DSU Education students volunteer at Eagle Butte

Twelve elementary education and elementary education/special education students recently spent a day at the Eagle Butte Elementary School in Eagle Butte working with 3rd and 4th grade students.

These DSU students are enrolled in the advanced professional block and associated level III field experiences at DSU.

“These 12 students volunteered to go to Eagle Butte to learn firsthand about teaching Native American children,” Bob Warren said. “In groups of two, they taught science, language arts, and computer lessons in third grade classrooms.”

“The trip was a very rewarding learning experience for me,” Suzanne Erickson of Irene said. “We each had the opportunity to work one-on-one with the students in a variety of hands-on lessons.”

While there, the DSU students were treated to a lecture/discussion of the Lakota tradition and toured the local Native American Cultural Museum.

“I thought that going to Eagle Butte was a great experience for me,” Heather Boyd of Oldham said. “I was able to learn more about the Native American culture in one visit than I had in my whole life.”

“I think that my outlook on teaching has changed because now I have experience in a different culture,” added Boyd. “I know I will work with many cultures in my future and this experience made me really think about how I teach. I think I will be more aware of the difference in my classroom not only in culture but in learning styles too. I think that this experience was great because it makes you really look at how you teach.”

“I really enjoyed the trip to Eagle Butte,” Rachel Geyer of Huron said. “The thing that surprised me the most was how much technology the school had and used on a daily basis. It was nice to see that they were on top of the trends in technology.”

Other students who attended were: Jennifer Johanson of Valley Springs, Amber Kruse of Virgil, Mandy Maynard of Henry, Jennifer Munger of Kimball, Lauren Amert of Madison, Joleene Ward of Newell, Vince Colford of Brookings and Kayla Crawford of Ft. Pierre.

DSU College of Education faculty Vicki Sterling, Don Wiken, Tim Fiegen and Bob Warren accompanied the students.

At the end of the day, the DSU students and faculty were presented with a hand-made quilt.

“While in Eagle Butte, the greatest thing that I learned is that although we all look unique on the outside, we all learn the same way,” Erickson added. “The most memorable part of the experience for me was when we were presented with a beautiful star quilt to show their appreciation for our visit. This experience was very worthwhile and is something that I will carry with me into my future teaching. Experiences such as this have really prepared me to be the best teacher that I can be.”