Thursday, November 11, 2021 - The Cherokee Nation is looking to hire 10 new teachers to help with the tribe’s ongoing expansion of its Cherokee language programs and immersion school efforts.
Cherokee Nation needs 10 certified teachers, including one who has a special education certification. Applicants are not currently required to speak Cherokee but will be trained as part of the program.
“Preserving the Cherokee language and growing the number of Cherokee speakers is critical to the Cherokee Nation’s future,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. “This will continue to be our priority, which is why I recently announced that we will create a second Cherokee language immersion school under the umbrella of the Cherokee Language Department. To help with these language preservation and perpetuation efforts, we need to hire new teachers who can help us achieve our goals. We will provide them with all of the tools and training they need to succeed while working with our language program.”
Many of the tribe’s current state-certified teaching staff are at or near the age of retirement, so the new teachers will help fill the gaps being left by those who are retiring, as well as fill the new jobs being created by expansion of the Cherokee language program.
“Education is such a critical component of our mission to not only save our beautiful Cherokee language, but to create an environment where the language grows into the daily lives of Cherokee society once again,” Deputy Chief Bryan Warner said. “We can and will accomplish this goal, and we’ll start by bringing in teachers who are committed to helping shape the minds of young Cherokees. These certified teaching careers are great opportunities for our educators.”
Those hired by the Cherokee Nation will go through approximately 30 months of training including 24 continuous months of Cherokee language learning within the Cherokee Language Master Apprentice Program, along with six months of immersion school teaching methodology training and the study of other successful immersion school systems.
“We are asking anyone with the right heart and who are certified teachers to enlist with us to save our language,” Cherokee Nation Language Department Executive Director Howard Paden said. “Whoever applies will be asked to develop with us so they can become a more efficient Cherokee teacher. That way, we can do everything together, in unity, to preserve our Cherokee language. If anyone out there feels like they have the heart to get this accomplished, please apply today or reach out to us in the Cherokee Language Department and ask questions.”
All interested applicants can apply at https://loom.ly/izvTyrY or email questions to clmap@cherokee.org.
KXMX News Staff
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