Extra Credit: The Great Thanksgiving Listen

Your extra-credit homework assignment is to interview someone -- a grandparent, an elder in your community, someone who has been through a harrowing experience (war, natural disaster, plane crash, racial tension, immigrating to America, etc.), someone who has experienced a job or other situation which may not exist in the near future (coal mining, living in a house without electric or plumbing, etc.). You can download an app on your phone or laptop or use a recorder or video camera to conduct an interview.

Here's a TED Talk discussing the StoryCorps project: https://www.ted.com/talks/dave_isay_everyone_around_you_has_a_story_the_world_needs_to_hear?language=en 

Please check out StoryCorps: https://storycorps.org/

Note: If you don't have a phone that allows you to download the StoryCorps app, you can do this old school with a recorder or video camera.

Come up with some great open-ended questions that allows the person you are interviewing to talk about things -- and make sure you are listening to the answers, not just moving them from question to question.  For example, asking them "How old were you when you got married?" is going to get a response like, "24" -- while a question like, "Tell me about the day you got married." might bring on a 5 minute story about things that were memorable and important to the person you are talking with.

Some open-ended question examples might include (depending on the person you are interviewing):

• Can you tell me a little bit about your childhood?  What were you like as a child?
• Do you know the story of why and how our ancestors came to this country?
• Who were your grandparents?  Do you have any memories of them?  What kind of work did they do?
• Can you tell me about your grandparents?  Your great-grandparents?  (This can be especially valuable to you if you happen to be interviewing a great-grandparent)
• Tell me a favorite memory of me.
• Can you tell me about one of the most difficult moments in your life?
• Can you tell me one or two people who have been kindest to you in your life?  What if they were here, what would you say to them?
• Can you tell me about one or two people who have been the biggest influences in your life?
• Tell me about a teacher or other adult that has had a big impact on your life when you were growing up.
• Can you tell me one of your happiest memories?
• What are you proudest of -- both personally and professionally -- in your life?
• Can you tell me about some of the most important lessons you've learned in life?
• Can you tell me about a historic event that had an impact on your life?  What are your most vivid memories of that event?  How did it make you feel?  (Topics might include: World War II, the Holocaust, the Korean War, the civil right movement, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the March on Washington, 9/11, etc.)
• What are your hopes for me, and someday, for my children?
• If you knew this was going to be our last conversation, is there anything you've never told me that you want to share with me now?  Is there anything you want to ask me that you have never asked me before?
• How has your life been different than how you imagined it would be when you were young.  Do you have any regrets?
• Thinking about your family many generations from now, and knowing that they may hear this recording, is there anything you want to say to them?  Any wisdom or advice you would like to share?
• How would you like to be remembered?

At the end of the interview, take a few moments to tell your partner what they mean to you.