Guest speaker Linda Skinner shares examples of incorporating history and interactivity in learning the Choctaw language. She holds a custom, decorated Choctaw edition of the game Scrabble she made herself using a standard game set. (Photo by Brandon Frye)
Language school prepares Choctaw community teachers
By Brandon Frye
Choctaw Nation
Durant, Okla. - Roughly 50 Choctaw community language instructors strengthened their understanding of the language during this year’s Choctaw Language Community Teachers Workshop held at the School of Choctaw Language in Durant from May 18-19.
The purpose of the event, now in its third year, was to bring community teachers together to provide tools, resources, and materials to enhance their teaching skills and further their understanding of the structure of the Choctaw language. The next step is for these community teachers to spread their knowledge and increase the speaking abilities of our language learners overall.
“The better equipped we are as language teachers, the better we are as teachers to ‘breakdown’ and ‘simplify’ the teaching of the language as we continue on the mission to perpetuate and revitalize the language for future generations,” said Teresa Billy, Assistant Director of the School of Choctaw Language.
Topics like grammar, storytelling, lesson planning, and student engagement were discussed, and interacted with in small groups.
Special guest speakers Linda Skinner, Barbara Routledge, and Freddie Bowles instructed the two-day event with insight, tips, and tricks they developed over their teaching careers. Combined, the three hold 75 years of teaching experience and wisdom.
Skinner shared some personal stories, including her ongoing desire to learn more about the Choctaw culture, as well as showing off the Choctaw art and poetry some of her students crafted over the years. She also provided examples of how to incorporate history and culture into language lessons.
Speaking to the room full of language instructors, Skinner said it was people like them who made it possible for her to get involved with the language and culture. “You made it possible for a little girl who grew up wanting it to get it,” she said.
Though the lessons were aimed at community instructors, much of the knowledge would help anyone interested in learning more Choctaw. For example, the game Scrabble can be played using only Choctaw words to make learning fun, and creating poems and stories using Choctaw helps solidify an understanding of the language while keeping Choctaw art alive.