A Partnership with Lewis and Clark | Professional Development

A partnership with Lewis and Clark
Warm Springs Teaching Assistant Lois Squiemphen with young charges.
Recognizing the unique language needs of Native American children has been a breakthrough at Warm Springs. Lois Squiemphen is a teacher assistant and apprentice in the native language program.

In 1998, with the ESL classification in hand, Warm Springs joined forces with Lewis & Clark College in Portland to create a unique, onsite, ESL teacher-training program. Dr. Lynn Reer, Visiting Assistant Professor of Education at Lewis & Clark and respected by colleagues as one of the best language-acquisition experts in the Northwest, worked with Smith and Johnson to design a program of instruction to equip teachers to work with the special needs of Warm Springs students whose language is caught in transition. The program consists of six classes, given onsite by Lewis & Clark instructors. The classes are offered on weekends through the school year and also during the summer academy, which in 1999 served as a "laboratory" for staff training.

"I was absolutely delighted and touched by how much the Warm Springs teachers care," says Reer. "They respect the community and want to know more about how to include their students' experiences, culture, and home life in their classroom instruction. They work hard and are eager to pick up on anything we bring them."

The last class of the two-year series is scheduled for June. Some teachers will earn their ESL endorsement, while others will put their credits toward a master's degree.

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