"I have learned something this year that not many people will be gifted to learn." --From a letter by grade-six student Paul Shapiro, June 1967 "Within the pages of this book live the actual children I taught. Theirs is a story of growing stress at home and at school that took its toll on learning. As their teacher, with pressures of my own, I figure uniquely into the account." --From the Preface This account is of a Cree/Saulteaux woman's twenty-year career as a public school teacher beginning in 1960s Regina, when discrimination and other abuses often went unchallenged, and the education system was starving for visionary reform. Gloria Mehlmann shares her unique challenges and transformations amid the vivid tapestry of students she taught and who ultimately taught her. Devotees and specialists of memoir, Native Studies, Education, and Women's Studies will want to immerse themselves in these pages. Critical yet uplifting, the strong prose of Gifted to Learn reveals another of Mehlmann's talents--she is a first-rate storyteller. About the Author Gloria Mehlmann grew up on Cowessess First Nation Reserve, Saskatchewan, before striking out to become a public school teacher (1962-1983). Her various other careers--or aspects of a larger mission--include serving as a public library trustee and as Director of Aboriginal Education. Mehlmann has been recognized repeatedly for her contributions to educational, Aboriginal, and civic initiatives, culminating in the Saskatchewan Centennial Medal in 2005. She is now a full-time writer.