Mike Parker: School project takes students into the past
I spent the second semester of this past school year teaching English online for a Christian academy. My ninth and tenth graders were a mix of students enrolled in the virtual academy and students who attended other Christian schools that lacked sufficient numbers of high school students to justify the expense of hiring a teacher for each subject area.
This mix gave rise to an interesting problem as the school year drew to a close. Each school had its own “last school day,” so I had to create an assignment for the semester exam flexible enough to allow different due dates that meshed with each school’s schedule. I decided to have students write an oral history paper.
This paper required the students to interview a person at least 65 years old. I did not pick that number randomly. Since most of my students were 14 or 15, then the person each chose to interview was the age of my students – a half-century ago. Many of the students interviewed a grandparent. A few were fortunate enough to be able to interview a great-grandparent. Others chose to interview someone from their churches.
I broke the students into groups and had them brainstorm a list of questions for the interview. Subjects included holiday celebrations, dating, and technology. I took each group’s list and compiled a master list, one for the ninth and one for the tenth graders. I explained the art of interviewing means avoiding “yes” or “no” questions. Instead, they should ask open–ended questions and follow with the most important statement: “That’s interesting. Can you tell me more about that?”
One of the issues that nearly all the students mentioned was the differences in technology. One student wrote:
“Fifty years ago, many modern inventions had not been invented yet. Because my grandpa lived in the country, he also lacked access to some things that had been invented. Life on the ranch for my grandpa came with many struggles. My Grandpa Jack came from a poor family, so life was difficult as a child, and he knew it. At one point, he lived without indoor plumbing, electricity, running water, phones, and televisions. I cannot fathom what it must have been like to live without these necessities. I know I use each of these items and often take them for granted.”
Another student wrote about differences in technology in these words:
“Technology was not really a thing back when my grandpa was growing up. Telephones were on a landline out in the country. The telephone was connected to four or five other different houses. Each person’s house had a different ring so they could tell whose call it was. If you wanted to call long distance, you would need to have permission from the parents, and if anyone wanted to talk to someone further than 20 or 30 miles, that person had to pay extra. There was no such thing as cable television, and no one had computers.”
One of the most touching papers centered on a young lady’s great-grandmother. She wrote in the paper’s conclusion:
“My great-grandma’s life shows how the simple core memories of our childhood will never change. Her dedication and love for the Lord and her family will forever remain constant. She has witnessed many changes in her 84 years of life. I loved getting to hear her about them. All of her stories both inspired me and encouraged her. No matter what comes, singing, Sundays, and simplicity always remind my Grandma Ruth of her blessings and magnificent memories.”
Students who wrote about their grandparents or great-grandparents confessed they were grateful for the assignment. Many said they would never have entered such a serious conversation with their forebears without it.
These students learned that many things change, but the most critical elements of life are always faith, family, and friends.
Mike Parker is a columnist for the Neuse News. You can reach him at mparker16@gmail.com.
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