Were my workshops a success?
One
of my biggest concerns while planning a workshop is if the audience will
"get me". Typically, I intersperse silly little jokes throughout my
presentations. After all, if I'm not having fun, my audience probably will not
enjoy it either. However, my humor is...somewhat quirky. Most appreciate it,
but some do not get it at all. Therefore, understanding my audience in the
planning stage is extremely important and I wasn't quite sure if this audience
would laugh or consider me odd.
Again,
the Navajo proved to be just like most audiences. They laughed at all my quirky
jokes, they asked interesting questions, and they appeared to follow all my
material. One difference between these students and some others is how
appreciative they were. They truly appreciated me and my lessons--a teacher's
dream come true.
Navajo police and driving on the reservation.
Countless
times, people warned me that the police on the reservation were sticklers for
the speed limit and hand out tickets like a hot-dog vendor at a baseball game.
This was not my experience at all. Speeding wasn't on my agenda, so I didn't
press the issue in the first place. However, I did not witness officers handing
out tickets or setting up speed traps. I found the police to be similar to all
others I've seen. They are there to help.
My
visit with those at Dine' College demonstrates -- to me at least -- that none
of us are very different from each other. We may be separated by tradition and
location, but we are all very similar.
Update
We, my husband/partner and I, are in our third year presenting
workshops for Dine' students. We look forward to our visits every year.
So much so, that we plan our spring around their schedule. The Navajo are
wonderful, very warm people. We are extremely honored to have this time
with them.
Motel
Review: Quality Inn, Flagstaff, AZ
Hotel
Review: Comfort Inn, Williams, Arizona
I think people often judge people, jobs, cultures, when they aren't familiar with them. Sounds like an awesome experience.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I agree. It was an amazing experience and one I look forward to repeating each year.
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