Case Study: Why Jack Wasn’t in School
Jack was a Native American seventh grader who lived in the Navajo Nation in the American Southwest. Although he enjoyed school, worked hard in his studies, and got along well with classmates, he’d been absent from school all week. In fact, he’d been absent from home as well, and his family (which didn’t have a telephone) wasn’t sure exactly where he was. Jack’s English teacher described the situation to Donna Deyhle, an educator who had known Jack for many years:
That seventh grader was away from home for 5 days, and his parents don’t care! . . . Almost one-third of my Navajo students were absent this week. Their parents just don’t support their education. How can I teach when they are not in my classes?
A few days later, Jack’s sister explained why her parents had eventually begun to look for Jack:
He went to see [the film] Rambo II with friends and never came home. If he was in trouble we would know. But now the family needs him to herd sheep tomorrow.
It was spring—time for the family to plant crops and shear the sheep—and all family members needed to help out. Jack’s whereabouts were soon discovered, and the family stopped by Donna’s house to share the news:
Jack’s dad said, “We found him.” His mother turned in his direction and said teasingly, “Now maybe school will look easy!” Jack stayed at home for several days, helping with the irrigation of the corn field, before he decided to return to school.1
1 Three excerpts from Deyhle & LeCompte, 1999, pp. 127–128.
Did you interpret Jack’s absence from school in the same way his English teacher did, concluding that “his parents don’t care” about his education? If so, how might your own cultural background have influenced your conclusion?
Like most parents, Jack’s mother and father cared deeply about his school achievement and general well-being. What alternative explanations might account for their behaviors in this situation?
Can someone please help me with this?