The advice that resonated with me was how important is was for Mrs. Everson (and the others) to keep their language (and how painful it was to lose it for a time).
I would like to incorporate aspects of whichever Native language I am immersed into my teaching. However, I’m sure (because of practical considerations, time, focus, etc) the amount of any non English language that my class will be exposed to will have to be relegated to key terms that have particular resonance or meaning in the local Native tongue. Additionally, as a Language Arts teacher I definitely plan on exploring the Oral (and written) stories of Native cultures and authors.
I also enjoyed Mrs. Everson’s words that she shared with us and I feel bad that she had a hard time as a kid when they tried to take her language away. I think it great that you plan on incorporating a heritage language and traditional stories into your classroom. Good luck in the future on this endeavor. I hope it goes well.