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The Art of Community Decision Making [1] The Mike Mateo Sena Elementary (Sapello) |
By placing your mouse over the highlighted text, a box will appear with annotated comments. Also provided is a link to the complete list of comments. |
| The
Art of Community Decision Making The community of Sapello is located in northern New Mexico approximately twelve (12) miles northwest of Las Vegas, the nearest large town. Mike "Mateo" Sena Elementary is located in this community, and is part of the larger school district of Las Vegas City Schools. The District covers a large area and students are bussed from a variety of bus routes. The terrain is pine forest covered mountains with some elevations reaching 11,500 feet in altitude. This school district, with a total population of 2300 students, includes Los Ninos Elementary, Paul D. Henry Elementary, Sierra Vista Elementary, Memorial Middle School and Robertson High School. The student population at Mike "Mateo" Sena Elementary is 64 students. Ninety-four percent of the school district population is Hispanic. The ancestral roots of many of the people in the district can be traced back 400 years to the first Spaniards that came into North America. [2] Many people in the area participate in subsistence farming and utilize many natural resources for their well-being. They hunt various types of wildlife and gather nuts and other forest flora to add to their diet. Many homes are built with local materials and are heated with wood burning stoves. Many communities are organized around the ancient "acequia" (irrigation ditch) systems which has, from the days of the Spanish and Native Americans, provided the means for the community to have water for human consumption and irrigation of small plots of land. This organizational system by its nature requires whole community cooperation, both to maintain the complex acequias and to assign the rights to the use of the water flowing through the system. In coordinating the use of this natural resource individuals and families have developed community agreements and shared ideas for land and water stewardship. [3] Many other concepts and behaviors of land stewardship and natural resource management are derived from these community agreements. This cooperative community-wide organization continues to influence the way the people see themselves relating to each other and to the various organizations that now serve the community including the schools. The learning experience described in this narrative began in what might be described and perceived as a simple attempt by a new principal at Mike "Mateo" Elementary School to learn about where his students came from. As the learning experience evolved it became a major learning experience for the community; parents, teachers and others [4]. It became a means by which members of the community assumed the role of teachers and teachers became learners. [5] The community learned about the wide range of community teaching opportunities that can be integrated into school learning. [6] It also provided the community a means by which they could express their frustration about the renaming of their school through a process that they perceived as contrary to the cooperative community-wide decision-making process, which has been the organizational backbone for their survival. The process to rename the school also contradicted the collaborative decision-making that had been an administrative strategy in the school. [7] Three years ago, the school principal, who was new, to Mike "Mateo" Sena Elementary School asked some parents to create a simple map of the school service area. The map was displayed at the school during registration and parents, registering their children, were asked to mark the location of their home. As parents registered their children they and their children not only located their home on the map but also added topographical features and symbols for important locations in the community to help the principal learn about the community. In this initial process a learning experience was created in which the parents and students were the teachers and the principal and teachers were the students. [8]As the details of the map became more complete and complex even the parents became learners.[9] The map helped community people know more about their community and the people in their community. For some community members and students it was the first time they were able to visualize the boundaries of the service area, to recognize the variety of roads children travel to get to school and relative location of the many small communities served by the school; Rociada, Las Manuelitas, La Tegua, Canoncito, Las Tusas, and Gascon. [10] This initial activity (Item 1, community map) not only informed the principal and teachers but it demonstrated to teachers the knowledge community people possess and the potential for community to become teachers. It was clear that community people had valuable knowledge, which could contribute to student learning. It also demonstrated the high level of interest community people had for sharing their knowledge and contributing to their children's learning particularly as it related to community -based knowledge. [11]Teachers came to recognize the power of this single activity to engage parents in meaningful communication about community and educational concerns. [12] Even though the learning that took place during the initial map activity was informal it initiated a series of learning activities that would change the notions of who teaches and who learns, where learning can occur, where knowledge resides, and how new knowledge is discovered. [13]
