from the students from unionized families -- wanting to remind and educate us about the horrors of the Everett Massacre and the thug attacks on the Wobblies. And the Italian Americans as well, to remind us that when the Wellington Train disaster occurred on March 1, 1910, the train company didn't even know the names of the Italian immigrant workers who were killed, and so simply buried them together in a single grave, that you can see for yourself in Queen Anne's Mount Pleasant Cemetery. And I haven't even touched Seattle's history with its African American citizens, or other more recent immigrants. <br /><br />My point is that we have many shameful incidents in our past. My kids have been SPS students from kindergarten, and I am pleased to say that they have learned about these events at every stage of their education. A far different reality than my education in NJ in the 1960s and 1970s. <br /><br />The school already provides an assembly each year where students can highlight their culture and educate their fellow students. No one has yet explained why the students here can't use that event to tell others a bit more about their history each year.<br /><br />Indeed, now that I mention it, I haven't heard/seen a student voice anywhere on this topic. <br /><br />Rosemary D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37979917343056095002014-10-24T10:27:33.205-07:002014-10-24T10:27:33.205-07:00Dear HS Parent,
Thank you for the clarification a...Dear HS Parent,<br /><br />Thank you for the clarification and your interest in this issue.<br /><br />I believe the students selected the Assembly venue in order to show support from the School Leadership and also to share with their classmates accurate information and education about Native and Latino cultures. It is extremely disappointing and unbelievable that they were denied this opportunity. This can and must be remedied.<br /><br />Thank you again,<br /><br />CarolCarol Simmonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-56112513646264042782014-10-24T09:09:07.150-07:002014-10-24T09:09:07.150-07:00Dear Reader,
Your points are well taken that an e...Dear Reader,<br /><br />Your points are well taken that an event must not be a one time occurrence whether it is the UW Multicultural Partnership Breakfast Celebration or The Ingraham International High School Indigenous Peoples Assembly. There must be ongoing commitment. For 20 years the UWAA MAP Bridging the Gap Celebration has highlighted and reinforced the continuation of Diversity activities on campus and in the community. Five students representing different ethnic groups are awarded tuition scholarships each year and community members are honored for their work and their commitment to Diversity. I invite you to attend this event, and I also invite you to participate in the Ingraham High School Native/Latino Rally on Monday. You would find both rewarding, reinforcing and regenerating to be among like-minded diversity dedicated people. Even if both events preach to members of the choir, others will hear and if they listen carefully enough I have faith their hearts and minds will change. Please do attend. And yes, Ivan I do continue to hope that Principal Floe will listen carefully enough also. I recall when the Principal of Nathan Hale in the sixties said "we cannot have a Martin Luther King Assembly as it takes away from class time and is not educational."Carol Simmonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-34831380602167054522014-10-24T09:06:48.637-07:002014-10-24T09:06:48.637-07:00Carole,
I did not mean to be disrespectful to the...Carole,<br /><br />I did not mean to be disrespectful to the Native community by suggesting a potlach. In fact that is something that my kids got to experience as part of a school curriculum when they were younger.<br /><br /> They spent 2 weeks having local elders come in to the classroom, including Grandmother Vi Hilbert & Storyteller Johnny Moses. They were taught with hands on activities about native symbols & art, music, storytelling, poetry. They learned to identify native plants & their uses for food & medicine. This included the children cooking with things like salmon berries & kelp. They learned how bentwood boxes were made & they wove cloth with cedar bark strips. They visited the Burke museum & they learned about the Duwamish longhouse project & the quest for tribal recognition. This curriculum was wrapped up with a potlach where the children worked with their Native American mentors to smoke the salmon, learn dances to perform, & prepare a celebration to share with their families. I thought it was a very respectful way to learn from the Native American community. Certainly it was memorable for all the kids & adults involved.<br /><br />I am sorry that it seems offensive to suggest such experiences for IHS.