Angelo J. Pompano
Too often children learn history through television and movies. Both of these often distort the facts because of the personal agenda of the producers. That agenda may be simply to change facts to make a "better" story or, worse, to promote a political or social bias. Even when accurate, history learned through television or movies at best relates the experiences of great or renowned people of an era. Rarely do these sources relate the experiences and feelings of common people.
In this unit the students will videotape oral history interviews of their grandparents. Through the means of oral history interviews the student is afforded the chance to learn how someone they can identify with was affected by the events of an era. There is no better way to learn about history and to set the record straight than by hearing it first hand from someone you know and trust. Hearing about the past from someone who has lived it gives a much more accurate account than television or the movies. Most people of the older generations enjoy passing on the torch by sharing their recollections with young people. Listening to these stories gives the young person a sense of connection to the past and fosters a sense of pride. As an added benefit, the interview builds a bond between the child and the adult.
All of the interviews will be assembled on to one or two tapes to be viewed consecutively. By recording the oral histories of people of African American, Hispanic, Asian, and Caucasian backgrounds, the students will be able to celebrate the diversity between the cultures. They will be able to note that each of the cultures shares common needs and goals. In this way the project will debunk stereotypes perpetuated by movies and television.
Making their own video is an excellent means for students to learn about social issues. The January 1999 issue of
CAREER WORLD
featured a story entitled
Ryan Bank: His Video Makes a Difference
. It tells the story of a seventeen-year-old boy who created a video about homeless people called "Just Another Day" as a class project. He researched, wrote, filmed and produced the video.
In making his award winning video, he learned how to interview, write, and edit. In the article he states that he won't soon forget the impact the homeless video has made on his life. "I was able to break down my stereotypes of homeless people."
In this unit the students will be responsible, with the guidance of the teacher, for compiling a list of questions for the grandparents being interviewed. These questions will explore the person's recollections of life in the neighborhood in times past, family history, and work experience as well as discussions of any prejudice they may have encountered and how they handled it.
By asking questions about gender roles, race, and ethnicity when recording the oral histories of their grandparents, the students will be able to compare what they learn of these first hand experiences to what they see on television and in the movies. It is hoped that when they hear the Borderland versions of what life was like in the past the students will be able to break down the Hollywood stereotypes. Later, when the video is presented to others they too will be able to get a true picture of life in the past.
Prepare for the interview
Before the students begin the interviews the teacher should prepare them by having them research the ethnic makeup of the community in which the person being interviewed lived. This will help the students to formulate meaningful questions. Also, it is important to explain to the students that sometimes people of older generations may come to the interview with some old fashioned misconceptions about people based on their experiences. The student should become an anthropologist. It is the job of the anthropologist to dig for the truth, which may be hidden. Hopefully this will not happen, but the student should be aware that in the course of the interview the person being interviewed, for example, might say something to the effect of, "such an such a group stole our jobs." It is not the interviewers job to argue the point. Instead they can gather some useful insight to the past if they know that group A lived in a certain neighborhood and when group B moved into they neighborhood they were in competition for jobs.
Usually this problem can be avoided by preparing the questions in advance. Of course, the object is to allow the grandparents to share the stories of their experiences. The students should explain to the grandparents beforehand that they want to learn about what it is was like growing up in the past. Possible questions that the students may ask could relate to school, work, or daily life. The student should think about what events the person lived through and ask questions about how those events effected them. They should try to draw out stories about these experiences without asking leading questions. The grandparents should be given the questions beforehand. At that time they should be asked if they have pictures or other items that they can show in the interview.