"Several years ago, Ojibwemowin, the language of the Native people of this part of North America, was added to the curriculum. This coming fall, Ojibwe Language, Culture and History I and II will be offered at the high school level. An introductory language immersion experience will be available at the Ojibwe Language Nest kindergarten, which is a cooperative effort between Duluth Public Schools and UMD.

I am very pleased that Ojibwe language instruction continues to enrich the schooling and lives of both Native and non-Native students and their families.

However, to so many Native people, including me, the sweetness of listening to children speak Ojibwe goes far beyond the learning of language. It is not that many years ago that American Indian children attended school not in their own communities but far away at boarding schools, where Native language and culture were nearly obliterated by federal Indian policy.

ISD 709’s Ojibwe language teacher is Gayle Daniel, who is a creative and dedicated instructor, as well as a lifelong learner herself. Like Senorita Rich did when I was in school, Mrs. Daniel gifts her students with a class that she and they both enjoy. I have visited the Ojibwe classes many times, and they look like a lot of fun.

Daniel’s teaching, a combination of conventional classroom methods with traditional Ojibwe values-based pedagogy, is inclusive and productive."

Get the Story:
Linda Grover: Teaching Ojibwe language beneficial to Duluth students (The Budgeteer News 7/9)
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