Intertribal Life Newspaper -

Third grade classroom teacher Lynette Stant, member of the Navajo Nation, grew up in Tuba City on the Navajo Reservation. She is a 15-year veteran instructor on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Stant earned her master's degree in elementary education from Arizona State University. She graduated Summa Cum Laude-the highest honorary academic distinction a graduating student can receive.

Lynette Stant is also a Gates Millennium Scholar (GMS), which is funded by a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Millennium Scholars Program. GMS states in its overview that it was established in recognition of U.S. society's increasing diversity. To address this reality, GMS recognized that:

"In order to sustain and advance this nation as a global competitive democracy in the new millennium, it must provide a means for groups that have traditionally and historically been denied access to higher education to obtain it. . . .

"To accomplish this, GMS was established in 1999 to provide outstanding African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian Pacific Islander, American, and Hispanic American students, with the opportunity to complete an undergraduate college education in any area of discipline that interested them.

"GMS Scholars may also request funding in graduate degree programs in the areas of public health or science, computer science, engineering, education, library science, or public health."

Although her original dream was to become an attorney, the birth of Lynette Stant's daughter 23 years ago caused the single mom to rethink that ambition and to begin to involve herself in the school system and decided that teaching was her true calling. She further shares that both her parents attended boarding schools with their history of punishing Native American students if they committed simple "infractions" including speaking their own Native languages.

So, due to public schools' pressure to speak only English, Lynette's parents never spoke or taught the Navajo Language to their children.

"It is not a secret that education of Native peoples is one drenched in historical trauma," Stant says. But she also adds, "our school district did its best at making sure students sought out opportunities that were outside of our community."

So Lynette took advantage of the GMS opportunity and became a classroom teacher. She also continues to participate in the GMS alumni community which further establishes her as a role model for other Native American and minority persons.

Also leader of her third-grade-level teachers, Stant was instrumental in helping to write a $500,000 Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) grant for her school, which provides students authentic STEM learning opportunities.

Beyond her classroom, Lynette Stant is New Teacher Mentor for Salt River Schools, and is a Cooperating Teacher for Northern Arizona State University. Stant has also presented STEM education workshops at state and national conferences.

To address the STEM teacher shortage in U.S. schools, in 2018, Stant was selected for the 100Kin10 collaborative movement which joins 80 organizations around the United States to support the national imperative of preparing, deploying and supporting 100,000 new, best-in-class STEM teachers over the next 10 years.

Stant defines her classroom mission as, "to provide students authentic STEM learning opportunities, and to instill in them that, in order to understand where they are going, they must embrace where they come from." She further hopes to inspire them to become leaders as well. Stant's focus is also on equitable education for kids in rural areas and on Native American reservations in Arizona.

"I don't ever want a Native American student to feel they are not prepared to meet the challenges of college. Every student-no matter their background or learning ability-deserves an equitable education, she says."

Because of the calm demeanor she is noted for bringing to her classroom, at the end of the day, Stant says, "It makes my heart explode when the kids say, 'I don't want to go home'."

KB Schaller

Sources:

Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) webpage

Milestones-My Road In Life Has

Been Direct

Road trip Nation webpage

Gates Millennium Scholar (GMS) webpage

"Salt River Elementary School's Lynette Stant is Arizona's 2020 Teacher of the Year" headline.

The Reason For the Gates Millennium Scholars

Wikipedia

KB Schaller is the International Book Award-winning author of 100+ Native American Women Who Changed the World, Women's Issues Category. Whatsoever the Sacrifice, her latest work, and other KB Schaller books are available through amazon.com and other booksellers.