Introduction
I was talking to a parent one time, and he expressed the view that fractions should be taught in terms of length. I asked him what he meant by that? He explained that his son was failing math because he still did not know how to add and subtract fractions. He said he was frustrated because as a construction worker, he must know how to add and subtract fractions quickly to maintain the tempo of the construction site. Otherwise, precious time will be lost, and the construction will fall behind. He explained that if you are slow on a construction site, you will get fired. He wanted to know why the school was not using it and allowing him to use real world applications, like using a measuring tape, when instructing his son about fractions. At the time, our school was using the Eureka Math and Saxon Math programs. The teachers were told to use the programs with fidelity, meaning that we had to teach either program the way it introduced standards, and use their strategies, and follow their exact scope and sequence. I honestly thought that students should know all the different strategies introduced in Eureka Math to be successful. Also, I really did not understand that fractions could use a number line like a measuring tape.
On the vast Navajo reservation in northern Arizona is the small town of Kayenta. The town is run by two governments: Kayenta Chapter House and Kayenta Township. The Chapter House is a political subdivision of the Navajo Tribal Government. The Chapter House does not make its own rules and laws for the community but enforces and answers the decisions of the Tribal Government. The township was established in 1986, is the only municipal-style government on the Navajo Reservation. It is managed by five elected board members. The board has the power to create and enforce rules and laws that affect only the immediate boundaries of Kayenta. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of Kayenta is 5, 634 people and the largest ethnicity group (93.9%) represented is American Indian. Most of the people are employed work in Health Care/ Social Assistance, Educational Services, and Public Administration.
Kayenta is known as the gateway to Monument Valley, which is a Navajo Tribal Park known for towering sandstone buttes and crimson mesas. Visitors come through Kayenta to get to the Tribal Park. The town has several amenities to support the tourism industry including three hotels, restaurants, a grocery store, and a shopping center. At the junction of Highway 160 and Highway 163 are several sit-down and fast -food restaurants. Fast-food restaurants include Sonics, Burger King, Subway, and McDonalds. What makes Burger King unique is the fact that it houses a small museum dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers of World War II. Other dining includes Golden Rice Bowl, Pizza Edge, Amigo Café, and Blue Coffee Pot. Amigo Café was recently highlighted in the show Restaurant Impossible. Other amenities include a Recreation Center, a small airstrip, and many churches.
Kayenta has one of the few public schools serving students on the Navajo Reservation, which is comparable in size to West Virginia. Many of the smaller schools are either Bureau of Indian Education school or Contract S, which are both funded by the federal government. Kayenta is the only community within a 50-mile radius that has public schools, including a high school. Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD) buses in students from the surrounding communities including Dennehotso, Chilchinbeto, Rough Rock, Black Mesa, Forest Lake, Shonto, Inscription Houses, and parts of Monument Valley. The day begins at 6 am for most of the students, who ride the buses from these communities to make it to school on time. KUSD is comprised of four schools: Monument Valley High School, Kayenta Middle School, Kayenta Elementary School, and ABC Preschool. Kayenta Elementary serves about five hundred students from Kindergarten through Fourth Grade. Each grade level has 5-6 classrooms with about twenty students in each classroom. I have been looping with my students since first grade, then second grade. This summer, I was informed that I will loop with my students to third grade. The principal believes that I would help the third-grade team meet the expectations set by the department of education.
A typical school day begins when students are dropped off at the elementary school at 7 am. Breakfast is served to all schools because all students qualify for free and reduced lunch. Students who have time are often sent to the playground or the gym until classes begin. Classes begin at 7:45 am. All classes are expected to begin with circle time, which is meet and greet, and time to implement social and emotional learning standards. This is followed by English Language Arts Blocks, which include reading, writing, grammar, foundation reading, and spelling. An hour is set aside for both math and reading intervention. In addition, there is a math block. Each class gets an hour dedicated to an elective class, which gives teachers an opportunity to prepare for class. Additional classes include social studies and science. School ends for students at three o’clock in the afternoon.
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