A Timeline of Memories and Past Reflections
Medea E. Lamberti-Sanchez
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Classroom Activity Three: Subjectivity versus Objectivity
John and Maria were given the task of writing a biography of their friend Omar. Omar sat down with them and answered the three questions given to him, and as he did, John and Maria wrote down the answers. It was the intent of Mrs. Sanchez to help John and Maria paint a portrait of Omar's identity just by his responses to the three questions. John and Maria learned that Omar enjoyed going to the beach and swimming as well as enjoyed adventurous activities that included hiking, boating, and fishing. John and Maria also learned that Omar's favorite item that he brought with him was his portable video games which indicated that he loved to entertain himself and challenge his mind through role–play. The class was surprised by the very different interpretations of Omar that presented itself through the three biographies. Was Omar represented accurately? Mrs. Sanchez's point to the activity was that each writer had very different perspectives of who Omar really was, but the problem the students in the class are facing is that which biography of Omar are they going to trust– John or Maria? Well, Mrs. Sanchez then offered another activity: Let's go back to the response to the question of which items he took to Florida and what if we asked Omar to pick an item that he took to Florida and buried it outside the classroom in the ground in a box. What would that prove about his days in Florida? Mrs. Sanchez asked her class, how can we prove something? Maria raised her hand and said" evidence". Mrs. Sanchez said, "That's right, the item will be our proof, or another name for it, archives. This class will lead us to the fourth principle–the reliability of archives.
