001The convenings of school directors and tribal leaders are now into their third year. Our goal here really is to provide resources and a roadmap for school districts, school directors in particular who want to build those relationships with their tribal leaders, tribal communities, and tribal students. This is about relationship building, and the process itself is the value of the work. Our students need to be able to see meaning in what they're being taught. They need to see themselves in what they learn. The teachers that are working with these kids truly love the job that they're doing. Truly feel compelled to do the best that they can. I was amazed. I really was. I had to learn how to hear Hanford's story and what he's about and why he's about that and what's important to him in
002order for me to process how can we move forward as a district and how can I communicate better with my superintendent on what I'm hearing. We need to change our systems and our structures to meet the needs of students, to meet the needs of the tribal council leads, and not just expect them to conform to how we do our thing, whether it's in the classroom with learning or with how we meet and when we meet. I learned many new things about the perspectives of native students, how they relate to and don't relate to their education. I heard really uplifting ideas about how to just encourage students to feel like they belong to know them as a person, like their beliefs, their values, what they believe in, not just what their culture is, but like what
003they do in their free time, how they like to spend their time. The confidence I've gotten from this class, being able to just walk in and like genuinely be so accepted because it's such a safe place is like amazing. They're seen by their school district as well as their tribe and they're celebrated and they're acknowledged. I could see it in the way that they carry themselves. There was no hesitation. The native studies really taught me and is teaching me so much about my culture and it's really important for me to be learning that because now I'll be able to teach my kids and their future generation. We're showing that we can talk about hard truths in history and America and still bring people closer together. It is about a journey. What you're learning during that
004journey, we're learning from you during that journey. And remember, you are who you are waiting for. Ain't nobody else going to do this work. That's how I was taught. [Music] I hope that people take home with them the ideas of what it can look like or feel like to have true collaboration between school boards and their local tribal leadership. I hope that people feel inspired to do the same. We're making a choice to be part of generational healing. The kindergarteners out there will never not know a world where a native flag isn't flying outside of their school. So, the work that you do makes a difference. [Music]