Teaching in the Navajo Nation (Update)

[JWW]

I understand your feelings and your motives. You're a pretty good person based on what I've read. Just be careful out there. And remember what Reagan said: Trust but verify.

I've done some favors for kids, driving them all manner of places, etc., where you wonder where you are going to end up. Driving down some gravel road along a bayou in the dark can be interesting, especially when you hear a kid asking whether or not a carjack would be appropriate.

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: JW

I understand your feelings and your motives. You're a pretty good person based on what I've read. Just be careful out there. And remember what Reagan said: Trust but verify.

I've done some favors for kids, driving them all manner of places, etc., where you wonder where you are going to end up. Driving down some gravel road along a bayou in the dark can be interesting, especially when you hear a kid asking whether or not a carjack would be appropriate.

Oh yes, I understand completely. I guess we've both "been there" [:)]

And I promise to be careful. Yesterday I had to go up to the corner FINA gas station (the only business in Tsaile) to pump up a tire that was going low on me. The hose was around the corner of the building and there were five guys hanging out... gang members (judging by their dress). I locked my car and had my "panic button" close at hand as I went up to them, greeted them politely, and then got the hose and filled my tire. I was definitely nervous, but didn't show it. There was a gang fight at this station last month and a throat got slashed so I suspect these are the "winners" of the turf war. Anyway, I was fine. I wouldn't have taken that chance if it had been after the store closed, of course. There were people out front pumping gas so I wasn't alone.

Life is an adventure!

[Lt. Calley]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

A special plea... I would appreciate your recommendations on favorite historical movies, especially the older ones that may not come to mind. I don't always show the whole movie so feel free to recommend titles that contain a few scenes that would be enlightening for an American History class. I can pull out clips and embed them into a PowerPoint.

The other part of my philosophy is to try and use wargames to demonstrate battles. This has been problematic for several reasons (but I shall overcome!).

Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series would have lots of useful stuff although since it was produced for the US government during WW2 it does not have any negative references to Stalin and basically ignores the negative effects upon Germany of the Treaty of Versailles.

When I was in ROTC in the mid-1970's I remember my class played a wargame using hand-drawn maps with the instructor as referee and 'die roller'. The class was divided into 2 teams of 4 or 5 people each, with one team playing the Union and the other the Confederacy. Each side commanded the the forces that were available along the Mississsippi river in early 1863. I was on the Confederate team. The main objective of my team was to hold on to Vicksburg, but if we could somehow manage to take the main Union base (Memphis?) we would also win. I convinced my team to adopt my plan of leaving Vicksburg temporarily weak and sending the rest of the Confederate forces to try to destroy the Union army near New Orleans. My plan worked primarily because of the timidity of the opposing team. Nevertheless the instructor chewed me out for forgetting the foremost principle of war, namely 'objective' because I took too much of a risk in leaving Vicksburg open while going off essentially on a wild goose chase. Maybe you could do something similar using Grigsby's World at War -- divide the class into 5 teams, each of them taking one of the 5 major powers, and have them write down their orders on a piece of paper which you would enter into the computer using your best judgement. I have only looked at the demo of GGWAW so I don't really know how well that would work.

[wesy]

Hi Rhonda,

Well this is a Japanese film from the 50's but the themes are universal and transcend race with no political bent on blame for the war. It's a movie from the Japanese perspective - which is so different that what most people see - ie stereotyped images, the Mr. Mayagi's etc. - It was nominated for a best foreign film in '57. I saw this back in college and it really affected in a very positive way.


