Running Head: COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 1

Community Engagement

By Dawn Rauwolf

Master’s Portfolio ED698

Dr. Elizabeth Hartley, Ph.D.

April 4, 2020
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Community Standard

A teacher works with parents, families and the community. Candidates know the

importance of establishing and maintaining a positive collaborative relationship with families,

school colleagues and agencies in the larger community to promote the intellectual, social,

emotional, physical growth and well-being of children.

Community Frame

Living and working in a great community is a privilege. Here, in Ketchikan, teachers

have so much to be thankful for; our town is supportive of teachers and students in so many

ways. Businesses, organizations, non-profits, and our educational leaders all work together to

help Ketchikan students succeed. The citizens on this island want the best for all of our kids and

we get to see this love and support on a regular basis. Being a teacher is the best job because we

have the honor of spending time with young people, helping them grow up, listening to their

ideas, and encouraging them to be their best selves. We are able to do this worthy work with the

tremendous help of our small town. The National Parent-Teachers Association says, “Families

and school staff collaborate with community members to connect students, families, and staff to

expanded learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation” (PTA, 2009).

Teachers could not do their work without the help of the surrounding community; this is why

Ketchikan is a wonderful place to teach.

I was inspired to create this Community Project after reading an article by Eliot Singer, in

which he wrote about “multicultural folktale picture books” that are “based on spurious legends,

originally written for popular audiences following a romantic formula, that were never told in

traditional communities” (Singer, N.D.). It was in this article that I first learned about the term

“fakelore” which describes stories that are written, illustrated, and published to mimic, or look
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like, authentic retellings of Native stories. My project was set up as a display in our Ketchikan

Public Library. From June 24 to July 8, 2019, I was allowed to use a large shelf above the

Alaska history books and an indoor window near the entrance to to the Children’s Library to

share my research with the community. I thoroughly researched every book I put in my display;

I wanted to be sure to include very good examples for the “fakelore” as well as the authentic and

respectful retellings. I delved into the American Indians in Children’s Literature (AICL)

website, established in 2006 by Dr. Debbie Reese. This website “provides critical analysis of

Indigenous peoples in children’s and young adult books” (Reese, 2006). I retrieved most of the

Alaska folktale books in the Ketchikan library and cross-referenced them with the AICL website

and A Broken Flute: The Native Experience in Books for Children, by Doris Seale and Beverly

Slapin (2005). In her introduction, Slapin (2005) writes,

Since the 1980’s, non-Native authors and illustrators of books for children have

turned increasingly to Indian literatures, live and histories as sources of material for their

efforts. Publication of the results has become big business. Whether retellings,

adaptations, or edited versions of stories: historical accounts, photographic essays or

biographies, these works have been carefully produced, lavishly illustrated, and brought

out with artfully orchestrated publicity. Several have become best sellers; some have

won awards. They are nearly invariably well received, praised for their beauty and

sensitivity, and frequently for the ecological messages, be reviewers who do not know

enough to know that the works in question are inaccurate, inauthentic, patronizing, full of

lies, and altogether a huge insult to the people out of whose lives so much money is being

made. On the other hand, Native writers, unless very well-known, do not find publishers

in the “mainstream.” This is unfortunate, not only for Indians, but for the world of letters
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as a whole, because some of the most original and creative work being done today is by

Indian authors and artists.

This research project helped me to better understand an indigenous perspective of Alaskan

children’s literature. As a teacher, I am keen on integrating my new learning with my dedication

to fostering and showing respect for Native peoples and culture. It is very important to be aware

that Native stories should be told by Native peoples and it is an egregious act to play any part in

perpetuating or supporting these fake folktales. Today, we have some excellent children’s books

being written, illustrated, and published by Native, Indian, and First Peoples individuals and

organizations. Children’s books published by Sealaska Heritage Institute and Inhabit Media are

examples of books that deserve to be supported, bought, shared, and revered.

After a few weeks set up at the Ketchikan Public Library, this display was then set up in

the library at Tongass School of Arts and Sciences (TSAS). Several parents at our school, who

are also members of the Ketchikan Native Education Parent Committee, were able to review my

display. They shared this information about folklore vs. fakelore with their colleagues and

reported to me that they appreciated our school for making room for difficult topics. This year,

TSAS worked toward welcoming Tlingit and Haida culture into our everyday schooling, by way

of posters, daily language practice, weekly drumming, biweekly Native dancing, and thoughtful

inclusion of Native ways of thinking and learning. In his book, A Letter to Teachers, Vito

Perrone (1991) imparts, “I believe we owe it to our young people to ensure that they are deeply

involved with their communities, that they leave us eager to take an active part in the political

and cultural systems that surround them.” Healing and growth can happen when a school is

willing to make real changes in order to foster a stronger school family and a genuine community

togetherness.
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References

National Parent Teacher Association. (2009). National standards for family-school partnerships.

Collaborating with community: Standard 6. Retrieved from

https://www.pta.org/home/run-your-pta/National-Standards-for-Family-School-

Partnerships

Perrone, Vito. (1991). A letter to teachers: Reflections on schooling and the art of teaching.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Reese, D. (2006). American Indians in children’s literature. Retrieved from

https://americanindiansinchildrensliterature.blogspot.com

Singer, E. Fakelore, multiculturism, and the ethics of children’s literature. Michigan State

University. Retrieved from https://msu.edu/user/singere/fakelore.html

Slapin, B., & Seale, D. (Eds.). (2005). A broken flute: The Native experience in books for

children. California: Oyate.