Penn State Ecucation Magazine
2011 – pg. 25
I was fortunate to attend Penn State and participate in its American Indian Leadership Program. I met some terrific professors including Dr. Charles Hughes and Dr. An
na Gajar. These leaders and many others taught me how to be the best educator for my students.
With my Penn State degree in hand, I was able to return to the Onondaga Nation School as a dual certified regular and special education teacher. Being able to make a difference, not only for the kids in my classroom, but also helping educate the non-native teachers about our culture has been fulfilling.
Today we have more native classroom teachers than the school has ever had and we have worked to integrate Onondaga themes into math, science, social studies and reading classes.
I am delighted to be a part of this change and grateful to Penn State for helping me get there.
~Brad Powless
About Brad Powless
Brad is a Culture and Math Teacher at the Onondaga Nation School. Brad teaches special education at the Onondaga Nation School, a K-8 school that rests on the Onondaga Nation near Syracuse, NY.
Brad is an Eel Clan member of the Onondaga Nation, which is part of a unified league called the Haudenosaunee. Brad’s real name, Dehowähda•dih, roughly translates to, “He goes running.”
The Onondaga Nation School is the same school Brad attended as a child. It was founded in 1849, but for some 120 years it did not reflect the Onondaga culture. The native language was forbidden on the school grounds and none of the teachers were native.
But when Brad was a young student, the school began to change. Onondaga language and culture became part of the curriculum. Two of the school’s graduates went to college and later returned to the school to teach. Brad was inspired, so he likewise became a teacher.