{ 0 comments }
On inauguration day, the 7th graders in Mrs. Anderson’s science classes submitted their “3 words” for President Obama. Below are Wordle representations of their work. Click on the images to view them full size.
{ 0 comments }
Eric Rubino, one of the 11 students on the Inauguration trip created, edited, and published this video documenting our trip. Well done! Enjoy.
Worcester Academy @ The Inauguration from Eric Rubino on Vimeo.
{ 2 comments }
By Andrew Fan and Catrina Doxsee
We’re looking back over all of the interviews we recorded in D.C. The most striking part is the incredible variety of people on the Mall. A group of young environmental activists, a retired teacher, and parents and their children all were among the roughly one million people that watched the inauguration from the Mall. Some jumped at the chance to speak in front of a camera,
while others were more reluctant, talking in voices barely audible over the boom of the loudspeakers.
We asked all these people what they thought President Obama’s priorities should be. Not surprisingly, the economy was, in the words of one person, “the answer almost everyone is going to give.” Opinions on possible resolutions to the economic crisis ranged from job creation to increased support of the auto industry, but the general consensus was that Obama should take action to avert further disruption.
Just as interesting were those who didn’t mention the economy. A number of people, including some advertising a student-run environmentalist rally in D.C., named the environment as their central concern, seeing it as an issue that needed to be addressed before any other action could be seriously considered. The other topic that elicited a similar reaction was education, with several naming it as the most important.
The final hope that emerged during the trip was the desire for Obama to alter the fundamental attitudes of American politics. Some regarded his biggest task as “fixing the way we do business in Washington D.C.,” and 
even many of those who saw the environment or the economy as more important still mentioned national unity and less partisan bickering.
In regard to international relations, the general consensus was that America’s reputation abroad has suffered under the Bush administration, but that Obama will be able to improve it. Two of the people we interviewed had recently been abroad: one to South Africa, and the other to Europe. Both spoke of the hostility arising from America’s foreign policy over the last eight years and the dramatic changes they anticipated under Obama. To capitalize on this fresh start, many urged Obama to be more willing to deal with other countries and groups, and to fulfill one of his campaign promises by talking with American foes in Cuba and Iran.
Both the variety of different answers and the common threads between them reveal the immense challenges facing Obama. Nearly every person we talked to was worried by the economic crisis, and ensuring that it does not continue to worsen will be an immediate issue for his administration. Likewise, the smaller but fervent group that cited the environment as a significant problem mirrors the vocal environmentalist organizations and the growing concern over energy sustainability and global warming. Finally, the broad awareness of the United States’ poor reputation abroad reflects the unprecedented level of anti-Americanism internationally – somewhat the fault of George W. Bush – that Obama will have to face over the course of his presidency.
In addition to the major themes and looming national issues that colored the interviews, many of the concerns voiced were of a more personal nature. A Philadelphia native talked extensively about urban policy and helping to improve the nation’s cities, while one woman talked solely about education, citing teacher pay, school supplies, and textbook price gouging as key concerns. These individual anxieties were a reminder of the sheer number of problems that exist, and the different fronts that Obama will have to consider in the next four years.
During the campaign, Obama was sometimes seen as the candidate for specific groups, especially young people, African-Americans, and liberals. The people on the Mall did not solely fit these views. Blacks and whites, liberals there to cheer their candidate, and conservatives there to wish the new president luck all gathered on the mall. The engaged young activists often seemed outnumbered by older Americans, many of whom remembered a time when the event they were witnessing would have been inconceivable. The concerns they voiced illustrated the challenges that our new president will face from the start, but on the whole, the crowd was not pessimistic. They came to the Mall to celebrate the new president and what they hoped would be a new dawn for America.
{ 0 comments }
Here are the last of the interviews we conducted on inauguration day, as people discussed what they saw as the most pressing issues for the Obama Administration to address.
{ 0 comments }
Here are some more of our interviews about what policy issues that Obama should address.
