When one of his middle school students dozed off in class, Michael Pavel didn’t reprimand the boy. “Get some rest, son,” he said gently. Four others fell asleep for half an hour and had the best school day the other teachers had seen.
“Some of our children are going through tough lives and are low on energy,” Pavel said of his Native American students. “Let five minutes of a 45 minute class be silent. You’ll be of one mind, one spirit, one movement of learning.”
A leading expert on the indigenous teaching movement and a professor at Washington State University, Pavel encouraged his audience of more than 50 education students, University instructors and community members to fall asleep during his presentation Monday in 182 Lillis. Pavel, a Skokomish Native American, combined humor, oral history, storytelling, song and interactive activities during his presentation, “A Place Where You Can Hear All the Birds Sing: Inclusive Schooling in a Modern Society.” The event was part of the University’s “It’s Good to be Indigenous Week.”
A tall, commanding presence with long, dark, curly hair and inquisitive eyes, Pavel introduced himself to every single audience member before beginning his presentation. He kept audience members engaged, moving between serious moments, silence and laughter. At several points he offered song prayers. He gave personal anecdotes throughout his presentation.

“My first teacher wasn’t my parents or the teacher I saw at school. Plants and animals were my first teachers,” said Pavel as he explained the differences between Native teachings and traditional schooling. “We’re all interconnected in some way but the Native people have been dismembered. Their language … their culture … their history. Against the ridicule, we have to keep our culture alive. We need to serve the needs of indigenous children but also all children.”
Stephany Runninghawk Johnson, a graduate student, attended traditional schools growing up but like Pavel, learned Native American teachings at home. She said that for many students, these cultural differences can be overwhelming.

“I think it’s imperative that we learn how to do indigenous education,” said Johnson. “It goes toward all of our students who learn in different ways. We have to pay attention and be open to listening.”
Johnson said although she was successful in traditional schools, it’s too much for a lot of Native Americans.
Pavel discussed birds’ singing as a metaphor for children being heard and thriving in educational systems. He stressed the importance of elders’ presence in Native American children’s lives and how he’d like to see more elders visible on college campuses. Pavel gave the audience examples of concepts, traditions and studies that Native Americans introduced to modern America and the rest of the world, including geometry, lacrosse, disability rights and scalpels. Learning about these developments made by their own people can instill Native students with a sense of pride.
“It’s hard not to think about how you were brought up when he talks about how to handle society and school,” said Jason Gerecke, a Native American University student. “He poses an environment where everyone is a productive member. If there are problems, we need to make sure we don’t overwhelm ourselves by focusing on one person.”
Among the interactive components of his presentation, Pavel had audience members read a lesson plan geared toward native students about storytelling. He then asked them to write a “cinquain expression,” or five-line poem.
The topics audience members chose for their poems included friendship, research and cultural identity. Johnson wrote about her profession and the theme of Pavel’s presentation:
“Education.
Imperative, affirming.
Listening, thinking, feeling,
Vital to helping us grow
Knowledge.”
To conclude his presentation, Pavel returned to his singing metaphor.
“From the moment we leave the womb, our song is within us,” said Pavel. “Songs we call music. Hopes, convictions. We express ourselves through song. When something wonderful happens we feel like singing. Any child who hears a song come to their mind should be able to share it.”