After the map was completed discussions by the PTO organization [14] centered on the possibility of using the map information as the subject for a mural to "do something" with the huge blank wall in the school gymnasium. The interest generated by the map activity in the community suggested that the subject would be one that would have the support and involvement of the community. [15] The idea of a community mural in the gym which was discussed when the map activity took place almost three years ago continued to be considered as a possibility but the subject of the mural was to change as a result of other learning opportunities which developed and evolved from the initial map activity. The recognition that valuable knowledge existed in the community and could be integrated into student learning led to a variety of efforts to identify and bring that knowledge to the school. One group of students developed and distributed a parent volunteer survey (Item #2). This survey made an assessment of the variety of the knowledge, skills and talents that parents could contribute to classroom learning. [16] Among the findings of the survey were that parents were knowledgeable in an extended variety of subsistence skills, artistic talents and recreational pursuits. The survey also demonstrated the bilingual skills of parents. The information gained through the survey not only identified resources for teachers but it also informed the community itself about the extent of knowledge and skills, which exist in the community. [17] While this information may have been known to some members of the community the survey captured, in one place, the richness of community knowledge and made the information more accessible to teachers to incorporate in their teaching. The teacher that had distributed this survey then invited parents to speak about the different capacities that they had self-identified. Formal (classroom presentations) and informal (discussions in the hallways) teaching occurred among parents and other community members who took on lead teaching roles. Another group of students were assigned to conduct research about their community ("Exploring Our Community," Item #3) and to learn more about the place in which they live. Some of the information which students researched included historical sites, cultural events, employment possibilities, ethnic diversity and community heroes. Parents contributed to student learning, during this activity, by providing interviews to the student researchers and by the sharing of documents, photographs, stories and other artifacts. [18] This activity also helped create at-home discussions of the stories and documents discovered during the interviews. Parents and elders contributed rich information on the written survey and by expanding the areas of research when talking with students. One third grade student commented that her parents took her for a car ride to see where the old "dance hall where they met" was previously located. By elaborating on these sites and events students were able to internalize the importance of place.x [19] Community people helped students recognize the evolving nature of research, one thing leads to another. Several teachers were able to use an "assets mapping" activity to identify organizations and individuals in the community who possess skills and have produced teaching materials that they could use for a variety of classroom learning activities. Teachers' thinking was reoriented to acknowledge that others in the community could be teachers as well. [20] Among the organizations identified were the National Forest Service, New Mexico Game and Fish, New Mexico State Engineer's Office and local acequia organizations. These groups became part of the changing cadre of "teachers." One thematic area where these resources were utilized was in teaching the students about their community by means of map-making skills. Community organization volunteers provided students with more in-depth knowledge about topography, map-making and the use of maps. [21] They were able to bring examples of different kinds of maps; topographic map, road maps and plot maps for different towns. Some maps were shown that helped students know more about animal habitats and water systems. Among the people who came from these organizations were cartographers, wildlife biologists and forest technicians. Other community people provided instruction in topography, hydrology, orienteering, surveying, forestry and geology from a practical, survival perspective. [22] Teachers, students and some parents participated in the presentations (Item #4). Ms. Sandra Romo, the first grade teacher, expressed surprise at the extent of local career possibilities that had been demonstrated by the volunteer instructors. She had not recognized the variety of individuals that worked with forests and mountains who were not cutting wood or running cattle. [23] This would be an important point for students to understand that employment opportunities in the area are not limited to agricultural or service oriented careers.
