From Student to Teacher in Thirty-Four Years

Abstract

Back in the early 1970s I applied for a spot with the Teacher Corps Program on our reservation. The program stated that I could go to school in the morning and be in the classroom in the afternoon. It was an accelerated program, and I would be a teacher in less than four years. I had graduated from high school in 1969, went on to technical college and received an associate degree in residential design, but I had always wanted to be a teacher. Thus, this program seemed to be well suited to my plans. I filled out an application and was selected to be interviewed for the program. From what I can recall, the interview panel was made up of people from our reservation, teachers and administrators. The gentleman leading the interview was a teacher at the grade school on our reservation, and I had known him for quite some time. By the way, he was a white man. As the interview was progressing, he said, "OK Rich, let's do a 'what-if' question . . . let's say you are standing in the hallway outside your classroom and I'm standing outside mine, which is right across the hall from yours. The bell rings for recess and all the kids start running as kids do and I say, 'Hey, children . . . slow down . . . you're all running like a bunch of wild Indians!' What would your response or reaction be to my comment?" Well, because I have always used humor in my life, I said, "Well, sir, I'd probably say, 'Hey you kids, slow down . . . you're running around like a bunch of wild Polacks!'" I then laughed, as did the interview members, and then I went on to explain how I would really handle his, "what-if" question. Needless to say, I was not chosen for the program. But this is not where the story ends. [End Page 373] A few weeks later at a social gathering at someone's house, a young lady came up to me and said, "Excuse me, but did you interview for the Teacher Corps Program a few weeks ago?" I told her yes, and then she said, "Do you know why you were really not chosen?" I told her no. Here is what she told me: "Remember when you were asked that question about recess, the kids and that 'wild Indians' comment?" I told her yes . . . she then said, as she began to laugh herself, "Well, you really pissed off the guy who asked that question because he is Polish!" I then started laughing myself and said, "So, wasn't that a double standard? Worse yet, he made it a 'what-if' question and then turns around and uses my 'humorous' comeback against me? What a jerk!" She then went on to tell me that everyone on the committee explained to him that my initial response was in jest, just to make people laugh, but he would have nothing to do with their feelings. I was out! I could go on and on about other situations and experiences I have been involved in my whole life, but here is what I feel is more important to share at this time. I have just been hired to teach Native American studies in the Pan-African Department at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. I am truly honored to have been hired, but here is what is most significant to me: I have no other degree except my two-year degree in residential design. I have no master's, no bachelor's, or any other type of certificate. As I told the staff at the university during my interview, "All I have are the scars on my back and the holes in my heart from my time here on Mother Earth." I went on to tell them that my approach is very grass roots. As a matter of fact, when I was told...