Michael B. Assn. 4c

I have learned that the IEFA Act has its heart in the right place, yet perhaps needs to limit the scope. That might sound a little ironic at first, but my point is that sometimes the increased focus can make native students uncomfortable, even singled out. A good example is the interpretive center where I used to work. As a joint project between the Corps of Engineers, the MT Fish and Wildlife, and a local paleontology center there was a mix of local wildlife, local history, and paleontology. When students would come through from a reservation school I made it a point to try to let them somehow incorporate their own culture into the experience. Wildlife; this worked. History; this worked. Paleontology; ... not so much. According to IEFA I should be pushing for Indian experience in every avenue of my education attempts, but in this case there is simply no reason to ask, "Gee, what is the Native American perspective on dinosaurs?" I'd likely just get blank stares. I might ask once to see if there's any relevance, but to bend a curriculum in this way for IEFA is inefficient and ultimately insulting to a people that I have a great deal of respect for.

I would like to know if there are clauses within the act that allow for this kind of discrepancy.

Activities with language are always excellent to include native students. (I would usually ask them the names for animals as we talked about them. If there is a Lakota word for T. Rex, I'd like to hear it.)