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Capt. Scott Bell, USA |
Most high-school students learn about the past by memorizing text in history books. Teacher Terry McLeod's class experiences history firsthand through the eyes and voices of the men and women who lived it. Building on a six-year educational partnership, Richland Northeast High School and American Legion Richland Post 6 in Columbia, S.C., are bridging more than 60 years of history by bringing veterans into the classroom.
Students in the "Our Local Greatest Generation" project and associated oral history classes have interviewed more than 150 veterans, created virtual archives of period memorabilia, and developed a Web site to serve as a resource for historians, researchers and other schools. During those years, veterans from World War I to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have shared their stories.
"There are so many life lessons being shared between generations," McLeod says. "It's a learning experience for students and veterans. Students are learning why they should respect those who fought for their freedom. And veterans are learning that many young people care and share their passion for our country, and are truly interested in what the veterans experienced."
As part of the oral history curriculum, students develop skills in writing questions and understanding differences in perspective. They develop specific questions related to specific war periods and theaters of operation. They conduct mock interviews with other students, then practice their video editing before they shoot on-camera interviews of veterans. Students may spend a month or more preparing for a single interview, McLeod says.
Richland Northeast students have interviewed many veterans, including World War II Tuskegee Airman Earnest Henderson and Medal of Honor recipient Col. Chuck Murray. They interviewed Col. Moffatt Burriss, whose exploits were portrayed in the film "A Bridge Too Far."
Libby Paul, the only woman on a 5,000-man crew building P-38 Lightning fighter planes, told students what it was like to help on the home front. In her spare time, she was a USO dancer at the Hollywood Canteen. Col. Rick Bucknell, veteran of three wars and recipient of three Silver Stars and eight Bronze Stars, was one of the first veterans to be interviewed.
The award-winning history and social studies program at Richland Northeast High School is the result of a simple contact with school officials by Heyward Hornsby, who at the time was post commander at American Legion Richland Post 6 in Columbia. Hornsby and his Legion friends were looking for ways to reach out and connect with the community's youth.
"We volunteered to arrange for veterans to go to the school to speak to the students," Hornsby recalls today. "But we made it clear from the start we wanted more. We wanted veterans somehow to be included in the regular history curriculum. We didn't want to be guests who were invited to speak once or twice a year. We wanted a meaningful and lasting partnership with our school. "
The local "greatest generation" project, and the oral history classes that followed, gave veterans of different eras an opportunity to bring living history into the classroom, Hornsby says. By telling their stories, veterans - ordinary people who have done and are doing extraordinary things - are leaving a special message to be left in perpetuity for their families, friends and community.
"We started this effort to carry history to the coming generations." Hornsby says. "But beyond that, we found that the very presence of these veterans, telling their stories, were incredible lessons in personal character. God, duty, honor, country, sacrifice. These veterans are living examples of the character traits that we hope all our children and grandchildren will have."
It's a wonderful partnership between the school and The American Legion, Hornsby says. It's not just words on a page to the students involved. It's living, breathing history in the flesh. Students have the rare opportunity to learn firsthand about the heroics and sacrifices experienced by local, everyday people who answered their country's call. At times, students weep during the interviews, as do veterans. Both come away from the interviews knowing more about each other.
(To watch part of an interview a student conducted with Army Capt. Scott Bell, click on the link below.)
CAPT. SCOTT BELL VIDEO
OUR LOCAL GREATEST GENERATION PROJECT
Comments (1)
Compared to a typical history class, this program is an excellent way to make our children aware of the sacrifices and commitments made by our men and women in the service of their country, as they protect our way of life in the USA.
Posted by Bernard Shaffer / Navy Veteran | 07/30/08 7:32 AM |