Since the schools inception the goal has remained constant, to educate the community children not only instilling goals of academic achievement but cultivation the Ramah Navajo culture and language to carry on for future generations. Jeannette A. Yazzie is one of the many mothers whose child attends Pine Hill Elementary; in our interview she explains her experience with the schools core curriculum in which the Navajo culture plays an integral part. Jeannette�s daughter Ziara is in third grade at Pine Hill Elementary. Jeannette spoke of Ziara�s knowledge of how to recite the pledge of allegiance in Navajo.

Question 1: How did your daughter learn to say her pledge of allegiance in Navajo?

Here previous Navajo Culture teacher taught her. She put the effort to make a copy of the pledge of allegiance to study from. Ziara studied the paper everyday. She read it over and over in Navajo .

Question 2: Do you speak to your child in Navajo?

Yes, Ziara learned her Navajo language by living with her grandparents. The majority of the spoken language used is Navajo at her grandparent�s house.

Question 3: Do you get support from the Navajo teacher aide at Pine Hill School?

Not in the grade my daughter is presently in. Previously yes I had support. I mostly practice with her myself. I give my parents a lot of credit.

Question 3: Is your daughter interested in learning her Navajo language?

Yes, very much so. Ziara has learned a lot by living with her grandparents ever since Ziara was a toddler. Ziara is very fluent in Navajo and can easily pick up Navajo language.

Building a foundation for community support of Native language teaching and awareness of critical issues relative to language vitality must be a crucial element of "preserving" languages. Schools, because of their inherent agendas for teaching other things, cannot be expected to fully carry the responsibility for language teaching. Effective methods for language teaching, when implemented correctly, can help support such efforts, but these must of necessity include Native speakers who know the languages most fluently. Schools also must be made to understand that in cases where language retention or revitalization is at a critical stage, issues of certification and the like become moot points. What becomes critical are the quality of linkages established between school and community, and between generations in a given language community. I applaud SEDL's efforts to support information networking, but the work of Native language "preservation" is in the trenches, so to speak. That is, working in communities or at least providing appropriate technical resources to Native communities. --Christine Sims, Board Chairperson, Linguuistic Institute for Native Americans (LINA)

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