CULTURAL STANDARDS FOR STUDENTS
A. Culturally knowledgeable students are well-grounded in the cultural heritage and traditions of their U.S. Virgin Islands community.
B. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to build on the knowledge and skills of the U.S. Virgin Islands cultural community as a foundation from which to achieve personal, academic, and economic success throughout life.
C. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to actively participate in various cultural environments.
D. Culturally knowledgeable students are able to engage effectively in learning activities that are based on traditional ways of knowing and learning in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
E. Culturally knowledgeable students demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the relationships, impacts, and processes of interaction of all elements in the world around them.
“Enforcing n creating such a curriculum is key here… So seriously what’s the hold up?!?”
The question came up from a student-friend after she viewed a video on Facebook of an elder historian and senators, publicly debating about the lack of an African/Virgin Islands Culture Curriculum being taught in the schools.
This is what I’d shared with her:
“From my understanding, the legislation already exists, but its the enforcement that needs to strengthen so I’m not clear at exactly what Elder Mario is getting at. What more legislation can be created? What specifically needs to be amended in the current legislation? After that, legislation alone won’t fix the problem so what comes next that will? Who is supposed to enforce the legislation and how? Vi Caribbean Culture Sen.Terrence Positive Nelson Senator Sammuel Sanes Shawn-Michael Malone“
I was speaking about the VI Dept. of Education Cultural Education Standards that were created as a guide for creating curriculum. I know because I was the youngest member of that very Task Force in 2011 with a handful of other knowledgeable and dedicated culture bearers and educators.
That was 2011. So seriously, What IS the hold up?
Even though these five lines above from on the cultural education website are all they have up on their website, a multiple page document had been created in 2011 from multiple meetings over a period of time by the Cultural Education Standards Task Force, facilitated by Per Ankh, Inc. Luckily, we did the work, so we had every note, every recording, every thought and idea as well as the final copy.
With all the technology and weapons in the world, there’s one thing about our history and culture and ourselves that they can’t take from us. It is something infinitely indestructible, no matter the multiple attempts to water down, shut up and shut out. It is us, the people, who were are and what we remember in our DNA… and we can use THAT as a guide to teach from, which we have and will continue to do.
