Gaining Perspective

Our after school speaker, Harry Barnes

Harry Barnes, a businessman on the Rez, met with us to discuss the importance of the De La Salle Blackfeet School (DLSBS). He explained to us how the children go on to help the community by bringing more money into the Browning economy. Although he taught us about many different parts of the Blackfeet community, the most important lesson I learned during the discussion dealt with how to approach the children's struggles during the school day. He illustrated to us some of the many difficulties the students have to face outside of DLSBS. Mr. Barnes explained to me that the students have many more serious things to worry about than doing well in school.

The children of DLSBS have to deal with many problems that I could not imagine dealing with at any point during my life. Some of the students come from broken homes, and others face a daily temptation of drugs and alcohol. I know that I have trouble being productive when someone is talking to me; how they can get any work done in some of the situations they are put in is a mystery to me. Many of the children have begun to open up to me. They have told me some of the struggles that they have to face everyday. It is unbelievable that in the face of adversity, these kids can still learn and excel. I admire them for the courage they show day in and day out.
 

A.J. at work

Harry Barnes has really opened my eyes to the difficulties the kids face. These unique distractions that the students have to deal with break my heart, yet with every school day comes a classroom full of smiles and laughs. These kids are some of the most special people I have ever met. Everyone should strive to face their problems in the way that the children do. If I faced challenges like they do, my life and the lives of my friends and family would be much happier. The De La Salle Blackfeet School students have definitely taught me more than I could ever teach them.

A.J. Nestler '13

Things We Share

I am sitting and staring at a piece of artwork that was given to me by one of the 5th grade students that I am working with at DLSBS this week. She was one of the students that opened up to me immediately. I was not expecting to become that close with any of the students on the first day. Why would this student want anything to do with a high school student from the other side of the country? Why would another student tell me personal stories about her life? The fact that the one story ended with this young girl saving the life of her two older sisters was truly inspiring. These stories made me feel the pain inside her.

I quickly realized why a young male student turned his back to me on the first day but by mid-day was asking me for help. We both realized that we are all in this world together. We share so many similarities. It is not hard to relate to these young students. Although I was initially anxious about how I would relate to the students, I now realize that all of the nerves were unnecessary. Relating to the kids just happens naturally. For example, I overheard a student singing a song that literally hit home with me. The student was singing the refrain of No Sleep by Wiz Khalifa. I mentioned that Wiz was from my hometown of Pittsburgh. He realized that the song Black and Yellow was about the city of Pittsburgh and we both started singing the refrain. About 7 of the 11 students joined in and we were all singing it through the hallway to our next class.
      
At another point, I notice a student is not paying attention during religion class and is doodling in her binder. She is drawing a picture of her future "dream house". The picture takes up a whole page. This picture is more than just lines and circles on a page; it is a picture of hope. It shows the dreams that these kids have. It shows that they want more for themselves. As they will sadly realize or have already realized, the only way for them to attain their "dream house" is to leave the reservation at some point to attain further education or a better job than would be available on the rez. It truly inspires me that despite the background that these kids come from, they have the desire to come to school every day and learn with energy and hope to thrive in this truly unique LaSallian community.

N. Bozzo '13

Living in God's Presence

Before this trip, I held the belief that Pittsburgh Central Catholic was the only "true" Lasallian school in the country, in that I thought our prayers and mission was exclusive to us. However, it did not take long to realize that this was not the case.

As I sat in the cafeteria on Monday, a few seventh graders introduced themselves. They were just ordinary schoolchildren. Then I heard a loud noise and turned to see an eighth grade girl banging a drum bigger than herself. The room went quiet, and the day was kicked off with the prayers - many of the same prayers we recite at Central. After praying, everyone said the Pledge of Allegiance and slightly turned when the Pledge was finished, now facing the light blue Blackfeet flag. One child pressed play on a CD player and there was a cacophany of sounds that were foreign to me: the Blackfeet chant. At this point, I realized that these are not ordinary schoolchildren. They possessed a heritage that was alive, even today.

Every class begins with the traditional Lasallian prayers as well as a prayer in the Blackfeet language. The students have a heritage that one simply will not see in any classroom at Central. They have personalities that reflect their Indian background, including Indian names for AJ, Paul, and me. However, the most evident example of their culture being summoned forth was in Social Studies on Tuesday when a tribal council member arrived to teach the class Blackfeet culture, including etiquette, history, and some language. It was in this class that the seventh graders all payed the most attention, evidence that each one takes great pride in his/her culture.

In short, Central Catholic is not exclusive in our matters of faith whatsoever. The prayers and practices of the Lasallian tradition are present throughout the country, and that goes beyond simply words. The values are taught and lived just as they are at Cenral, which will allow these young children to live their lives with open minds and hearts. Because of their Lasallian education, they will be able to exemplify their faith as well as their heritage to every person that they may encounter throughout their lives.

K. Hackett '13

Breaking Through

Grant Helping Students

Here I am in my second day at the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, Montana. Thus far my experiences have been very unique. I first met the 5th graders in the cafeteria, during the morning assembly where the whole school gathers together. Some of them were opening right up to me while others were very shy.

Our first class was math. The kids recently took a math test and they were split in two groups based on how well they did. I decided to join the group that did not do as well. This is when I first started to learn about the kids. Some of the more rambunctious students initially made fun of us by giving us nicknames and fooling around. However, other students were shy and did not say a single word for the duration of the day. When my classmates and I gave no reaction to their jokes they soon learned that they did not need to act this way for us to like them. I knew that the energetic students would eventual calm down so I decided to focus on the kids who were more shy. Despite my efforts, by the end of the day, I had no luck getting the shy kids to interact with me.

For example, during reading class I went to help a boy on his project. He read a book called Bears that he was doing a diorama on. One of his tasks was to write a paragraph. I kept on asking him what the book was about but he would not talk to me. In order to help him, I decided to quickly skim the book myself. I ended up suggesting ideas for him to write about which he agreed with by nodding his head. The day was now over and I knew that I really needed to keep working with him before the week was over.

I got to school on Tuesday and again sat down at the table in the cafeteria. He was sitting on the bench all by himself so I decided to go sit next to him and see if he would talk. Once I asked how he was, I got the first word out of him: "good". I took this as my opportunity to break him out of his shell. I asked him more questions such as, "How far away do you live from school?", "Where was your favorite place you have ever visited?", "Do you have any siblings?", and "What is your favorite class?" He responded with full sentences. Slowly but surly I was starting to bond with him. Later that day, Science Class came around. The students were given a worksheet to complete and once they finished it they could play boardgames. To my surprise, Zachary came up to me and challenged me to a game of "Connect Four".  I told him that no one has every beaten me in "Connect Four". He then said "Well you are going to lose because I am the king." Needless to say, I lost all of the games, but what I really won was his friendship.

By the end of the day, he ended up talking to me about school and his life. I knew that if I kept at it I would get him to open up. It was just the second day here at school and I already accomplished this task. I cannot wait to experience what the days ahead will bring.

G. Hettinger '13