Yeah, by getting the f*ck out of that school at 13 and never going back. I got my education at the local public library, at the hands and minds of "teachers" who were the most wonderful, generous, eclectic, and frankly bizarre group you could imagine. And because they had no authority over me, they listened to me and helped me follow my interests.
So quit looking for silver linings in the American Indian School system. There weren't any.
There may have been in Canada. Canada generally has a reputation (especially among Indians) for much better treatment of us than the U.S. So understand clearly, I'm not talking about the Canadian system, I don't know enough about it to form an opinion. But on general reputation, I'll accept that your system was head and shoulders (and torso, and waist, and thighs) above ours.