<br /><br />In the initial post it was not clear to me why an assembly was the choice venue for the celebration. If the kids feel strongly that an assembly is the best way to accomplish their goals I will respect that. <br /><br />Probably my personal experience working with mostly kids who have anxiety disorders, OCD, autism, sensory issues, I generally think of all assemblies as ordeals, not constructive. I am sure that colors my view of assemblies as a learning tool. I am open to recognizing that I may be mistaken about that.<br /><br />-HS ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33646868165080184122014-10-24T08:13:46.264-07:002014-10-24T08:13:46.264-07:00Great point Ivan.Great point Ivan.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87215670336468249072014-10-24T07:43:09.046-07:002014-10-24T07:43:09.046-07:00Carol Simmons hopes Floe will reconsider. I wonder...Carol Simmons hopes Floe will reconsider. I wonder how many of the students and parents who are asking for this assembly are the same ones who spoke out to save Floe's job when the odious Dusseault tried to fire him.<br /><br />-- Ivan Weiss<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-73395002967740426032014-10-24T07:21:43.875-07:002014-10-24T07:21:43.875-07:00Bravo, Carol Simmons, for your comment. i concur 1...Bravo, Carol Simmons, for your comment. i concur 100 percent.<br /><br />-- Ivan WeissAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42638181224104626002014-10-23T23:21:39.949-07:002014-10-23T23:21:39.949-07:00Reader, I feel that school spirit today at Garfiel...Reader, I feel that school spirit today at Garfield. It was an incredibly diverse group (and well-behaved - one kid said something crude and the others shushed him). <br /><br />One student leader started a GHS chant and they all joined in. <br /><br />It was a good example of unity.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-26106208539779957462014-10-23T23:06:39.160-07:002014-10-23T23:06:39.160-07:00Tackling the curriculum without the gimmick of foo...Tackling the curriculum without the gimmick of food and entertainment would be a terrific start. How refreshing to approach teaching this topic in the same manner we value the need for students to learn algebra or the Constitution.<br /><br />It's great for UW to throw the big event. Still it's preaching to the same choir and shaking the same hands, but changes little once the big tent gets folded. It feels frankly like a check mark on the to do list for the regents and deans. Sorry Carol for sounding so blue. <br /> <br />To change hearts and minds, you need folks with those hearts and minds you like to change to be there too. It needs to be more than just a one day holiday or moment because everyday in this city there are plenty of opportunities to make it more than a token acknowldegement by deciding how we interact with others as we go about our daily life. And if people want to ping pong back and forth Latino or Hispanic, well at least it's a conversation starter. <br /><br />I'm of 2 mind sets. Do it because the students want it <br />and are willing to work for it. But don't make this an <br />exception. Better to make this part of the school culture. Celebrate and acknowledge the diversity, but remind everyone, they are all Ingraham Rams.<br /><br />readerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-43064169834438109142014-10-23T22:45:00.248-07:002014-10-23T22:45:00.248-07:00There is a connection with Native American tribes ...There is a connection with Native American tribes and global warming. At a rally last year about global warming there were some representatives from British Columbia tribes who came to the rally to share their concerns. There is a connection to where we are, our history and our future. But in our everyday life, we don't come across the experience. Last weekend at the Central Washington University campus there was a Native American pow-wow taking place with drums and chanting. The reality is that we inhabitants of this area are in the place that Native Americans used to live. That is very different than assemblies of cultural heritage of people from elsewhere.<br />Scandinavian heritageAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29622632136588584702014-10-23T21:09:47.310-07:002014-10-23T21:09:47.310-07:00I totally support the Ingraham International High ...I totally support the Ingraham International High School Native/Latino Club request to hold an Indigenous Peoples Day Assembly. I have written to Principal Floe requesting that he honor this request. I have spoken with the Students, the Parents, the Native Community and School Board Directors about this issue. I have also spoken with a member of the "Friends of Ingraham" asking for their support. The argument that "if one ethnic group requests an assembly, other groups will also" is heartening. One either celebrates Diversity or combats/ignores it. The