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BACKGROUND:
Native American Nancy Basket is a SC Arts Commission approved artist-in-residence for schools. She lives in Walhalla. She teaches students how to make baskets from KUDZU an abundant, free material. Seen in action at Mathews Elementary School, Greenwood 50, she is astonishing in her rapid-fire communication of concepts supporting education in general (importance of all content areas including math and reading, tolerance for diverse peoples, potential for achievement without regard to gender or geography, respect for environment and recycling, how Native Peoples exist as a nation within a nation) and demonstrates skillful approaches to classroom management (such as 'call and response,' varied instructional strategies, posture - the big "Pow Wow," and connecting learning to personal relevance.) All this in 50 minutes. In four hours, she will guide a group (art ed majors who taught in GEAR UP) to make a kudzu basket while modeling her teaching method. Teacher candidates in art or elementary majors would benefit from seeing her in action. She can "work" an auditorium as easily as a classroom. When observed teaching a class that was half on risers and half at tables, she never missed a beat or lost the attention of her students. Basket continues to explore her Cherokee roots while sharing this rich heritage with others across the South Carolina. |
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