Biruma no tategoto (1956)
aka "The Burmese Harp"
Directed by
Kon Ichikawa

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049012/
Burmese Harp on IMDB.COM

Plot Summary:

July, 1945: Japan's army is on the run, a weary Japanese regiment is sent on a military campaign to Burma. Far from zealous, determined career soldiers, the troop consists of ordinary, dutiful civilians led by a thoughtful music teacher named Captain Inouye (Rentaro Mikune). In order to improve morale and build camaraderie, Captain Inouye has taught the soldiers to sing as they make their way through the arduous Burmese jungle. One soldier, Corporal Mizushima (Shoji Yasui), has naturally taken to playing his handcrafted harp and provides the haunting melody. Arriving at a peasant village, the soldiers welcome the tranquility and hospitality of the community, only to realize that British soldiers have been surreptitiously observing them. In order to disguise their combat preparations, the soldiers sing "Home Sweet Home" while donning their military equipment. But during a brief pause, they realize that the British soldiers have joined in their melancholic, universal harmony. The war is over. The Japanese have surrendered. The British soldiers have come to escort the troop to a Prisoner of War camp in Mudon. However, Mizushima is asked to perform a final mission: to persuade a group of Japanese soldiers hiding in the mountains to surrender. The task proves to be impossible, and the fortress is attacked. Mizushima is critically wounded, but is nursed back to health by a Buddhist priest. Now clad in a monastic robe instead of a military uniform, Mizushima sets out to reunite with his regiment, only to find a solemn, urgent personal calling that leads him further away from his friends and beloved homeland.

The Burmese Harp is a haunting, poignant and serenely indelible examination of the aftermath of war. The film opens with the spare, enigmatic words: In Burma, soil is red, so are rocks. Using landscape as a metaphor for the isolation and suffering of the soul, Kon Ichikawa contrasts the chaotic, harsh realities of war with the tranquil expanse of nature: the mountain fortress attack; the discovery of a body leaning against a tree in the jungle; the mass burial of soldiers along the shoreline. Symbolically, Mizushima's spiritual transformation is reflected in a scene where the troop assembles for choral practice at a religious site, as Mizushima rests inside the hull (the figurative soul) of a Buddha statue. It is a reflection of his own enlightenment and sense of purpose after witnessing a great and senseless tragedy - a transcendence beyond his spiritual captivity - towards a lonely, indefinite journey, guided solely by humanity and personal conscience.

(Taken fron "Strictly Film School")

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: wesy

Hi Rhonda,

Well this is a Japanese film from the 50's but the themes are universal and transcend race with no political bent on blame for the war. It's a movie from the Japanese perspective - which is so different that what most people see - ie stereotyped images, the Mr. Mayagi's etc. - It was nominated for a best foreign film in '57. I saw this back in college and it really affected in a very positive way.


Biruma no tategoto (1956)
aka "The Burmese Harp"
Directed by
Kon Ichikawa

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049012/
Burmese Harp on IMDB.COM

Plot Summary:

July, 1945: Japan's army is on the run, a weary Japanese regiment is sent on a military campaign to Burma. Far from zealous, determined career soldiers, the troop consists of ordinary, dutiful civilians led by a thoughtful music teacher named Captain Inouye (Rentaro Mikune). In order to improve morale and build camaraderie, Captain Inouye has taught the soldiers to sing as they make their way through the arduous Burmese jungle. One soldier, Corporal Mizushima (Shoji Yasui), has naturally taken to playing his handcrafted harp and provides the haunting melody. Arriving at a peasant village, the soldiers welcome the tranquility and hospitality of the community, only to realize that British soldiers have been surreptitiously observing them. In order to disguise their combat preparations, the soldiers sing "Home Sweet Home" while donning their military equipment. But during a brief pause, they realize that the British soldiers have joined in their melancholic, universal harmony. The war is over. The Japanese have surrendered. The British soldiers have come to escort the troop to a Prisoner of War camp in Mudon. However, Mizushima is asked to perform a final mission: to persuade a group of Japanese soldiers hiding in the mountains to surrender. The task proves to be impossible, and the fortress is attacked. Mizushima is critically wounded, but is nursed back to health by a Buddhist priest. Now clad in a monastic robe instead of a military uniform, Mizushima sets out to reunite with his regiment, only to find a solemn, urgent personal calling that leads him further away from his friends and beloved homeland.