definition of what is educational and what is not is still debatable even in the courts. We certainly all know that the curriculum is woefully lacking in honest representative cultural educational offerings. <br />The students wrote a grant which was funded for this assembly. There are community members (highly qualified educators and theater artists) who have offered to assist the students in their assembly production, if so desired. The response that this event could be incorporated during the lunch hour or in the Dr. Martin Luther King assembly is extremely disrespectful to the Native community. At one time the schools resisted celebrating Martin Luther King day also. I can recall vividly that some felt an assembly was not educational and if collard greens were offered during lunch, that would do. The students are not asking for a holiday only an assembly. The University of Washington Alumni Association Multicultural Alumni Partnership is celebrating Diversity this coming weekend. Over 500 guests are registered for this Breakfast including Seattle public school educators, students, University administrators, Regents,community members and elected and appointed officials. Scholarships are awarded each year to a Diverse group of students with one of the qualifications being "commitment to Diversity." <br />I continue to hope that Principal Floe will reconsider.Carol Simmonsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-53811551211896335032014-10-23T20:33:33.184-07:002014-10-23T20:33:33.184-07:00Maybe I am just in a mood but I feel very irritate...Maybe I am just in a mood but I feel very irritated by this discussion.<br /><br />I'm not sure the kids at Ingraham care about Latino versus Hispanic. And this is their club and that is their name. I'm part Hispanic and I don't care.<br /><br />Tami, when does this happen?<br /><br />I'm not sure people here are getting it. Our district does not have cultural competency as a active goal. They have it as an aspirational goal but nothing happens. <br /><br />We don't really need any more discussion. Ask any Native American parent how long this idea of a "discussion" has gone on. Ask them how many times the district screwed up the Federal grant for services for their children. Ask them how many times teachers have assigned less-than-appropriate reading for students that hurts Native American students.<br /><br />The assembly is a one-off. They are not asking for a yearly thing. Maybe the assembly could be a springboard. But you have to start somewhere.<br /><br />That is if this talk about diversity and cultural competency is to be believed.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-30005892739675119502014-10-23T20:00:34.546-07:002014-10-23T20:00:34.546-07:00I can see that adding an additional assembly in No...I can see that adding an additional assembly in November could be difficult to schedule. I also have my doubts as to how well that could be done, considering that it is almost the end of October now. I think the idea of an assembly is problematic mostly because it makes awareness of Latino Heritage and Native American Heritage a one-off, not something that we are working to include systematically in our education and curriculum. <br /><br />I was excited when my student told me that there was a grade wide project on water use and conservation, and that there were several field trips associated with it. However, the trip to the Cedar River Watershed had no docent or tour, a hand out for middle schoolers and no method for delivery of the information that would have allowed the students to complete the handouts from the teacher. <br /><br />The water project looks good on paper, IHS can point to it when filling out whatever this years equivalent to the transformation plan or C-SIP is , but the execution was poor, and the students know the difference between a really project where they learn, and a project where the teachers haven't had enough time and/or resources to do a great job.<br /><br />Maybe this can lead to a discussion about how to make a more permanent inclusion of indigenous history, culture and perspective in the IHS curriculum.<br /><br />tamiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-52331867887891545242014-10-23T18:41:39.159-07:002014-10-23T18:41:39.159-07:00Ugh, anonymous 6:39 is
CCAUgh, anonymous 6:39 is<br /><br />CCAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-69012828193264045952014-10-23T18:39:53.049-07:002014-10-23T18:39:53.049-07:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48677298934754291952014-10-23T18:36:58.910-07:002014-10-23T18:36:58.910-07:00According to SPS " The “Hispanic/Latino” or “...According to SPS " The “Hispanic/Latino” or “Hispanic” ethnic group is used for persons of Mexican, <br />Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race."mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.com