Also, these are the earlier youtube interviews:
{ 0 comments }
“Why did you attend the inauguration?”—that was the question we asked many people. We dug deep, and received some interesting responses. We went beyond healthcare, the economy, or human rights. We made it personal. We asked diverse individuals, and in turn received diverse answers. Although there were many different responses, there was one that stuck out: this is history.
This is the type of history that earns the cover on a textbook, or the type of story that never gets old. This is the type of history that people think and dream about. Being at the Inauguration and hearing the words of Barack Obama rather than listening to them through a television, had an inexplicable effect. It’s one thing to look at a history book and feel a certain connection with the topic, but it’s another thing to look at the picture or read the story and say, “I was there”.
It was interesting to hear the varied perspectives and reasons why people attended the inauguration. Some attended because they had to, others attended because they had nothing better to do. Most attended for what the Inauguration was intended: to witness one of the most historical events of our time. “I never thought this would happen in my lifetime”—this was probably one of the most common responses we received during the course of our interviews. Generally, we kept our questions simple and let people and their stories speak for themselves.
Some of the common questions we asked the general public were:
Where are you from?
By asking this question, we had an idea of how far people had come to witness the Inauguration, which led to our next question…
Why is it so important for you to attend the Inauguration? How is being here significant to you?
The reoccurring response for this question was actually pretty simple: history. Most wanted to be there to witness history, and to be a part of such a historical event. Some came alone, but most came with their families. Fathers, grandmothers, sons and daughters—there were no exceptions. Most parents explained how important it was for them to have their children there, as they themselves never thought it was something they would witness, let alone their children.
How does it feel to be right here, right now?
Excited. Anxious. Happy. Overwhelmed. Cold. There were all sorts of responses we received from this question, all of them being positive. The lively atmosphere at the inauguration was contagious, as it was almost impossible to walk by so many happy people and not smile. There were hundreds of volunteers whose only job was to greet people, smiling and shaking hundreds of hands. That in itself was extraordinary.
Recall the moment you found out that Obama was President- Elect. Where were you and what was your initial reaction?
Although we heard numerous stories about where and when people heard the news of Obama being elected President- Elect, many told us that they had an emotional reaction, similar to what we witnessed during the Inauguration. Crying, jumping for joy, and huggung the closest person standing near them were all common responses. The surge emotion people were feeling was magnified physically, which added to the intensity of Inauguration Day for many, and from what we heard, November 4th as well.
Do you think that Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream has been fulfilled?
For this question, we got mixed answers. Those who answered no did, however, say that they thought Obama’s Inauguration was a step in the right direction as far as fulfilling the dream. Sometimes if there were people with children, we would ask their views on their children witnessing President Obama’s election. They answered by saying that they were thrilled to have the next generations see firsthand that they could do and be anything they aspired to.
Do you have anything else to add about the 2008 election, the inauguration, Obama, or the future?
Most decided to comment on what they thought the next few years will be like. Some simply stated that they didn’t know what to think about the future. The majority expressed excitement about Inauguration Day and reiterated that change for the better will come. Many also added in, “Go Obama!”
We drove down to D.C. a mere 4 days ago, anticipating a new beginning. So much work and preparation led up to Inauguration Day, which came and went just as planned. We drove back the way we came, in the same van, with the same people, but so much has changed. We came back home with a new President in charge, someone who has re-instilled hope in the hearts of the American people. We came back home to share what we have learned and spread the energy we experienced during our trip. We came back home to tell not only our stories, but the stories of those we interviewed. We came back home to continue writing in the book of history in which a page has been turned.
-Maya and Josh
photo creds: benheine and ekai (flickr)
{ 0 comments }
Today was our first day back in, as my classmate put it, “the real world.” We are all beyond exhausted. We arrived at WA last night around 11:15, then got up early for school the next day. I saw Maya, Karin, Catrina, and Andrew this morning; we all had huge dark circles under our eyes and stories to tell about our teachers’ reactions to the homework we hadn’t done. Nearly everyone I saw asked how the Inauguration was, and I found myself cycling through words like “awesome,” “great,” “fun,” and “exciting.” Our trip is worthy of so much more than that, but I don’t think there even are words to describe the time we had.
