Ti’tooqan Cuukweneewit – Leslie Moses

Leslie Moses

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Tribal affiliation: Nez Perce

Why is Native language so important
Language is important to me just because the ancestors before me spoke it. I think at my earliest age, I heard my dad and my grandma speaking it. It’s important for our kids and our youth to learn it; it’s really beneficial to know. It helps with identity and brings them back to their culture.

Why culturally-responsive teaching is important
I think it’s tremendous… (for example) Kent Meridian… when they included cultures, not just including Native teachers, but all cultures… when they were able to bring their cultures to school, their success rates among students rose. They went from really low percentage test scores to high percentages in just a short amount of time.