So today both of my English 102 classes got a chance to meet and hear from two students from NWIC-Tulalip. Paco and Kohl graciously agreed to come and share some of their stories and experiences with us, which I deeply appreciate.
It was great to get to hear and watch them in both classes, because while they hit some of the same themes, they were two totally different presentations. I think we laughed more in the first one and were a bit more serious in the second, although Kohl and Paco might have a different perspective on that.
It was fantastic was that they were able to hold people's attention for nearly two hours in each class. This was impressive for a number of reasons, including that both classes are held in computer labs, so somehow they managed to compete and win students attention over Facebook and whatever else is online! I'd like to also thank all of the students who did listen so respectfully, asked and answered questions and who came up and talked to them after class!
Another thing that really struck me was how much information, ideas and stories Paco and Kohl were able to share in each class, and it didn't feel rushed or overwhelming. Standing up in front of a group of strangers and sharing so much of yourself, your history and your cultures is not an easy thing to do, yet they made it look effortless.
Since it would take too long to write down all that I remember them saying, I will just give some highlights:
Kohl reminding us about the Gulf Oil Spill last year, and sharing with us his perspective on it.
Paco talking about identity and finding balance within yourself.
Kohl sharing some family stories and some of the historical events that have shaped them.
Paco just getting into various things he was saying, and hearing him talk with the passion and inflection
of a Baptist preacher.
Kohl explaining how generosity works amongst the Lakota people. The idea that sharing increases your status is an important one for many of us to try and understand.
Paco giving us insights into why Native people are still struggling with historical trauma, and the need for us to keep (get?) an open mind about this and other things.
Alright, so I could go on and on, yet those are some highlights. I am also enjoying hearing and reading what my students learned from Kohl and Paco today.
I want to thank Paco and Kohl for being such amazing speakers, student scholars and gentlemen.
It was great to get to hear and watch them in both classes, because while they hit some of the same themes, they were two totally different presentations. I think we laughed more in the first one and were a bit more serious in the second, although Kohl and Paco might have a different perspective on that.
It was fantastic was that they were able to hold people's attention for nearly two hours in each class. This was impressive for a number of reasons, including that both classes are held in computer labs, so somehow they managed to compete and win students attention over Facebook and whatever else is online! I'd like to also thank all of the students who did listen so respectfully, asked and answered questions and who came up and talked to them after class!
Another thing that really struck me was how much information, ideas and stories Paco and Kohl were able to share in each class, and it didn't feel rushed or overwhelming. Standing up in front of a group of strangers and sharing so much of yourself, your history and your cultures is not an easy thing to do, yet they made it look effortless.
Since it would take too long to write down all that I remember them saying, I will just give some highlights:
Kohl reminding us about the Gulf Oil Spill last year, and sharing with us his perspective on it.
Paco talking about identity and finding balance within yourself.
Kohl sharing some family stories and some of the historical events that have shaped them.
Paco just getting into various things he was saying, and hearing him talk with the passion and inflection
of a Baptist preacher.
Kohl explaining how generosity works amongst the Lakota people. The idea that sharing increases your status is an important one for many of us to try and understand.
Paco giving us insights into why Native people are still struggling with historical trauma, and the need for us to keep (get?) an open mind about this and other things.
Alright, so I could go on and on, yet those are some highlights. I am also enjoying hearing and reading what my students learned from Kohl and Paco today.
I want to thank Paco and Kohl for being such amazing speakers, student scholars and gentlemen.
I am grateful to be apart of this special event. I thank the creator for this opportunity. I also thank the NWIC staff at Tulalip for believing in me and allowing me to help create connection between worlds.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree Kohl and Paco are great! I was thinking that too...that it is not easy to stand in front of a room and talk for 2 hrs. I have a hard time with 2-3 minute presentations!
ReplyDeletealthough I do know that when you are really passionate about something it's not as hard because you want to say as much as possible to reach your audience. Still...at their young age to be leading/teaching a class and to keep us engaged all the way through...it's awesome! Good job Paco and Kolhl and thank you for inspiring me to keep moving forward with my dreams, to get an education and to be part of the change! Thank you!
Kohl and Paco were awesome! Their presentation was very informational and I enjoyed every minute of it. It must have been hard to keep a class entertained for two hours. They shared a lot of stories that were very close to them and I thank them for that. Some of the things that I liked were when Paco talked about identity and finding balance within yourself and Kohl talking about how generosity works in the Lakota tribe. You guys had one of the most motivating and entertaining speeches while I’ve been at Cascadia. Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteWas a great experience! I Really like meeting Kohl and Paco. They are great people that made me think in a different way. I really enjoy having them at class and I hope they can come again or maybe we can go to their college. It is not easy to talk in front of a class about your story and beliefs and I have a big respect for Kohl and Paco that had the challenge of doing that. :)
ReplyDeletePoco and Kohl were awesome I was so enthralled in their words. I will admit I already forgot about the oil spill but I do remember Poco telling about Abraham Lincoln. 303 Native American's convicted but only 38 were hanged. That really stuck out to me well not just that. The other part of their talk that stuck out to me was the fact that we don't always research what we see and hear. Thank you to the both of them. I would like to here you two speak again.
ReplyDeleteIt was very nice to meet Poco and Kohl and to listen to their personal stories. They are working hard to make a difference. One thing i have learned is media and books are not always right to describe a different culture. In order to know a real culture, you have to listen to their stories and get to know them in person.
ReplyDeleteIt is definitely exciting for me to get a chance to listen to Kohl and Paco’s personal stories and comments on certain issues from their perspective. It is pretty interesting that the night before our class, my high school basketball team actually played a very close basketball game with the Muckleshoot tribe school team and back to school the second morning to listen a presentation presented by two Native American speakers. I appreciate the chance being provided in this class to know more about Native Americans.
ReplyDeleteI really agree with the point that you made that how much information, ideas and stories Paco and Kohl were able to share in each class; secondary, having a presentation about the stories and issues about their race in front of a group of people with different culture background is hard.
It was great and refreshing to hear from Kohl and Paco. Listening to these two talk really brought up a lot of questions of my own. I was also a little confused about what I wanted to write about in the final paper for the class. After hearing these guys talk I was inspired to research more into the gift giving and generosity within the Native American communities.
ReplyDeleteI also couldn’t agree more that in life we have to find a balance within ourselves. In order to do so we need to know our families past and history. I even began learning more about my background thanks to the discussion. I want to thank these guys for giving up their time to talk and share their stories with the class.
Thanks to you all ya students for allowing us to come and talk. Another thanks for listening to our side of the story and sharing our personal struggles. We will be back soon at the CCC to talk somemore.
ReplyDeleteHopefully more kids like Paco and Kohl can get out an spread their word and stories. Natives seem to tell their stories by mouth so it seems like the way to spread their misfortunes and problems especially with how their treated would be by word of mouth from the new generation. With all the uprises in the Middle East to dictators, maybe its Natives turn to uprise and take their rights back.
ReplyDeleteKohl and Paco have done such a great job in their visits to our class. I think its really cool that they can go to schools and share their stories with students, helping them understand Native Americans more and helping students with ideas for their papers. I learned a lot about the Native Americans that i did not know before, and appreciate them coming in.
ReplyDelete