Teacher connects a new generation with Cherokee culture

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Susie Thompson reads a traditional Cherokee story, the “Origin of the Strawberry,” to students as they learn how to say “peach” in Cherokee.

BELL, Okla. — A retired school teacher from Maryetta is using her knowledge, old and new, to teach children about Cherokee heritage. Susie Thompson, a Cherokee Nation citizen, says when she speaks Cherokee it takes her back in time, creating a connection to her mother and grandmother.

Thompson, a native speaker until the age of eight, was inspired to volunteer after completing Cherokee Nation’s Teacher Enrichment Institute, which prepares staff, teachers, and other community citizens to teach Cherokee language, history and culture to Cherokees. After the course ended Thompson said she wanted to learn more.

“I learn best by teaching and love learning,” said Thompson. “The new information I was learning through the Cherokee Teacher Enrichment program was something that I wanted to share with others. I knew there were many Cherokee speakers here in Bell and I asked Mr. Davidson, the principal, if he would allow me to come down here and teach Cherokee history, language and culture.”

Thompson volunteers two days a week teaching Cherokee lessons that align with the class’s regular curriculum. She recounts stories like “The Origin of the Strawberry” to fifth and sixth-graders. Words such as man, creator, huckleberry, peach and strawberry are written on banners that display the English word, the Cherokee word and the pronunciation in Cherokee.

“In the process the children have learned things about Cherokee history, language and culture that they didn’t know before and I have learned things better,” said Thompson. “They responded in a really good way.”

The Cherokee Nation Teacher Enrichment Institute is a free program that provides participants with Cherokee knowledge, teaching skills, lesson planning, classroom management, curriculum development and class assessments. The institute is administered by the tribe’s Co-Partner Program, a federally-funded program designed to provide educational opportunities to Cherokee children that would otherwise not be offered in the public school system.

Thompson said after taking the course she realizes the importance of preserving Cherokee culture.

“I thought about all of the thoughts, all of the history, all of the culture and the meaning of Cherokee words that cannot be translated into the English language and I realized as much as possible the Cherokee language needs to be preserved,” said Thompson.