Well, I have finished my first year of teaching out on Rosebud. The experience of teaching on a reservation has been overwhelming in retrospect. Coming back to stay with my folks in New Jersey has shown me how incredibly different life is in South Dakota.
Lately, I have attempted to structure my future. That future includes aspirations of recruiting for Teach For America and going to graduate school for public policy. But as I look into the future, I am afraid that I will gradually move away from the issues that affect my students and Rosebud. And what if I don't even work in educational reform? What if I never get back in a classroom? I seem to have come to a point where if my individual aspirations do not include fighting for Rosebud, then I will live with regret.
Things like this keep me up at night nowadays. Other issues on the rez, like tribal politics, alcohol and drub abuse, unemployment, also keep me up. But how much can I do as an outsider? Even if I tried to reform and help, how much can I do as a white man that never grew up on the rez? I guess I need to pick my battles.
Well, time to go stare at the ceiling for a while.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)