PARENTS’ ATTITUDES BY: AUDRA J. PLATERO

PARENTS’ ATTITUDESBY: AUDRA J. PLATERO

NIHI NAAT’AANII CHIEF MANUELITO “Shik’47, shidine’4, a[tah 11s88[g00…h1adida l4i’ nihizaad, nihisodizin, 1d0one’4 niidl7n7g77 d00 nihe’1’1l’8 nihi[ ch’aaw0le’ sha’1[ch7n7, hosidool98’j8’, sidoo[dee’j8…” "My grandchild, education is the ladder. Tell our children to take it."

Overall Dine Education Philosophy We are the Holy People of the Earth. We are created and placed between our Mother Earth and Father Sky. Our home, the Four Sacred Mountains, with the entrance to the East, embodies our Way of Life. It provides strength and peace within us. Spirituality, intellect, planning, and life have been instilled within us; through these attributes we attain knowledge and wisdom. We shall combine the best learning and knowledge of other societies with that of our own for the benefit of our future. With that, our children will talk with beauty before them, beauty behind them, beauty beneath them, beauty above them, beauty around them, and will always be respectful and live in harmony with natural law. Our children will go forth in life endowed with what is required to achieve their ultimate aspirations.

Window Rock Unified School District Mission: We exist to ensure relevant learning for all students to be successful in a multicultural society. Vision: We will be an exemplary student centered organization, reflecting the Din4 values of life-long learning.

TDB’s goal The main goal of the Ts4hootsooi Din4 Bi’olta’ is to revitalize and maintain the Din4 language among school age children within the communities of the Window Rock Unified School District serves.

Problem statement • Navajo society - there are some families who continue to instill the importance of heritage language and culture. And then there are those who choose not to, or who are not capable of doing so due to the lack of knowledge to share such teachings.

education system - As a child starts school the responsibilities and rigor of the education system begins. In some cases, the education system will focus only on western education and academia. In other cases, the education system has included heritage language and culture either as a special area class or as an elective.

language shift at Tsehootsooi Dine Bi’olta’. - First few years, majority of students speaking Dine (more detailed).- Students shied away from speaking the dine language.

The decrease in Dine language acquisition has prompted me to examine parents’ attitudes toward cultural integration at our Navajo language immersion school. Do their attitudes’ and perspectives perpetuate or inhibit cultural integration at school that hinders the process of learning and speaking the Dine language?

Purpose Statement • The purpose of this research is to examine parents’ attitudes toward cultural integration using a Navajo Language Immersion school.

Parents’ attitudes toward cultural integration in a Navajo Language Immersion School will be examined through the following questions are: • To what extent do parents believe Navajo should be the sole language used in the school? • Are there differences in parents’ attitudes by the use of Navajo language in the home? • Are there differences in parents’ attitudes by the use and practice of cultural traditions (i.e. consultation of medicine men/women, belief in cultural values and teachings, practice of rituals related to milestones in life)? • Are there differences in parents’ attitudes toward cultural integration at a certain child’s grade level (is there a difference in support of parent attitudes’ towards cultural integration from elementary to middle school levels?)?

Research states: • Heritage languages are declining. • Heritage language and cultures are carriers of each other. • When a heritage language and culture dies, so does its’ people. • Heritage language and culture separates native Americans from the western society. • Successful immersion programs are supported by parents strong desire and need to revitalize and maintain their heritage language and cultures.

Methodology: • Quantitative Study • Sampling Procedures • Instrumentation • Data Collection Procedures • Data Analysis (In Progress) • Limitations • Findings (In Progress)

Conclusion • As educators, parents and members of the Navajo Nation, we are always looking for ways to better the education system and Navajo Nation for the sake of our children. We teach them to strive for the very best. We want them to be successful in the Western and Navajo Societies. • The findings from this study will allow to understand parents’ attitudes toward cultural integration in a Navajo Language Immersion School which will help us bridge the gap between the western education system and Navajo language and culture. • The results will help Arizona and Navajo Nation educators understand parents’ perspectives to implement culture not only in immersion schools, but all schools across the Navajo Nation.

Nihizaad d00 nihi’0’ool88[ bee [ahgo aniit’4. Ay0o nits7’ii[kees d00 bidziilgo 1t’4. Ah4hee’

PARENTS’ ATTITUDES BY: AUDRA J. PLATERO