Alaska Natives in Past Boarding Schools - Journal of American ...

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While we had a set of questions we wished to address, we found itnecessary to let respondents guide the interviews. This is an incredibly sensitivetopic, especially for those who had bad experiences in schools, and it wasimportant to let people tell their stories in their own time and way. We are trulyhumbled and honored by the stories our participants shared with us. We heardfrom many that they had never before talked about these experiences. Often wewere amazed by their strength and resilience, and occasionally we were juststunned by what they told us. We appreciate and thank all who participated inthis study and hope that our reporting represents and honors their historiesaccurately and respectfully. I do want to note that the short time between whenwe conducted our interviews and finished this analysis, some of those who sharedtheir experiences have died. I hope this work encourages and enables others toshare their experiences and reflections before it is too late.All interviews were recorded and transcribed. The interviews were codedin Atlas TI according to patterns and commonalities that emerged in theinterviews. Our discussions with participants ranged widely across educational,political, and social issues. In this article, I address the themes and results thatemerged in two broad areas: the experiences of study participants in boardingschools and homes and the long-term effect of these experiences on participantsand their communities. I begin with the boarding school experience itself, bothin terms of education and the “climate and culture” of the school.The School Experience: An Overall AssessmentWhen we looked at the experience study participants had in boarding schools andhomes, we found a situation more complicated than we expected. The majority—about 60 percent—of our respondents were generally pleased with their boardingschool experience. However, responses varied greatly depending on the particularschools and even within the schools. Seventy percent or more of the respondentswho attended Mt. Edgecumbe, Copper Valley, Chemawa, and St. Mary’s werepositive about their experience, compared with fewer than half those who attendedWrangell Institute, Nome Beltz, or boarding home programs. However, manyrespondents were equivocal about their praise or criticism.Many interviewees attended more than one school, with good experiencesat one and bad at the other. In particular, students who attended both the WrangellInstitute and Mt. Edgecumbe often told distressing stories about the formerinstitution and then described Mt. Edgecumbe as being just the opposite.Individual students also had hugely varying experiences at the same institution.A number of respondents talked about good experiences in boardingschools and programs. However, as we looked more closely, we found manycontradictory or conflicting comments within the interviews, both good and bad.For example, individuals who told us that they enjoyed their experiences in schoolalso talked about their inability to maintain long-lasting relationships, their distressat losing their first language, or the difficulties they saw others endure in school.12 Journal of American Indian Education - Volume 47, Issue 3, 2008
Conversely, people who had experienced abuse or neglect in school also told usof enjoying certain activities like cheerleading and music classes.Several participants commented that their boarding school experiencehappened thirty or more years ago, and thus it was difficult to recall events orcourses in detail. On the other hand, some of those who experienced traumaticsituations at boarding school vividly recalled what happened to them.The School Experience: Quality of EducationSt. Mary’s and Copper Valley Boarding SchoolsThe most consistently positive descriptions of educational experiences were aboutSt. Mary’s and Copper Valley boarding schools. The four respondents who wentto St. Mary’s spoke enthusiastically about the school faculty having highexpectations of students, as well as being tough, caring, and highly qualified.Graduates felt they received a well-rounded education, and that they wereprepared for college. One described it in the following manner:...they made people develop their skills and abilities. Whoever was musicalthey, you know, let them play the organ in church and whoever was artisticthey, developed their art. Whoever was the expert sewer, you know, they—so everyone who had talents they were able to develop. Also, in theclassrooms, we had different ones who were gifted in leadership so they’dbe on the Student Council and then there were those who were also giftedin speaking in front of groups.Two St. Mary’s graduates told of being encouraged to go to college,including a focus, for one, on attending medical school. Two graduates alsodescribed extensive involvement with, and support from, the village.Copper Valley attendees praised the education they received. Seven of thenine respondents described having a very good academic experience. They usedterms such as “challenging,” “excellent,” and described the educators as tryingto inspire them. One participant noted that there was a lot of hands-on teachingin small classes. One described a teacher as “by far the best teacher I’ve everexperienced in my schooling, even going to college.” Another graduate describedthe “huge” transformation in his learning at the school:Of course my experiences in Copper Valley when I went to the eighth gradedown there were really something because they emphasize quality in theirentire educational process, it took the teachers down there—it was quite atask for them to bring up, you know, from probably a first or second gradereading and writing levels to eighth grade level. I had to work pretty hardto try to become competent and by the time I left the eighth grade I felt therewas a huge transformation in me—I learned how to read, I learned how towrite. In fact, I wrote home a letter to my mother when I first got down thereand my mother kept a copy of it because for a 13-year-old eighth grader, shecould not believe that I could write so poorly.Nome Beltz Boarding SchoolIn contrast to St. Mary’s and Copper Valley, none of the respondents whoattended Nome Beltz felt that the institution provided a good educationalJournal of American Indian Education - Volume 47, Issue 3, 2008 13
Page 4 and 5: Table 1Alaska Native Enrollment Fig
Page 6 and 7: Figure 210 Journal of American Indi
Page 11 and 12: Native Educators and Native Curricu
Page 13: Moreover, during a handful of inter
Page 17 and 18: long run. Most focused on skills an
Page 22: Here I am, 24 years old and realizi
Page 26: REFERENCESAdams, D. W. (1995). Educ

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