Education for Teachers

Teachers have been trained in colleges of education that have been tasked with providing teachers for

the universal need throughout the United States. The cultural basis for that teacher preparation is, of

course, the general United States American values and processes. Those have been shaped in most

states by both the federal government and the state government, neither of which is very aware of

Native American needs, processes, values, and culture, let alone those of Hopi. The basis for education

at Hopitutuqaiki is to teach the student. The student comes first, the curriculum follows. Please see the

draft paper “Please Pass the Curriculum”.

Teachers of Hopi students have, of course, learned to teach in ways that are used in larger school

districts throughout the country. Some of those techniques work well, others do not. Hopitutuqaiki has

chosen to adopt a learning strategy that concentrates on and reinforces the strengths of Hopi people, as

compared to the current system in many other schools that concentrates on areas of weakness for Hopi

students.

The school has adopted an apprenticeship model of teaching/learning that brings together one master

craftsperson with up to 6 apprentices, though the classes are most often smaller, as small as 2

apprentices. The class size encourages interaction between students and between mentor and

students. Many develop relationships that last for years. The school also encourages students of more

than one generation in a class. Our youngest students are 3 and so far, the oldest is 84. Often two ore

three, sometimes four generations are in one class. The younger students help the older with

technology and with manipulation (some of the older students have arthritis, making small motor skills

difficult). The older students can tell stories of how things were on Hopi 50 or more years ago, and how

things are done “Hopi way.”

By taking a Hopitutuqaiki class, teachers can not only learn a skill they can use, but they can also learn

techniques that work for Hopi students. Teaching Hopi students involves a slightly different way of

thinking about the learning process.