Education Implications
Incorporating Aspects of Ojibwe Culture
As with students of all backgrounds, it is essential to include elements of their individual cultures in curriculum. This will not only help students to be more engaged during class and learn material better but will also work to develop the intercultural competency of all students.
General Education
Within the realm of education as a whole, there exist countless opportunities to infuse Ojibwe culture into the classroom. As described on the Worldview page, the Ojibwe people have a deep sense of connectedness to nature. Through the emphasis of nature in the curriculum, then, educators will be able to enrich Ojibwe students' learning experiences. Additionally, as discussed on the Language page, oral tradition plays a large role in Ojibwe culture. By incorporating storytelling into the classroom, Ojibwe students will learn in a manner deeply rooted in their culture, and as a result, will most likely comprehend material better. While these may seem like concepts necessitating grand efforts and revolutionary lesson plans, the opposite is true: the conscientious tweaking of existing lessons and classroom structure goes just as far. For instance, a math educator might consider incorporating nature into word problems, or an English teacher might encourage the class to read aloud to one another instead of individually. The opportunities to transform a classroom into a culturally diverse learning center are limited only by the educators' imagination.
Music Education
The easiest way to incorporate Ojibwe culture into music education is simply by performing traditional American Indian music, specifically that of Ojibwe culture if possible. In choosing repertoire which highlights various backgrounds, educators demonstrate that their students' cultures are valued and help students to feel more connected to the music they are playing. In recent years, diversity in the realm wind band in particular has been an extremely important topic of conversation, and as these discussions continue to become more prevalent, the resources available for music educators for incorporating diversity into their repertoire are constantly growing. In addition to American Indian representation in repertoire, including works composed by Ojibwe or other American Indian composers is another way to keep the band setting culturally diverse and particularly applicable to Ojibwe students.
History: Fact Checking
History classrooms are arguably those in the most desperate need for reform in regards to how Ojibwe culture is approached in education. Simply put, although American Indians have played and continue to play a vital role in history, the United States education system tends to gloss over these people almost entirely. Additionally, many of the resources currently available to educators are in themselves corrupted, often misrepresenting the degree to which American Indian peoples have been systematically attacked, removed, and oppressed throughout United States history. By putting forth effort into ensuring that educators are representing history in its fullness and truth, including the Ojibwe and American Indians, present and future generations will become more aware of American Indian culture, a knowledge base very often lacking in today's society.
Aligning with Students' Values
As mentioned on the Culture page, there are seven values at the heart of Ojibwe culture: honesty, humility, truth, wisdom, love/compassion, respect, and bravery/courage. By both proactively and reactively emphasizing these values, educators can bring an essential piece of Ojibwe culture and tradition into the classroom even without mentioning its origin. In a proactive manner, for instance, educators can establish these values (or any number of them) as central to their classroom environment, discussing with students what these ideas mean and why they are important to life in general. On the other hand, educators can also operate reactively by rewarding students (especially Ojibwe students) for exhibiting these values. In taking these steps to incorporate the values of honesty, humility, truth, wisdom, love/compassion, respect, and bravery/courage into the classroom, educators can establish an environment in which Ojibwe students feel connected to the classroom community and understand that they and their culture are valued.
Educating the Whole Student
Ojibwe Language and Culture programs, prevalent in schools on the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe reservation as described on the Culture page, are viewed by the Mille Lacs people as an essential component of education, systems through which the next generation of Mille Lacs Ojibwe can be instructed in what is most important to their people. I believe, however, that education as a whole can go a step further by encouraging public schools to work with tribal leaders in educating Ojibwe students. Although this may seem a somewhat radical idea, it points to what is at the core of education: developing the student as a whole. By partnering with tribes in the education of Ojibwe students, educators can ensure that these students are growing as complete individuals. Although this system of collaboration may not be feasible in all schools with Ojibwe students, it would be especially beneficial and most easily accepted in schools with very large Ojibwe student populations.