In this narrative, the story teller tells of both his informal education in his tribe and the formal education he received through the Indian boarding school run by whites which attempts to assimilate him to the Anglo world, one that differs greatly from the Cherokee way. What the educator can take away from this book is that the best educational approaches are those that are culturally sensitive. One of the main reason our schools are failing in low-income and high minority areas is because it was originally created to teach middle class white children. When this same curriculum is used in a low-income classroom, what is essentially happening is a modern-day form of

Instead, a more culturally sensitive approach needs to be developed, as was done by Ms. Guell.
Finally, like the educational memoir of Ms. Guell, Jesse Stuart's the Thread that Runs so True, provides a personal account of his twenty years spent teaching in the poor Appalachian regions of Kentucky. Like Ms. Guell, this book preaches the message that the best approach to teaching is to develop creative strategies and curriculum that works to directly meet the locations unique student needs, personalities and backgrounds.

Bibliography

Carter, Forrest. (2001): Education of Little Tree. Santa Fe: University of New Mexico Press.

Gruwell, Erin. (2007): Teach with Your Heart: Lessons I Learned from the Freedom Writers. New York: Broadway Books.

Stuart, Jesse. (1950): The Thread that Runs so True. New York: Simon and Schuster Adult Publishing Group.