VOLUNTEERS | Natalie Wilkie, Middle School Science Teacher



Volunteer Teacher Natalie


 

Tell us about you and your background, and how you discovered Red Cloud?

I'm from a small town in Southern California, and I went to school in Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University School. I studied biochemistry and I originally wanted to go to graduate school to become a scientist. That was my original plan, but before doing that, I decided to do a year of service with Volunteer Corps Northwest. I was placed in rural Montana, in Ashland, Montana, at St. Labre Indian School. I was there for a year teaching computer coding, and I loved it so much. But unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for longer than that year, so I began looking into other programs.

 

I had first heard of Red Cloud while I was at Loyola, and I was really missing that Jesuit spirituality that I got through my own education, with a focus on the whole person. It’s a center of our educational mission—to share intellectual knowledge, but also spiritual and emotional knowledge as well. And I’ve just loved that element of Red Cloud.

 

Specifically, I’ve loved being in an indigenous community, and I have been inspired by the values and the way of life of the Lakȟóta people. The unique way that Red Cloud is able to weave together Jesuit and Lakȟóta spirituality in a way that supports our students is beautiful, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it. As a school, we are rooted in Jesuit traditions, but also bring Lakȟóta spirituality and language to the forefront of our students’ educational experience.

 

 

What are your core responsibilities?

I'm in the middle school and I teach science to sixth, seventh and eighth graders. On the side, I drive a bus in the afternoons, run mandatory study hall after school, and have coached the middle school volleyball team. I also have a robotics club. We’ve focused not just on robotics but also on some coding as well, and it’s been wonderful to build relationships with students outside of the classroom.

 

 

Tell us a little bit about the science curriculum in middle school.

So our sixth graders learn about space science first and then earth science—the water cycle, the rock cycle, and the world around them. It's been really fun for them to be able to understand why the leaves are changing colors or why those clouds rain. And then in seventh grade, they learn more life science. We’ve finished our cell unit and now we're moving into how they inherit their genes and how those genes affect what they look like. We are going to go into units about how life interacts in ecosystems, and how their bodies work. Then, the eighth grade gets into more chemistry, so they're learning about atoms and chemical reactions and will be diving into some physics next quarter.

 

 

What has your experience in Red Cloud's classrooms been like so far—what's been challenging and what's been wonderful?

Well, just being in a new place is always a challenge, because you’re trying to figure out where you fit in. But Red Cloud has made me feel so supported, and it’s so amazing to feel so wholly welcomed into a community. My administrators are there for me no matter what, and that's been such a great blessing to have as a first year teacher. I’ve been challenged by all the first-year teaching issues—like classroom management and lesson planning. Integrating the Lakȟóta language is another challenge, but a challenge that I am so excited to face since I am beginning to learn the language myself.  Through any adversity that I encounter, I know that there are so many people who are willing to help and support me. Particularly in our volunteer community—the way we’re able to lean on each other is a unique blessing. I love being able to come home after good days and bad, and have people around me who fully understand what I’m going through—it’s a lifesaver.

 

 

You mentioned just beginning to learn the Lakȟóta language—how has your experience been, bringing it into your classroom and lessons? How do you get support to do that?

I have been so blessed to be able to go to level one Lakȟóta classes that we have at Red Cloud after the school day has ended. It's been so exciting to be back in the classroom as a student, and to be reminded of what my own students feel when they come into my classroom. It’s easy to forget what it feels like to be sitting in the hot seat while the teacher is waiting for an answer from you. It's good to have context, and to be in solidarity with your students. Just being able to learn the language is an incredible gift. I have been able to incorporate some language into my lessons and classroom experience, like being able to ask questions in Lakȟóta, answer students’ questions in Lakȟóta, or to ask students to do things in Lakȟóta. I know that they see that I'm trying hard to meet them where they are, and that builds our relationship in a special way.

 

 

Many Red Cloud students end up wanting to pursue careers in science—as a science teacher, is that exciting for you to hear?

Definitely. It’s exciting to be able to give students scientific explanations for why certain things happen—I think a lot of students latch on to that. And many times they have questions that I don’t have the answer to, and those are my favorite questions. They force me to do some of my own research and to stay on my toes, but it also shows me that they are growing their curiosity and expanding their world view. I know that they are trying their hardest to learn all that they can.

 

I have many students who are incredibly excited to come to class, and they just love to be able to complete experiments. They love getting their hands dirty and being able to try new things. They love to try things that don't work, too. They even love to fail, which is such an important part of the scientific process. I just love to facilitate that learning experience!

 

Initially, I thought I might want to teach in the high school, but I’ve just fallen in love with this age group. These kids are so hardworking. They are so kind. And in middle school, it's more important for our students to fall in love with learning than to memorize how to balance a chemical equation. Middle school is such a formative experience where kids start to learn how to be real people in the real world, and it’s an awesome opportunity to be able to accompany them through these years of growth. This is really the perfect place for me.

 

 

How has teaching changed your thinking about your own future?

Through this experience, I have found that teaching is where I want to be. It’s not easy, but it is beautifully rewarding and gives me so much hope for the future. I always want to be able to serve my students better, because I feel like they deserve so much more than what I can give them. In order to fulfill that goal, I’m currently applying to Masters Programs so I can work towards my master’s in education. I want to be the best teacher possible - the teacher that my students here at Red Cloud deserve. 

 

 

 

Photos © Red Cloud Indian School 


 

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