Those Damn Cows

I never would have thought that an animal that spends it's life just eating grass and sleeping would cause me so much distress. When I first moved out to South Dakota and The Rosebud Rez, I imagined wide open spaces and rolling hills. And there are plenty of them, but I didn't expect every square inch would be fenced in. There is not one place, except for towns and communities, where it's not fenced in. Every drive results in beautiful landscapes that are blemished with cows and wire fencing. I remember hearing somewhere that cows outnumber humans in South Dakota 3 to 1. I would bet its more than that - or atleast here in South Central SoDak.
I guess it's not necessarily the cows that bother me. I mean, they are harmless oafs that eat up the countryside. But, it's what that symbolize. Ranchers have come in to the Rez, bought the land from tribal members and just fenced off the reservation. They have kicked out the buffalo and replaced it with the cow. On the reservation there is more room for cows than for humans. Somehow, that seems backwards.
When I look out my car window and see the cows, I go through a mix of emotions. I naturally get disgusted from the greed of ranches with their 100,000 acres of grazing pastures. That's reservation land. We already squished the Lakota to tiny reservations, and now 75-90% of the land is owned by whites? But while I still hate what those ranches and cows have come to symbolize out here, I still eat beef every once in a while. While I don't buy meat at the grocery store, I will still eat meat when I am a guest or when I am out to dinner. So every time I watch those cows chewing their cud, I see my hypocrisy. Or everytime I chomp down on a burger.
Damn... why do those harmless oafs have to taste so good?

Spring has Sprung

I decided that Spring has started only a couple days ago. I created some horse shoe pits in my backyard out of plywood and 2x4s and filled them with sand. Though overcast, me and Dylan and his younger brother, who stayed with us for a couple days on his way home from college, played horse shoes outside. Then, last night, I was able to mow the lawn and of course, play some more horse shoes. And the sun didn't set until 9pm. Perfect.
That's my definition of the start of summer - the clang of horse shoes and lawn mower engines. Now, how can you argue with that?

To Kill A Mockingbird

I just finished a timely literary classic, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. It made me think about the decency of humankind, the honesty of children, and importance of family, friends, and neighbors. I found myself, as most readers do, drawn deeply into the enigma of Boo Radley, the shut-in neighbor of The Finches. For years, Boo has never stepped foot outside the confines of his manor. After reflecting on it, I find myself wondering, why does he choose to live in solitude? Jem Finch has a poignant take on Boo; perhaps Boo has seen too much and has decided to see no more. Perhaps he has seen or heard too much Maycomb gossip, too much racism, and too much injustice. Perhaps he has just seen too much of humanity.

After finishing the book, I find myself attempting to put myself in Boo's shoes. Looking at the world not as a participant, but as a quiet observer. From the recliner in the living room I can look out and see my world for the past year. An outsider on the reservation, attempting to make significant academic gains with my students. But how important are academic gains in the grand scheme of things here? Important enough for nearly 50 young Teach for America teachers to spent their days, and most nights and weekends tirelessly lesson planning, creating rigorous assessments, and faithfully tracking student progress. But is that all we need to be doing out here?

In the past couple weeks, I have found myself questioning how important these academic gains are for some students. To my delight, and to the delight of the TFA institution, I have been making significant gains with most of my students in the area of reading. Many of these students were 8th graders on a fourth grade reading level that are now about to hit 6th grade on their reading assessments. But also to my dismay, it is coming down to the end of the year, and their behavior is not fit for high school. They are not fully self-directed learners. They have spent the entire year without any work done at home. They consistently get failing grades and do not bring them up to passing until they are forced to stay after school. This does not prepare them to become high school students. Unfortunately, high school is a new beast that does not often plug in the cracks where most of my students fall. The school doesn't have the same resources to throw these kids a life line when they fall in the academic abyss to pull them out. If a student doesn't take responsibility of his or her education, then he or she is more likely to fail their freshmen year. And failing freshman year means that student has a very small chance to graduate from high school.

So, for the last month of school, I will be impressing upon my students how important it is to take responsibility of one's work. I will attempt to hold them accountable until they walk across that stage for 8th grade graduation. It will be tough, and they will not liked to be pushed when summer is so close, but it has to be done. Or everything I and they have worked towards will mean squat.

I will never become a Boo Radley, a recluse figure that sees the world only through the lens of a window. But, I will from time to time take the form of Boo, so I may see the world in a different light, though a more faded light. It takes views of both a Boo Radley and an inquisitive, active child to truly see the world for what it is worth.