Honoring Stories, Bridging Gaps: Practical Tools for Culturally Responsive Teaching
Let’s explore the transformative potential of the New Mexico Indigenous Instructional Scope as a model for creating culturally responsive, equitable classrooms. We will begin by highlighting its development, significance, and how its core tenets—especially Tenet 2 (Gaps in Understanding) and Tenet 3 (Language and Stories)—can help foster respect, understanding, and cultural humility among all students and staff. We will scratch the surface of addressing gaps in understanding between cultures, exploring the power of Indigenous language and storytelling to move beyond the idea of a singular “universal” story to embrace the richness of diverse narrative and practical strategies for integrating Indigenous perspectives into daily lesson plans, drawing on the NMIIS as a framework. Educators will leave with resources and actionable strategies to strengthen community ties, support ongoing learning, and confidently incorporate Indigenous perspectives into their teaching practice. Whether you are an administrator or a classroom teacher, this session will equip you to lead and inspire culturally responsive change in your school community.
Lorilei Chavez
Lorilei Chavez or rain puddle is a thirty-five-year-old Kewameh granddaughter, daughter, sister, cousin, friend, and auntie. When not in the classroom, Lori can be found working on her comedy hobby, spending time with her family and dogs, or on a walk during sunset, stopping to make a dance video to her favorite jam
In her educational journey, Lori is a proud Bernalillo High School Spartan Graduate, UNM Native American Studies Alumni, and a CNM Alternative Teacher Licensure Program graduate.
In her professional journey, Lori has spent ten years working in the Bernalillo School District. She began working at Bernalillo HS as a Native American liaison to support students academically and developed Indigenous school culture through a student group called Hahn Youth Council. In senior thesis work at UNM, Lori co-taught and developed the curriculum for the BHS Native American Studies course with assistant professor Dr. Leola Paquin and Cochiti Pueblo Keres teacher Dianne Willams. Lori also taught at Santo Domingo School, where she was tasked with implementing the Indigenous Education Initiative grant. Through this grant, Lori worked alongside teachers and community members to review school wide curriculum through a culturally relevant lens and bring an agricultural school identity through a greenhouse and outdoor classrooms. She now teaches Native American Studies at Bernalillo High School and was recently named BPS “middle school teacher of the year” and “district teacher of the year” as well as now holds the title of the 1st Indigenous New Mexico Teacher of the Year for 2025!
Lori’s motto is “teach with love,” and her next goal is to get a master’s degree to become an administrator at her local community school.