Jesse Eliot
For my JRPS I researched how Indigenous American stories are taught in elementary schools in the United States. Over the course of this year, I have learned so much more about just one topic than I ever thought I could. I investigated things ranging from the pros and cons of standardization of curriculum, to the misrepresentation, erasure, and romanticization of Native peoples, to how teachers are using methods such as place-based education to improve these issues in their classrooms. I was also able to look into these areas in a variety of ways, such as reading academic articles, interviewing scholars, and interviewing teachers, which meant that my final outcomes and takeaways are so much more complex than they would have been with just one method of examination. Overall, I am incredibly thankful to have had this opportunity to grow as a learner and as a person, and to research a captivating topic for a whole year.
