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Interview Questions: Chapter 1-4
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Wall in the Minds: An Oral History of the Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall
Oral history is the dynamic process of gathering and preserving historical perspectives through recorded interviews. This method of historical inquiry gives a voice to people who have been hidden from history and provides researchers with a forum to speak with history face to face.
The John F. Kennedy School Berlin Wall Oral History Project is the culmination of the efforts of fifty students. Each of the students in my two tenth grade history classes played a role in the creation of this book. Thirty students conducted, recorded and transcribed extensive interviews with Germans who lived in a divided country. They interviewed individuals from various backgrounds and encountered a diversity of experiences and perspectives. In all, their interviews amount to over 250 pages of raw qualitative data (the full text of the interviews is available at this page). Adding to this data bank, four students took on the responsibility of gathering quantitative information. These quantitative researchers, armed with the knowledge that numbers can speak volumes, provided the charts, graphs and maps used in the book. Another four students compiled archival photographs of divided
It has been my responsibility, as the editor of the John F. Kennedy School Berlin Wall Oral History Project, to facilitate a student-directed effort by encouraging and coordinating their efforts. This book is for and by my students and my objective was to support them in bringing forth the voices of those who stood in the shadow of the Berlin Wall. What stands before the reader is the culmination of the efforts of conscientious, compassionate and curious tenth grade students.
You are encouraged to offer feedback in the “comments” link situated on the bottom of this page.
Alaina Mack documented the processes that we engaged in as we wrote this book. In this video documentary, she captures the challenges that we faced and some of the lessons that we learned:
In addition to documenting the making of our book, Alaina quoted our transcribed interviews as the basis for an historical documentary, titled “Just a Day”, which offers valuable insights into life in a divided city and the fall of the Berlin Wall.
On 30 April 2008, we held a book release seminar for all those involved in this process. This gathering served the dual functions of celebrating the release of our book and commemorating the experiences of those who lived in a divided Berlin. We had a panel of interviewees who joined us to elaborate on their experiences.
While Alaina was filming, Chasity Crisp, who contributed to the photos used in the book, took pictures. You can view her photo montage here
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Course Description
Objective:
As stated by the Advanced Placement College Board, this course, “introduces students to the analysis and interpretation of data relevant to comparative government and politics.” This two-semester course addresses these objectives by taking both a country study and a thematic approach.
Teaching Strategies:
The AP Comparative Government and Politics course combines lecture, discussion, research, writing and presentation components. The nature of this seminar requires students to read and study the assigned readings from both the textbook and from the reading packets provided.
Units of Study
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Beyond the Curriculum
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Politics in the United States
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CURRICULUM VITAE
Please click on this link to view my resume
LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Note: the letters of recommendation below are authentic letters that were scanned and imported into Word documents for the convenience of prospective employers. The authors of the enclosed letters invite you to contact them for further perspective. Letters from supervisors at the John F. Kennedy School are forthcoming.You may read the letters by clicking on the links provided.
Shirley Davis is the Director at the Benjamin Franklin International School
Daniel McKee is the Middle and High School Principal at the Benjamin Franklin International School
Rita Fischer is the Social Studies Department Chair at Grayslake Community High School
Dr. Laurie Kimbrel is the Director of Programs at Grayslake Community High School
Dr. Douglas Domeracki is the Principal at Grayslake Community High School
Dr. Michael Riggle is the Principal at Glenbrook North High School
Dr. Richard Rosholt is the Social Studies Supervisor at Glenbrook North High School
Scott Williams was my cooperating teacher and later my esteemed colleague at Glenbrook North High School
William Siavelis was my University Liaison while student teaching at Glenbrook North High School
Dr. Bruce Field is an Associate Professor of History and the Secondary Teacher Certification Coordinator at Northern Illinois University. He was my professor for History of the Vietnam War, Topics in the Cold War and Secondary Teaching Methods in History Education.
HONORS AND AWARDS
The Patrick J. White Memorial Scholarship, voted upon by fellow students, and approved by a panel of professors, is an honor bestowed upon one college senior who exhibits outstanding potential as an educator in the social sciences. You may view the letter that I received upon the reception of this honor by clicking here.
This is my most recent Golden Apple Award Nomination certificate.
OTHER MATERIALS
This is my teaching certificate with endorsements to teach World History, United States History, Sociology and Psychology in Grades 6 – 12 (valid until 30 June 2010).
Here is my undergraduate transcript. I am currently waiting for my graduate transcript to be mailed to me.
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This weblog serves three main functions. The primary function is to provide an interactive virtual academic environment for my history and politics students at the John F. Kennedy Schule in Berlin. Students are invited to respond to scholarly resources and engage in online dialogues. In the process, I am pleased to save almost 50,000 sheets of paper per school year. Secondly, this weblog offers opportunities to students who desire to transcend the curriculum by exploring academic resources that, time permitting, I might use in class. Lastly, this is a forum for me to share ideas that have little to do with the courses that I teach but are, nevertheless, of particular interest to me (e.g. Music and Berlin categories).
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