Three students working on the timeline.
Six weeks of classes until Christmas break. I have been enjoying teaching North American History again. There are seven students in the class. Five are Navajo, one is San Carlos Apache, and one is Anglo. Years ago when Jason first asked me to teach the class I was utterly overwhelmed with the enormous amount of information I would need to know. It was way beyond my ability to master, so I decided to have the students teach a large portion of the class. When we have multiple Native nations represented, I adjust portions of the class to make sure we cover the history of each nation from which students in the current class originate. Typically, the students are not well-versed in the history of their own people, so this is an opportunity for them to research how they got to where they are today.
Josiah teaching on the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Since most of the class is focused on Native American history, much of the information is difficult to hear. Some is hard to believe, but we press on, striving to gain an understanding of how we ended up where we are today and why there is so much bitterness and anger on the part of many Native Americans. One of the objectives of the class is to:
Begin to understand the animosities and prejudices that exist between many Native American peoples, and between Native peoples and the dominant society, and thus be better equipped to minister while simultaneously choosing forgiveness.
Please pray that this class would result in increased knowledge on the part of the students and myself and that, rather than producing bitterness, it would help the students better understand their people and model forgiveness.
Gratefully,
Martha
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