The Burmese Harp is a haunting, poignant and serenely indelible examination of the aftermath of war. The film opens with the spare, enigmatic words: In Burma, soil is red, so are rocks. Using landscape as a metaphor for the isolation and suffering of the soul, Kon Ichikawa contrasts the chaotic, harsh realities of war with the tranquil expanse of nature: the mountain fortress attack; the discovery of a body leaning against a tree in the jungle; the mass burial of soldiers along the shoreline. Symbolically, Mizushima's spiritual transformation is reflected in a scene where the troop assembles for choral practice at a religious site, as Mizushima rests inside the hull (the figurative soul) of a Buddha statue. It is a reflection of his own enlightenment and sense of purpose after witnessing a great and senseless tragedy - a transcendence beyond his spiritual captivity - towards a lonely, indefinite journey, guided solely by humanity and personal conscience.

(Taken fron "Strictly Film School")

Sounds very interesting. Upon checking NetFlix though, I can't find a listing so it must not be readily available. [:(]

I'll keep an eye out for it though, now that you've alerted me to it.

Thanks!

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: Lt. Calley

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

A special plea... I would appreciate your recommendations on favorite historical movies, especially the older ones that may not come to mind. I don't always show the whole movie so feel free to recommend titles that contain a few scenes that would be enlightening for an American History class. I can pull out clips and embed them into a PowerPoint.

The other part of my philosophy is to try and use wargames to demonstrate battles. This has been problematic for several reasons (but I shall overcome!).

Frank Capra's "Why We Fight" series would have lots of useful stuff although since it was produced for the US government during WW2 it does not have any negative references to Stalin and basically ignores the negative effects upon Germany of the Treaty of Versailles.

When I was in ROTC in the mid-1970's I remember my class played a wargame using hand-drawn maps with the instructor as referee and 'die roller'. The class was divided into 2 teams of 4 or 5 people each, with one team playing the Union and the other the Confederacy. Each side commanded the the forces that were available along the Mississsippi river in early 1863. I was on the Confederate team. The main objective of my team was to hold on to Vicksburg, but if we could somehow manage to take the main Union base (Memphis?) we would also win. I convinced my team to adopt my plan of leaving Vicksburg temporarily weak and sending the rest of the Confederate forces to try to destroy the Union army near New Orleans. My plan worked primarily because of the timidity of the opposing team. Nevertheless the instructor chewed me out for forgetting the foremost principle of war, namely 'objective' because I took too much of a risk in leaving Vicksburg open while going off essentially on a wild goose chase. Maybe you could do something similar using Grigsby's World at War -- divide the class into 5 teams, each of them taking one of the 5 major powers, and have them write down their orders on a piece of paper which you would enter into the computer using your best judgement. I have only looked at the demo of GGWAW so I don't really know how well that would work.

Those are some great ideas! Thank You.

I'll be hitting WWII with my 8th grade sections next semester. I just added the whole Capra series to my Netflix queue, it should come in handy.

[Lt. Calley]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn


I'll be hitting WWII with my 8th grade sections next semester. I just added the whole Capra series to my Netflix queue, it should come in handy.

I found a website that has some of those "Why We Fight" Capra films available, including some that might not be available from Netflix:
http://www.archive.org/details/cinemocracy

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: Lt. Calley

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn


I'll be hitting WWII with my 8th grade sections next semester. I just added the whole Capra series to my Netflix queue, it should come in handy.

I found a website that has some of those "Why We Fight" Capra films available, including some that might not be available from Netflix:
http://www.archive.org/details/cinemocracy

What a powerhouse of a resource! I'm downloading movies even as I type this!

Many, many Thanks!

[Hertston]

ORIGINAL: rhondabrwn

What a powerhouse of a resource!

Agreed. [:)] I got one of them on video as a magazine freebie some time ago, but it will be fun to sit down tonight and watch the rest.

[rhondabrwn]

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy and successful New Year from the Navajo Nation.

[rhondabrwn]

I received a call this afternoon that one of my students who had been in an auto wreck about four weeks ago died this morning. He had been in intensive care and undergoing many surgeries in an attempt to put him back together again and we though he had turned the corner. He continued to run high fevers and complained about chest pains that they couldn't pin down. Either something was busted up inside that they hadn't discovered or he caught some hospital infection.

It's a sad day for our school.