The lower level grades mapped the school and campus with an emphasis on classroom location and orientation. The first maps were simple designs appropriate to the age levels of the children. The students also studied the architecture of the school buildings. Some parents explained the use of adobe and vigas. [24] They also spoke to the children about why roofs are pitched and why the color turquoise is used on doors and windows ( it is a sign of welcome in the Native American culture). It was particularly interesting to see how students and teachers reacted when community people demonstrated the depth and variety of knowledge in so many subjects. And it was wonderful to see the changed self-perception of community people who, in spite of little formal education, began to see themselves as valuable contributors to student and community learning. It was particularly exciting to parents that their cultural and subsistence knowledge was becoming increasingly validated in the school system. [25] In informal discussions with teachers parents had shared how important it was that the school took and interest in cultural and historical learning in their community. Students in the upper level grades suggested to their teachers that topographic maps would be more "fun" than the two-dimensional maps they had been working on. Students were now assuming the role of educational leadership by identifying the kind of learning experience that would be most useful to them. [26] The role of parents and community members in the creation of the topographic maps became critical to the learning experience. These three-dimensional maps were constructed at the homes of the children and required an incredible amount of parent and family collaboration. [27] (see Exhibit 5 to see the 3-D maps). It was obvious that family members were committed to helping the children. Students and parents reported that discussions about the content of the maps created learning for both groups. Students learned about historical events that led to changing locations of buildings and even changing locations of rivers and streams. Fires and floods that affected the community came into the discussions. The depth of knowledge shared by parents and other relatives resulted in maps that were very accurate with respect to topography, road placement and physical features. Some completed maps demonstrated nature trails located at very high elevations in the mountains. In
one of the parent interviews, Arsenio Lujan, described how the topographic
map activity resulted in a weekend-long extended family gathering during
which various members added details to the map. As each family member
added information it would spur continued discussion and some nostalgic
memories. They would have discussions, (even arguments) about buildings
no longer in existence as well as community members who had passed away.
[28] As this new knowledge was incorporated into the map
the accuracy and detail increased
An area in which some of the most important learning occurred was in the area of family relationships. Prominent in the construction of the maps was the identification of where relatives of the student making the map resided. When students presented their projects parents participated in the presentations. They were particularly interested in attesting to the accuracy of the information provided by the map. During the presentations parents also became learners. They learned about their community from the presentations of other students. Parents realized that they were unfamiliar with some of the place names of trails, canyons and even the names of some of the smaller communities. [30] Teachers also learned from parents and from children's contributions about community features. Students felt empowered by their role as researchers and teachers. They recognized that they were teaching their parents and teachers. Everyone began to recognize the value of collaborative teaching.[31] The maps and videotaped students presentations were presented at a PTO
meeting. This led to a lively discussion about the community's role in
students' learning and how the PTO could encourage and support this type
of learning. One PTO member mentioned that it was very important, to her,
that her children understand the cultural heritage of her community and
that she was pleased to see the school becoming an active component of
cultural learning.
[32] Another learning activity that reversed the role of students and teacher was the unit on "Sapello Tourist Guides". Students researched places and events, in their community, that were of particular importance and would be of interest to tourists. Their research orientation was to identify these important areas was a way to build pride in their community. They took the information they gathered and created brochures to highlight places in the area (Item #6). Ms. Medina, the teacher of these students stated that the students' research provided her with information she had not known before. [34] When the brochures were completed they were distributed to parents and other district educators. School district administrators were impressed with the activity and the depth of learning that was taking place. [35] The mapmaking strategies had, at several points, included a study of the wildlife of the area. This focus of study provided another opportunity for community people to contribute to student and community learning. Adults in the community were very knowledgeable about the kinds of wildlife that inhabited the area and their habits. This knowledge came from the importance of hunting and game management