Ivan F. Star Comes Out. Photo from Native Sun News
Doing ‘double duty’ stemming the high school dropout problem
By Ivan F. Star Comes Out I could be wrong but I noticed a drastic change in our schools today. At one time, counselors primarily provided career guidance like decision-making skills regarding high school and likewise with high school students regarding college. Now, I see they are spending more time counseling students with social/emotional problems and other school personnel are pitching in to help. I went to visit a long-time friend at one of our high schools here on the Pine Ridge and saw that he and others staff members were doing “double duty” as student counselors. They are doing what they can to keep students from dropping out. I would like to know how many of our schools are doing this. I do envision it as common practice. I believe it is one of those things that are overlooked and perceived as “irrelevant” by the federal bureaucracy which runs our schools. Eventually, the result of this situation is that a significant number of our reservation students may not “succeed” as adults. Our current living conditions are solid evidence of failed government education policies and a waste of good resources. I cannot say this is a reservation-wide experience but I do know my local school had a dire discipline problem a generation ago. The older students were difficult to the point where teachers were leaving upon finishing their contracts. I believe at least one teacher actually resigned. The school disciplinarian had unruly students sitting in the hallway because his room was packed to the maximum.
Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: Doing ‘double duty’ stemming the high school dropout problem (Ivan F. Star Comes Out, POB 147, Oglala, SD 57764; (605) 867-2448; mato_nasula2@outlook.com) Copyright permission Native Sun News
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