An Indian Father's Plea by Robert Lake

"He is only five years old, in kindergarten and I can't understand why you have already labeled him a slow learner".  I feel as though this is one of the most important quote of the article and it is rightfully stated in the first paragraph. Unfortunately, kids who do not first grasp a concept immediately with the rest of their peers, are labeled this way, as a "slow" or "challenged" learner. This is most often the case of the beginning of a down hill spiral for many innocent children. Every kid learns differently and starts differently, this by now we have come to know, but not accept. As an example of the child in question, Wind-Wolf, comes from a highly educated family, and has been taught many things that  a western cultured child would have learned by the age of five, plus some, but in different ways. Wind-Wolf knows mathematics, science, history and how to read, but all based around the culture he was raised in. Math was not learned with a computer or building blocks, but with helping his mother work. Science was learned from the Earth and sun when he was with his family. Most things Wind-Wolf learned was hands on and observed, a complete opposite from a school environment, thus labeling him a "slow" learner.
"It takes a long time to absorb and reflect on these kinds of experiences, so maybe that is why you think my indian child is  a slow learner". This is the reason why many innocent children are thrown into special education classes too quickly with no choice or opinion on the matter. Once a child has the stigma of being a slow learner his peers as well as himself will not think other wise or question it. It becomes the truth, even if it did not start out that way. Wind-Wolf went against his years of tradition and highly powered and educated family to fit in with this new westernized culture because that is what the attitudes of his peers, teacher and culture told him to do. This is now what he thinks is right, even though it is the very opposite.
"My son, Wind-Wolf, is not an empty glass coming into your class looking to be filled. He is a full basket coming into a different environment and society with something special to share". When asked how many months were in a year, Wind-Wolf replied thirteen instead of the westernized answer of twelve. This response was not because he did not know, but because, again, he had learned things based inn his own culture. In his culture, there are thirteen months because there are thirteen full moons each year. Wind-Wolf knew many of the same types of information as his peers, just with small differences in them such as the amount of months in a year. This is something not many people know, this is something I did not know until reading this article. I believe that in this case it is the teachers responsibility to educate herself as well as the rest of the class on why Wind-Wolf responded this way and why he was correct. Wind-Wolf has traveled the USA, has been exposed to many different languages, religions and has learned numerous different things about his culture, all by the age of five. How many people can say they have learned that much by the age of twenty? Not me. This is why he is a "full basket".