Everyone Knows!
This semester I made a conscious change in my language learning with my children. I realized that I had a "hang up" with how I was interacting with them. Until this semester, and our switch to the Bug School, I would not really teach them because I was insecure about how I was saying inwewin (our sounds), and I did not want to teach them wrong. This was a big barrier. I was too worried about learning wrong. By the means of "mocking" I learn to say things. When I say it, and then am corrected, and then say it correctly I move into being actually able to use it (without getting lock jaw). This is how I remember. This semester, I am just saying anything, and everything, over and over. I made a poster of the words I wanted to know (our words), I just stand in front of it and read them out loud. I used the kids (karoke) nigamo bisindamoomaakaakoonz machine too, for fun (and so the kids could hear me in the living room). I was thinking I would spend an hour, three days a week. When I read it at first, it took over ten minutes. Now it takes around six if I make every sound the best I can. Five if the phone is ringing.
My children now are in Ojibwemowin class almost as much as myself. (Did you notice that sentence I just wrote? My English sentence structure is reverting to Ojibwemowin a little I think.). Zachary (9) is also doing a Boozhoo Speech next month. Last night when I tucked them in, he said Indaa minikwe niibi omaa-I think that is pretty close to what he said. Wow!-knocked my socks off! I need to crank it up a notch here, but I don't think I'll stay ahead of them (my boys) and that's a good thing.
My children are no longer tell me not to speak Ojibwe.
After I spoke to the school board in Ojibwemowin, everyone (that didn't know) knows, and now I 'm at the Language Tables, everyone else knows, it's actually creating a sub-context to my language use. A few of the teachers try and engage me for some words, learnings, or stories and I was thinking about what I can say to these little children. I am not as good of a speaker as people think that I am, I have learned to memorize more than I have actually learned how to express my feelings, and ideas. But that was when the words I had been reading last week started floating around in my head, Onizhishin , Inaabin, Mii gwayak i'iw, even Aaniin questions and the weather and who, what when, why, wow! This group of words are more than just everyday expressions, these fun, engaging words are specifically beautiful to use in a classroom setting and with children. I think that if I can figure out these pages, I will have really done something!
This post is going to look boring, so I will add a picture of the wall where I work on this batch of words. I labeled about 25 things in our house...waasechigan, ishkwaandem, etc...so I am making a sort of "hobby" out of it and yesterday I just started covering the labels and quizzing the kids. We have a lot of wall space in our house so I utilize my learning style techniques and as goofy as my learning style looks, and sounds, it works very well for me. As I figure out different aspects of what I am memorizing, I can write right on the poster and draw lines, and add definitions or add pictures or colors, or make changes,...whatever. The poster style is a physical thing I walk past, who knows how many times in a day. It's hard to avoid it or ignore it. Also, now that I will have a photo of that poster, I can print it out and carry it in my purse.