Life on the Rez: From the 'Burgh to Browning: Oct 3, 2013

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Appreciating Differences

With my week slowly coming to an end, I have noticed that the life of people on the reservation is quite different from my own. Whether it be the school, the community, or their beliefs, it is very different. This immersion experience has taught me to appreciate differences, especially when it comes to culture.

My own experience has been quite sheltered which is quite different than many of the students here. The De La Salle Blackfeet School serves as a safe haven for these students. They come in early to play basketball, and after their long school day, stay and take part in various enrichment activities. From what I can tell, these kids truly enjoy coming to this school. I believe that the school is impacting their lives, and it will help them in later years. Though their classroom behavior may not always show it, they are happy coming here.

Nick Walnoha '14 in action with the 5th grade

The Blackfeet reservation is a very interesting place. While lacking some of the material possessions that we are accustomed to seeing around Pittsburgh, one thing that stands out is how kind the people are. Every car that drives past us on the road waves to us. During my experience at the Medicine Bear shelter, where I personally got the opportunity to serve and talk to many of the community's homeless, I met many kind people who, despite life's challenges, retained a positive attitude. For example, I met a man named Tony who used to be a firefighter. He talked about his experiences fighting wildfires, his past and his family. I also talked to a woman who was very depressed about the bad decisions that got her to where she is today. She explained that she started with drugs and alcohol when she was very young and how it messed up her life. Yet, despite her past difficulties, she remains positive. The people in the Blackfeet community are truly very kind with no one acting rude or saying anything unkind to us.

Marty Martin teaches Mike Gibbons' 14 a history lesson

Last night, we were able to meet a man named Marty Martin, or as he's also known within the Blackfeet community,BEWARE OF SLEEPING WOLF. He told us stories about the history of the Blackfeet people. He also showed us many artifacts hundreds of years old. He was a very interesting man, and he further explained all of the unique religious beliefs of the Blackfeet

The Blackfeet Tribal Nation, through history, has always had a great tradition of spirituality. They have their own culture and beliefs and have many sacred objects and places. One thing that the Blackfeet believe is sacred is the mighty buffalo. The Blackfeet depended on the buffalo for food and shelter back when the roamed the praries. Today the Blackfeet community still believe in the significance of buffalo. They treat all buffalo objects as sacred, including the very place where they used to kill them, The Buffalo Jumps. I had the opportunity to visit these cliffs, and the sheer size and the very thought of what happened there was very cool. Another sacred place is Chief Mountain, which is the most sacred mountain for the Blackfeet. It is surrounded by cliffs and is nearly impossible to climb and we can see it every day as we approach town.

Having the amazing opportunity to visit the Blackfeet reservation in Montana, and helping out at the De La Salle Blackfeet school, I have learned so many interesting things. I have met very nice people and learned so much about the history of the Blackfeet people. I am truly blessed being able to take part in this amazing program. The De La Salle Blackfeet school impacts many lives, and I believe that it is making a big difference, giving the kids the future they deserve.

Nick Walnoha '14

Nick Walnoha '14 and James Stupar '14 listen intently as Marty shows his sacred artifacts.

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Patience

Before we departed for our immersion trip to the De La Salle Blackfeet school, we had several meetings after school (a sort of pre-game for what we had in store). As the meeting went on Mr.Allen gave a presentation of the Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher, a classic Lasallian text by Brother Agathon. Several of the virtues he discussed were gravity, silence, wisdom, patience, zeal, gravity, prudence, vigilance, and piety to name a few. Our group of students then discussed the virtues and gave examples of where we have seen these virtues practiced and so on forth. Many of these virtues we immediately saw in almost all of our teachers at CCHS. As the meeting dispersed we were told to remember these virtues and practice them when at DLSBS.

As we left the mission on our way to the school for the first time, I recall sitting there thinking to myself, "What am I getting myself into?" The night before we were told about what to expect from our class, and, to be honest, I was slightly worried. However, I did my best to remember what we were told. My classroom partner, Bill Butterfield, and I made our way toward our classroom and, as we walked in, we saw a room of kids sitting quietly in their seats. We met the teacher, Mr. Hairsine, and I was impressed with his classroom management. When kids were talking out of order he would sit there without saying anything. The students soon realized that they were not getting any attention and immediately stopped talking. I realized that he was practicing the virtue of silence. Silence is golden, while duct tape is silver, and in this case, it truly was.

Mr. Garesche teaches his students about the Holy Rosary

Mr. Hairsine and his fellow faculty members also practiced several of the other virtues in his classes. As we watched the class with each subject and teacher we saw the same thing. Patience. At times, all of these teachers had it rough, but they had to ignore the snide remarks from the kids and continue on with class. When teaching class, each teacher had an idea of what they hoped to accomplish that day and had a plan to make sure each student could reach that goal. After introducing the concept and handing out the worksheet, the kids were so excited that questions were spurting out of their mouths. Most of the students would raise their hands, but many others would start yelling without being called on. The teacher would tell the student they need to raise their hand quietly and wait to be called on before talking. The teacher would wait patiently until the student would finally raise their hands and correspond with the rules before being called on. The amount of time it took for kids to finally listen to the rules and wait patiently to be called on seemed interminable, but the teacher would sit there and wait patiently for them to do so. These teachers really did not care how long it took but would wait until their students chose to obey the rules.

Patience is something I have not really needed to use much, but during this immersion my personal patience has been tested. I have never needed to exercise much patience other than waiting for a test grade or a cast list to be posted. However, during the week, a situation arose with a particular student that caused me to lose my patience and speak harshly to her. I realize that I could have handled myself more appropriately because it caused quite a ruckus. However, realizing my mistake, I confronted the problem in a mature way and now things are better than ever.
Long story short - be patient! There are times when you need to really bite your lip and buckle down. These kids are absolutely amazing and have great potential, but, just like me, they just need buckle down and put their heads in the books.

With Respect,
James Stupar '14

P.S Shout out to my family and friends back home in Pittsburgh who are praying for my friends and me on our journey. Also, a special shout out to Miss Corda for literally changing my life in Kindness Club.