School District 146 Teacher Enriches Students Curriculum in a Most Inspiring Way

Wielding a drill on scorching hot summer days and listening to tales of long ago on cool starry nights is how Kruse Education Center teacher, Ms. Caryn Carlson, spends one week each summer.  As a volunteer for the Re-Member Organization on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation located in South Dakota, Ms. Carlson participates in the construction of outhouses, wheelchair ramps, bunk beds and has even learned to build straw bale homes. 

There are very few things in life that are more exciting than presenting a bunk bed to an 11 year old who has never had a bed of their own.  On the reservation she visited there were three to four families living in trailers.  Beds are scarce, and to make conditions worse, so are running water, electricity, and sewage systems.  Even though Pine Ridge Reservation is one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the Western Hemisphere, the Oglala Lakota people are extremely proud of their culture and love telling their tales. 

Ms. Carlson’s life-enriching adventures include listening to stories and collecting artifacts that she has collected over the year.  Ms. Carlson’s students are fortunate to have her share her volunteer experiences as a part of their classroom curriculum.  Reading about how the Indians use buffalo may be interesting, but touching a hunting bow made from a real buffalo rib is truly an awesome experience. 

Ms. Carlson has the ability to share with her students her exposures, and how they have impacted her life directly. Sharing this firsthand knowledge with others is part of the gratifying and rewarding experiences of volunteering at Pine Ridge.

Way to go, Ms. Carlson!  Way to be one of CCSD146’s very best!