in the community. [36] They were able to explain where particular wildlife (deer, turkeys, elk, birds etc) gather and why. They related the location of wildlife and their movement to the presence of food, water and weather conditions and seasonal cycles. Students were able to learn about the connections between all of these factors and the need to sustain all elements of the environment because of their interdependence. One parent Ms. Rodriquez described the depth or interest and work, of her son, in his wildlife research. He had conducted interviews with family members to gather their knowledge of wildlife. According to her, the interviews led to lively discussions among family members in which they compared knowledge and experiences and came away from this experience with new knowledge and commented on how their young man's "assignment" became their learning experience. [37] Ms. Rodriquez was enthusiastic about talking to her son's teacher about how the experience affected the whole family. Students brought in photographs and stories about wildlife and created drawings that illustrated their knowledge of animals and their habits (Item #7). Students were eager to find more and new information about wildlife and soon there was a friendly competition among families. [38] While these various community mapping, wildlife and other related projects were going on an opportunity arose for an "Artist In Residence". The Artist In Residence program places an artist in a school to work with students and teachers in conducting an visual arts project in the school. The school board had arranged with Robertson High School to assign an artist to Mike "Mateo" Sena Elementary. As is often the case, the artist, Ms. Lupe Salazar, came to the school with some preconceived notions about what the art project would be. [39] She was aware that the PTO and others had talked for a long time about putting up a mural in the large wall space of the gym. She proposed a mural depicting the importance of the railroad in local history. She proposed activities based upon her knowledge of the role of the railroad in the development of northern New Mexico. What she did not know and what she "learned" from community members and members of the PTO is that the railroad did not pass through Sapello and in fact had little impact on the development of that community. In discussions with community people and teachers who had been engaged in place-based learning, the artist, Ms. Lupe Salazar was informed about the meaning of place-based learning, learning that focuses on local history and culture. Parents, students and teachers presented her with examples of projects done and shared their knowledge of the place where they live. The artist became the student. Like so many others in Sapello she came away from the discussion with residents with a better understanding of the history and culture of the community and the role that students and community members have assumed as teachers and co-learners. The subject of the mural was opened for discussion.
There are many instances that demonstrate the community collaboration patterns that are representative of learning in the Sapello community. These patterns for collaboration are not only a chosen strategy for education decision-making but are part of a way-of-life in many acequia-based communities. These historical precedents have been interrupted in a recent series of events. In 1995 after the school gym was built, a decision was made to name the new gym the Mike "Mateo" Sena Gym. Mike "Mateo" Sena was a young man from the area who had died tragically in a construction accident. He was from a prominent family that had provided many services to the different villages. The Las Vegas City Schools school board had decided to name the gym after him but there was some concern about the fact that the community had not been consulted early in the naming process. Subsequently the school board honored Mr. Sena by not just naming the gym for him but renaming Sapello Elementary School to Mike Mateo Sena Elementary School. This process flew in the face of the community and created hostility and resentment. This resentment around the failure of the school board to honor a centuries old community process lingered and festered in the community. A petition was signed and submitted by Sapello community members hoping to reinstate the original school name. This effort was not successful. [40] When the artist in residence came in with her notions about what should be depicted in a mural and where it was to be placed, in the gym, the community seized the opportunity to reclaim its place in the decision-making process. [41] The roles community people had assumed as teachers and educational leaders and the changed role of administrators and teachers to that of learners created the opportunity for community people to reassert themselves as equals in the community and in decision making about the community. In asserting their role on what the mural would be about and where it would be placed the community also symbolically protested the renaming of the school. [42] The creation and placement of the mural took on a greater meaning than that of an art learning experience for students. Various parents, teachers and students and the PTO discussed the place-based projects on local wildlife that students and community had participated in and suggested to the artist that a local wildlife mural might be more appropriate than one on the railroad. Parents and students presented the idea to the school advisory council and the theme of the mural was changed [43] (Item #8).