History was after lunch today, and Mr. Bill and I were practically passed out on the tables. Everyone was talking over each other about their day, and all Mr. Bill and I wanted to do was climb back in the van and head back to DC, and then possibly take a very long nap. Getting into the old routine again is torture after four days of hopes, dreams, and change.
I am sitting at home as I write this, in a room strewn with things I brought with me to and took back from DC. I cannot bring myself to put everything away, because that would mean our adventure is over, and the real world is, well, boring.
I skipped practice today due to exhaustion, and I came home planning to sleep. Instead, I am writing this. I can’t let go of this trip, let go of the all the hopes, dreams, and change. Because the real world is tedious and dull.
There is a glimmer of hope, however, and it has a name. That name is Obama, and I can’t wait for the hopes, dreams, and change to spill over into this monotonous “real world” we live in. Then maybe the atmosphere of DC at the time of the Inauguration will be something we all feel every day. Maybe that atmosphere will become “the real world.”
{ 2 comments }
I write this from Worcester, MA the day after returning from Washington, D.C. and our Inauguration trip. While in Washington, 11 students from Worcester Academy worked three 18 hour days, conducting interviews, producing videos, and writing blog entires examining the Inauguration. While it is obvious that experiencing the Inauguration alone is monumental, it is the work that the students have done and their intrinsic motivation that stands out in my mind.
Ever since this project was developed, the idea behind it was two fold. My co-director, Pete Smith and I wanted our students to experience the Inauguration but just as important, was the educational potential the trip provided. This trip was about giving our students the opportunity to document history and express themselves and their perspectives. Watching my students wake up at 6am and for some to work until 1am the next morning was awe inspiring. These students put their all into collecting and producing quality content about the Inauguration. They spent time developing strong articles on real issues surrounding the Inauguration. They had to develop questions and interview tactics for everyone from Dee Meyers, President Clinton’s Press Secretary and Congressman James McGovern, to high school students. The challenges they faced are one’s journalists face on a daily basis and the work they created added a valuable perspective. The students recognized that they were not only witnessing history, they were documenting it and people were interested in what they had to say.
The Educational Impact
Our 11 students’ focus and dedication that developed from this trip drives at the idea that the way students learn no longer can fit into a 19th century or even 20th century model. The value of the students taking ownership of this trip to produce a quality article, image, video, or twitter update (tweet), outweighs any learning they would have gained through a lecture. Brian, one of the students on the trip, stated the following on his Twitter account:
no it was a lot of work but it was much more fun than the work back here…..soooo maybe it was a vacation?
Today’s students are capable and ready but we must engage them. We must get them interested in learning. This trip did that but it does not have to be the exception to the rule.
No matter the topic, whether it is the Inauguration or Geometry, when students can produce and share something of value, their willingness to really invest their time and energy will dramatically increase. If we really want to find out how you can get your students to want to learn and be engaged, find a way to have them take ownership of the material.
Students today are surrounded by an amazing array of media tools. These can be used by classes in any discipline to get your students to synthesize learned content and produce a something of value that highlights their understanding. A student’s education is not about simply learning facts but rather understanding the concepts. If you want your students to really understand the content, they need to see its worth, they need to produce something of value connected to that content. Regurgitating information does not work.
While social media was our medium for this, there are many ways and methods for a class to accomplish this concept. Student driven learning is possible and necessary. As the technology becomes more ubiquitous, we must prepare our students to understand that the tools they use on a personal level can produce quality content of value.
I witnessed history and I will never forget that but what will always stay with me was the dedication and efforts put forth by our students. Their work is proof that student driven or project based learning is valuable and worthwhile. As my memories of the Inauguration fade, it will be the dedication and hard work that our students put into producing their work on this trip that will always stay with me.
Photo Credit: Brandy Agerbeck
{ 1 comment }
