Applications for the Master Apprentice Program are now available.

ᎤᎾᏕᏠᏆᏍᏗ ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎾᏕᏲᏗ, the Cherokee Nation’s Teacher of Excellence Program, is committed to further developing participants’ Cherokee language proficiency while preparing them to be Cherokee Language Teachers. The program will focus on expanding social capacity through strengthening professional teaching skills for Cherokee Nation educational programs and other local educational institutions with whom we partner. Participants will develop the cultural, linguistic, and pedagogical skills needed to effectively teach Cherokee language learners using the Cherokee Language.

Participants will engage in class sessions Monday-Friday from 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and will receive an educational cash benefit as part of this two-year, 40-hour-a-week program. The main classroom will be in Tahlequah, OK, but there will be required field experiences and other travel at certain times during the program. Class sessions will be in a Cherokee language immersion environment, employing a combination of discussion, direct instruction, and project-based activities. The number of applicants selected will be based on program availability.

Bearing in mind the very different rates at which people learn language, Teacher of Excellence Participants could expect to be at a mid-to-high-advanced level of Cherokee proficiency (as described by the American Council on Teaching Foreign Languages) at the end of the two-year program. They will also be able to employ a variety of language teaching methods for all ages of students.

To be selected for the program, the following requirements must be met:

  • Must be 18 years or older.
  • Must possess a strong desire to help revitalize the Cherokee language and culture through teaching.
  • Must score at least high-intermediate in speaking on the program’s approved Cherokee language assessment.
  • Must be willing to teach different age groups (children to adults).
  • Must pass a youth-sensitive background check.
  • Must not be currently (at the time the cohort begins) enrolled in a different Cherokee Nation full-time language program.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Teacher education/teaching background (not specifically language teaching is fine)

Application Deadline for Cohort 2: August 22, 2025
Classes start: September 15, 2025

Frequently Asked Questions

Teaching certification is not required, but preference will be given to applicants who meet all of the other requirements and also have teaching certification or significant teacher education background.

No. This is not a state certification program. However, you will have the pedagogical skills to teach the Cherokee language to any age level of students.

No. The program is in-person. Of course, if there are COVID-related issues, classes can be held online in situations that warrant such action.

New participants will be chosen once a year, with new program sessions usually starting in October. Start dates could change based on program availability.

Usually, there will be 4 participants per session, so in the first year, there will be 4 in the program; in the second and subsequent years, there will be 8 in the program. This could change based on program availability.

We strongly suggest that participants not work or engage in other educational pursuits while in this program.

Program participants receive a bi-weekly educational cash benefit to offset living expenses. The hourly pay is $15/hr.

No. Four applicants are chosen for each cohort based on the requirements listed above and after undergoing an interview and language proficiency evaluation process.

Yes. You may reapply at the appointed time each year.

We are dedicated to meeting the needs of Cherokee language classrooms throughout the Cherokee Nation, specifically the Cherokee Language Immersion School. Teacher Bridge graduates may go on to work in various Cherokee Nation language programs or with other community partners.

Applications can be submitted to lauren-hummingbird@cherokee.org or mailed to:

Cherokee Nation Teacher Bridge Program
PO Box 948, Tahlequah, OK 74465
No late applications will be accepted.

Selected applicants will be contacted via email within three weeks of the application deadline.

Updated January 28, 2026