Residents of these communities have become familiar with the mountain range and accompanying wildlife in the area over many years. They have developed strategies for hunting and range management that reflect community-based understandings. Residents may decide to hunt when they need to, when they need food for their table. They decide on this resource usage given their own family needs and the economic conditions of the region. The goals of government wildlife organizations do not always coincide with the subsistence hunting or range management of local residents. At times, there are disagreements between locals and game officials about access to pasture and hunt privileges in the area. This conflict of interest may show up as a reluctance to speak with game officials about wildlife issues. Work on the wildlife tile has helped to bridge this communication gap between regional game officials and local residents. [45] Eric Romero from the Sangre de Cristo Communities and Schools Consortium brought in colorful workbooks donated by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (Item #9). These workbooks were distributed to all children in the school and also sparked discussion in the community about the accuracy of the pictures in the workbooks. In coloring some of the pages parents familiar with local wildlife explained how the coat and coloring of some animals change with the seasons. The also shared the seasonal aspect of the antlers in elk and deer. One of the parents, Ms. McGennis shared that the elk booklets were very informative and helped her and her family to better appreciate the animals that are sometimes considered as a nuisance. [46] During the project a large forest fire threatened homes and destroyed a large section of forest. Many children were concerned for the safety of pets and forest animals. This presented an opportunity to bring in a local expert, Mr. Aquanni of the New Mexico State Forestry Department, to explain to the students and parents forest safety and the impact of forest fires on wildlife (Item #10). Mr. Aquanni commented that he had learned something about how to educate students about fire danger in a way that related to something they were studying in class rather than a separate and unconnected activity. He expressed interest in learning more about how to incorporate his knowledge and experience to what teachers and students were learning as part of their regular curriculum. [47]
The PTO and other community members discussed with the artist the possibility of changing the art project from a painted mural to one made with tiles, tiles that would be individually designed and painted by students. By working with tiles rather than a common mural parents felt that students would be able to display and identify individual creations. Students had also done some previous work with ceramic tiles and were familiar with tile art strategies. Given the desire to showcase individual student work and prior arts activities the decision was made to create a tile mural. Ms. Salazar acknowledged that her experience with tiles was limited. Several parents who had experience with ceramics became her helpers and took much of the responsibility for firing the tiles. She and other parents worked with the students in creating the tiles [48] (Item #11). When the tiles were ready Ms. Salazar had presented her model of how she wanted the tiles of the mural arranged. As she was organizing the arrangement a group of parents and students, who were participating in a Boy Scouts meeting in the gym, saw her working on the arrangement and began to suggest alternative design arrangements. Mr. Sanchez, the custodian at the school, also entered the discussion and offered other possibilities regarding the positioning of the tiles and the overall layout and design. He also initiated the idea that the mural should be in the main school hallway where it would be more visible and prominent. [49] After further conversation, Ms. Salazar, who had learned the value of incorporating community ideas and had modified her original design, [50] recognized that the location of the mural needed to be changed from the gym to the main hall. Among the community members who participated in the discussion on the design was Mr. Joseph Lucero, a local carpenter who offered his expertise to design and frame the mural. [51] A number of parents observed and participated in the construction of the frame (Item #12). When the mural was ready for placement in the hall Mr. Sanchez, the custodian, took great pride in supervising the placement since he had suggested the hall location [52] (Item #13). Ms. Cruz a parent who observed the mural project from start to finish stated that she was amazed at the excitement of the students and was impressed that they could accomplish such a big project. She observed that the students were empowered by projects that they are interested in. In order to create a "key" for the mural, students were required to present research on the animals they had depicted in their tile. Ms. Gonzalez (a teacher aide and grandparent of Sapello students) explained how she and other members of the family assisted in the research [53] using encyclopedias, Internet, and with family members. Surveys were conducted to gather additional information. Photographs from families were also researched (Item #14). Part of the research involved finding the Spanish names for the animals depicted. In order to recognize local knowledge it would be necessary to also recognize the prevalence of Spanish language use. Because Spanish is the primary language of most people, in the community, the community again became another learning resource when students researched the Spanish names for animals. Spanish language names for the animals provide a clue to identification and cultural importance of animals in the area. Parents, especially elders, were especially helpful in this (Item #15). Similar to the mapping activities, the exercise would sponsor