They Called It Prairie Light Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of They Called It Prairie Light made me realize how much people have been shaped and molded to fit a certain form. The earliest Native American students were conformed into civilized Americans by following Christianity. Later, Native American students were conformed into what others believed they should be. This time, they were to be manual laborers and workers. Once it was noticed how changing a society was an attainable goal, schools began exploring how to shape students into docile, efficient workers. Although this wasn’t as severe as slavery, I believe it was a form of it. The students went to school wanting to learn and further themselves, yet a large part of their daily school life was spent working on the school farm. Native American children were the guinea pigs of the early school systems. First, they were to follow another’s religion, then, they were to acquire another’s work ethic.
I was offended with the idea that the Native American children could only make a living if they were able to do manual labor. After reading on, I began to get a clearer understanding. Many families were small town farmers. Educators had a preconceived notion that Native American children could only follow in their parent’s footsteps. Native Americans were not supposed to advance in life. They were not supposed to hold higher jobs than whites. They were not supposed to be interested in becoming doctors, nurses, or superintendents of schools. Men were to work on the farms and women were to take on the role of homemaker.
After reading Chapter 3, I found myself reflecting on how far education has come since the first boarding schools. From placing ‘slow learners’ into ‘opportunity’ classes and limiting them to the basic fundamentals of Arithmetic, English, and Social Sciences to the No Child Left Behind Act. Slow learners were left behind working the school farm and doing manual labor for over 75% of their days. It was like a challenge to see who could keep up. Those who could were granted the opportunity to learn. Those who couldn’t weren’t put in Special Ed classes to help give them the extra assistance they needed, they were sent to work on the farm.