Learning from Elders

Both "Don't Be That KID! At School" and "Don't Be That KID! At Home" begin with our KID having a conversation with his grandfather. This was done intentionally to stress the importance of respecting and learning from family elders.

My grandmother lived to be 98! She had all of her faculties and put on a lovely dress every day. She just went to sleep one night and never woke up. I loved visiting her and hearing about her life. She fled Russia and came to the United States and went through Ellis Island alone at 16. She spoke no English and immediately enrolled in night school to learn it. She was a quick learner. When she arrived, there were horse-drawn carriages and streetcars. She lived to see a man on the moon! If I have one regret, it's that I never taped or made a video of her telling her life story. I thought about it but just never did it. It would have made an incredible keepsake for our family.

If we want children to learn to respect individual differences and other cultures, It is important for them to first learn about their own heritage. Over generations, as families continue to assimilate into American culture, many of their original country's traditions are lost. A great activity for children to do is to interview an older relative or family friend, depending on circumstances. Work with them to create a list of questions to ask. The person they interview can just answer the questions or children can tape or video the interview.

Here are 10 possible questions to get started.
1. What year(s) did our family immigrate to the United States?
2. Where did our family come from? (It could be many places)
3. Why did they leave their original country?
4. What traditions did they bring with them?
5. How did our family get to the United States?
6. Where did they originally settle? Why?
7. Why did they move to where we live today?
8. What did they do for a living in their original country?
9. What is/was their occupation in the United States?
10. What language(s) did they speak when they arrived?

Your child can then begin to create a history of your family. It's possible that some family members may have already begun to investigate their heritage. It's a popular trend right now. They certainly can help your child with any family record that everyone agrees upon.

At a minimum, you will have given your child an opportunity of a lifetime: Spending time with an elder family member to learn all about his/her heritage. Don't be surprised when your child wants to do multiple interviews! The ten questions I provided are only the beginning!