family discussions about different Spanish names for animals as well as what was the animal. Maintaining the Spanish language is a matter of great pride among the residents of the community. This opportunity to reinforce the importance of the Spanish language during this project provided a great learning experience for both young people and community members many of whom had forgotten or never learned the Spanish names. [54] This research activity proved to be very exciting due to the deep cultural understandings related to wildlife and local nomenclature. Some of the animals included in the survey were indigenous to the area but were not very common. The culminating activity, to the work described in this narrative, was a "Community Celebration of Wildlife" [55] held in July of 2001. During this celebration, at the school, students presented the mural to the community. Parents prepared a pig "matanza" and taught students the traditional manner of cooking the pig in a pit in the ground. Antonia Apodaca, al respected local elder woman played the accordion and led songs about the community and local animals and plants. She was purposeful in changing the lyrics of songs to meet with the theme of wildlife. There was a student and adult elk calling competition. Exhibitions and presentations on local wildlife were provided for the community by government offices and by parents. (Item #16) Adults, at the celebration, commented on how the project had brought the school community together and how everyone had learned from each other including some relevant conversations with the individuals representing government agencies. [56] Students spoke about how they enjoyed learning with and from their parents and relatives. Teachers related how much they had learned from the students and community members. Permeating the celebration but unspoken was the pride of the community in asserting their role in how decisions are made about their school, their community and their children. [57]  Narrative Summary: In reflecting on the experience described in this portfolio narrative, it can be said that place-based learning is well embedded in the life of the school and community because of the community. Learning that connects school and community are on-going and will continue. Even though there may be changes in school personnel, teachers, and principals, the community has asserted itself in expecting school personnel to integrate place-based learning throughout the curriculum. [60] Perhaps as important as the integration of place-based learning is the expectation that place-based learning experiences will include community learning. This interest in community learning has received considerable attention as a result of this portfolio. The ability of those involved to keep attention on community learning is still questionable but a foundation of understanding has been laid. [61] Notes
on Portfolio Entry Process and Descriptions: [62] The portfolio design process is ongoing and changing. All teachers at Mike "Mateo" Sena, (during the 2000-2001 school year) had contributed to the assessment process. [63] Not all teachers have been involved in all phases of the community mapping and wildlife tile activities. Sapello teachers also conducted informal interviews with parents and other school personnel to provide more detailed understanding of some of the issues. About ten parents and community members had participated in the focus group discussions of the events in the narrative. [64] Dr. Jose Colchado of the Rural Schools and Community Trust and Eric Romero of the Center for the Education and Study of Diverse Populations have helped to facilitate discussions and planning meetings. Special thanks to the parents and community members who contributed their time in the interviews or directly contributed resources to the project. The following is a partial list of individuals who provided information utilized in the development of the portfolio narrative and evidence items. [65]
The discussion and selection of the portfolio items represents two months of collaboration and review of accomplishments at our school. We had met on more than a half dozen occasions to discuss the portfolio activity. [66] After much discussion we had determined that the Local Wildlife Tile Project would best serve the purposes of the portfolio exercise. In proceeding with the selection of entries and recollection of events it became obvious that we lacking in many areas of the entry criteria. We decided to utilize evidence from other projects to demonstrate the level of partnership and involvement we have with parents and community members at our school. The Local Wildlife Tile Project is ongoing and we can benefit from the suggested criteria for portfolio assessment. Entry 2 Portfolio Assessment Evidence [67] The following bullets describe the selected entries within this category of Entry 2 Community Learning and Contributions. With these entries we hope to "show the way our community has been involved in work and learning that engages people in active collaboration to make the community a better place to live, work and learn". The original portfolio provides an orientation and entry evidence of the general place-based activities at Mike "Mateo" Sena Elementary. We felt that a this type of prefacing was necessary to demonstrate how the showcased project is integrated to other activities, and to also demonstrate evidence of parent and community involvement in the other activities that we expected at the completion of the showcased project. The modified portfolio and evidence log contain evidence items more directly related to the chain of events and activities leading up to the wildlife tile art project.
Please Note: During the portfolio assessment process, teams often write several editions of the portfolio narrative to best communicate the story of the place-based learning work. As such, Exhibit 9 was not submitted with the re-write of this portfolio narrative. |