In 1954 Ramona Charette left her family home at Turtle Mountain in North Dakota when she was sent to the federal institution known as the Fort Totten Indian School. Over the next four years, she would endure hunger, isolation, and other violations that would haunt her for years to come. But her life story is not simply how she became a boarding school survivor, though that would be plenty; it’s about how she became a boarding school conqueror. After Fort Totten, Ramona turned to schooling as a tool for empowerment and healing. Her journey from boarding school to a doctorate in education proves that Native people can learn—and have some important things to teach as well.
Teaching Heart is the life story of an Indigenous woman who has worked to braid together Indigenous ways of teaching and learning with American education to make good on the power and promise of school for all children. Today Ramona’s mission is to promote boarding school truth and healing while celebrating the brilliance of Indigenous people. Her story offers an unparalleled view into the struggles and triumphs of those dedicated to the dignity of teaching from the heart.