Greetings fellow bloggers,
I had a wonderful time on the trip with you all. What an eye-opening experience it was. We met great people, saw spectacular views, and had a great time with one another. This post is meant to share your view of the trip. Please post your reflection of the trip. Thanks everyone.
P.S. I will see you in August for the Book Club: Lies My Teacher Told Me. Have a great summer!
Kim
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The IEFA trip to the Blackfeet Reservation and Glacier Park was fantastic. I wanted to explore the historical and contemporary connections the Blackfoot People had to the park and came away from the trip with a clearer understanding. Camping in the Park and exploring the reservation with my colleagues was a perfect way to end a hectic school year and inspire me to continue to explore these newfound connections.
ReplyDeleteThe tour of the reservation with our guide, Darrell, was especially enlightening. I came away from that day with many stories and an appreciation of the Blackfeet people I would have never gotten reading a book. The “auto tour” with the interpretive signs is a smart way for the Blackfeet to share their story with visitors. Again, I think a guide makes this exploration come alive as they can fill in the blanks and answer questions individuals have that allow them to better connect to Blackfeet history. We had great weather and the country was especially beautiful that day.
The tour of Glacier Park with our other guide was relaxing and it was nice not having to drive. It was interesting hearing stories from a slightly different perspective and I found myself trying to over analyze and compare some of the stories. The weather was not as cooperative and this last day found many of us a bit tired.
The first day at the Museum of the Plains Indians and language immersion school with Darrell seemed a great way to “set the stage” for our trip as it gave a great opportunity to explore the past and connect it to the present challenges of the Blackfeet People. The horseback ride for cancer awareness on the part of Blackfeet People coming into Browning from all parts of the reservation was a treat and should be acknowledged.
Too many special moments on this trip to comment on. The company and camping was awesome! The scenery and animals perfectly placed. These are things one cannot get from reading a book and I hope our explorations and better understandings of Native Montanans continues so we may better inspire our students to become life-long learners and meet the mandates of IEFA. A special thanks to our guide, Kim, and the outstanding way she incorporates innovative learning styles to help the teachers meet that mandate.
Wow! What an excellent trip we had. I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Blackfeet rez. I found our contacts to be very informative and entertaining.
ReplyDeleteBoth Darrells did an outstanding job of informing us about Blackfeet history and current situations surrounding the Blackfeet nation. I had a great time traveling around East Glacier learning about the various land marks and their significance to the Blackfeet tribe. Jeramiah also did an excellent job as our tour guide. I too enjoyed the company of my fellow teachers. I look forward to future excursions and opportunities provided by and through IEFA. A many thanks to our guides, Kim King and my fellow teachers for the wonderful experience. Good Times!
Great trip, all! So nice to get to spend more time visiting with my colleagues in such a beautiful setting. Let's see. I loved Cuts Wood School and the ideals it represents. So glad those kids have that opportunity. Darrell Kipp was an engaging speaker and I liked his candor. Very cool to meet him in person. I wish more of our public schools could be run that mindfully. I thought the artist, Darrell had an unusual set up with his teepee bed and breakfast, but I appreciate seeing the landmarks and hearing the (surprisingly naughty) Napi stories. I also liked Jeremiah's take on them, as well. I would like to learn more about George "Bird" Grinnell and his relationship to the Blackfeet as well as individual stories about the boarding schools there.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great opportunity. Thanks Kim and IEFA/OPI. Great way to end a productive, but challenging year. I felt rejuvenated immediately. WOW!