I fear that Geoffrey won't be the last student of mine who will die in some stupid drug or alcohol related accident. The problem is epidemic out here and I fear for the bright young children who will continue to fall victim to substance abuse. Too many of their role models (parents, older siblings) are already trapped in a losing scenario of drugs, alcohol, and poverty.

So much to do out here [:(]

RIP Geoffrey Descharme
1990 - 2005

Here's to a better future for his four little sisters that he leaves behind.

Rhondalynn

[JWW]

About three weeks ago a girl at my high school, a cheerleader, a senior, died in a one-car accident. She lost control on a road on a Sunday afternoon, hit a culvert, wearing her seatbelt, died at the scene. Very sad. No drugs. No alcohol. She just seemed to take a curve too fast and overcorrected. It seems so very sad any time a young person dies. And it can happen any time.

[rhondabrwn]

ORIGINAL: JW

About three weeks ago a girl at my high school, a cheerleader, a senior, died in a one-car accident. She lost control on a road on a Sunday afternoon, hit a culvert, wearing her seatbelt, died at the scene. Very sad. No drugs. No alcohol. She just seemed to take a curve too fast and overcorrected. It seems so very sad any time a young person dies. And it can happen any time.

Yea... how true. I was just bugging my sons to be extra cautious on their snowboarding trip that they are taking to Aspen, CO next week. I'm just on edge and worrying about them driving out there... and "pushing it" to get more time on the slopes.

Just being a mom, I guess.

[rhondabrwn]

Actually, I just thought I'd provide a brief update to keep this thread visible. I'm posting new pictures in the "Part II" thread.

The big news at the school is that our basketball team (6th, 7th, and 8th grade) are the Navajo Nation champions and will be going to the Arizona State Championships next weekend! Most of these guys are my students (and the rowdiest kids that I have to deal with [:D])but a great bunch of kids.

This shot was taken at last night's homecoming game in which they had the visitors 30 to 8 within the first 5 minutes of the game. They then put in the reserves and coasted to a 44 to 21 victory. The student in the front row, left side, has tunnel vision and is steadily going blind. He not only plays all sports, but plays them well. He had 7 points in last night's game. It just breaks my heart to know that in a few years he will be totally blind and there is nothing anyone can do to stop the retinal deterioration. His condition is kept a secret because he doesn't want anyone to know his handicap. What a great little guy. Absolutely no peripheral vision and he is playing basketball... amazing!

[rhondabrwn]

Nothing new here, just thought I'd post and bring this thread up to the front page again. It was getting pretty well buried and I think the pictures and commentary on the Navajo Indian reservation may be of interest to all of our newbies who have joined after the Talonsoft acquisition.

Enjoy.

[rhondabrwn]

Ah heck... I owe you some updated pictures!

These are of Spider Rock (one of the more famous landmarks in the Canyon de Chelly).

[rhondabrwn]

We finally got a decent snowstorm last week! It all melted within 3 days, but our lakes are filled (which is good).







My Jeep really earned it's keep. It handled the 10 inches of snow without a problem, even when my friend and I went off-road and drove around Tsaile Lake (actually, it was accidental - we couldn't tell where the road was anymore [:D]). Unfortunately the batteries ran out on my camera before we really got to the good views so I missed the opportunity to capture the frozen lake. [:(] The first shot (above) was the last one I got out of the camera that day.

BTW... that six sided tower in the background is the headquarters of Dine College which is located here in Tsaile. The 8 story golden tower in a traditional "hogan" shape is widely considered to be a terrible eyesore. You can see it from miles away. The Navajo Tribal Council passed a law outlawing any buildings over two stories on the rez after this embarrassment. Historically, the first "skyscraper" in America was only 9 stories so we're close to having a "skyscraper" on the rez. [:D]

[rhondabrwn]

Some hiking photos from Spider Rock Overlook.

[rhondabrwn]

Spider Rock Canyon again...

I like to leave the tourist trails to just clamber along the rim. I took these shots while showing a friend from Indiana the sites. We lucked out and had a rare 70 degree early spring day (both got sunburned on this jaunt). Winter returned the next day.