S2 E15 - Amazing Student Interviews

In this episode, we hear from three students at Oregon Middle School and their teacher about a special project where they interviewed an adult with a common area of interest. In some cases, this adventure took them across the country, and even around the world!

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER1: In this episode, we are going to hear about a recent project in which students interviewed someone they wanted to learn more about. (00:03):
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The selections our students made ranged from adults right here in our buildingto a chef living halfway across the world.
I was fortunate to participate in an interview as well.
You're going to love hearing from our students.

SPEAKER2: Welcome to this episode of Inside the OSD podcast, where it's all about the kids. (00:26):
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Here is your host, lifelong educator in our superintendent, Doctor LeslieBergstrom.

SPEAKER1: We'll start with you, Miss Galica. (00:39):
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Can you start by introducing yourself to our listeners and your role at OMS?

SPEAKER3: My name is Liz Galica, and I teach seventh grade English and enriched English for the 7M team at OMS. (00:45):
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I've been teaching here for seven years, and this is the only place I've evertaught since I graduated.

SPEAKER1: Well, aren't we lucky? (00:58):
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That's awesome.
So can you explain this particular project and what students were asked to do?

SPEAKER3: Sure. So it was a profile narrative, and the essential goal of it was for each student to connect with an adult that (01:05):
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they wanted to learn more about.
They wanted to learn more about their career, kind of.
It was open ended, but anyone that they felt like they had some questions toask that they could connect to get some more information, and then in the end,

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they would take what they had learned and write up like a profile narrativelike you'd find online for an interview with someone.

SPEAKER1: So what growth or skill development did you see happen as kids moved through this process? (01:35):
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SPEAKER3: A lot of professionalism and things that maybe they aren't or haven't been exposed to in terms of connecting with someone, typically someone older could be (01:42):
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someone that they have already spoken with or someone who - they just wanted to

SPEAKER1: know more about. (01:54):
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SPEAKER3: Right. And so a lot of professionalism and like reaching out, maybe through email or just having to connect, thinking of questions, even follow up emails (01:55):
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for -- sometimes they had additional things when they were writing theirprofile that they had to reach back out about.
So just the follow up and those interpersonal connections.

SPEAKER1: Did students have questions regarding email etiquette or anything of that nature? (02:14):
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Did you have to talk through...?

SPEAKER3: We talked through it a little bit in like how to, you know, do a follow up, thank you and things like that and making sure that they come across (02:19):
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professional and not tech speak or things like that.

SPEAKER1: Right. What great skills. (02:30):
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Yeah that's exciting.
Okay. So now I want to hear from our students.
So you've volunteered, right?
Everyone's volunteered?
Okay. You volunteered to talk about your specific experiences.
So we're going to start by having each of you introduce yourself to thelisteners.

SPEAKER4: I'm Violet Krueger. (02:47):
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SPEAKER5: I'm Eli Hawkins. (02:49):
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SPEAKER6: I'm Maya Ducett. (02:51):
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SPEAKER1: Thank you very much, all three of you. (02:52):
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So you're all seventh graders and you just started semester two.
So you're kind of getting the groove of middle school.
So first, before we talk about your assignment, how was this first year at OMSbeen for you?

SPEAKER4: I think I've had a lot of fun, and I've learned, um, about a lot of different peers and teachers, so I liked it so far. (03:07):
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SPEAKER1: Good. (03:14):
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SPEAKER5: Yeah, I've enjoyed it, and I've enjoyed having some more choice than last year. (03:15):
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SPEAKER1: Choice? That was a big one. (03:19):
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So new people and choice.
And how about you, Maya?

SPEAKER6: I've enjoyed it as well. (03:23):
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I really like having more teachers as well, and they've all been really great.

SPEAKER1: Oh, that's wonderful to hear. (03:28):
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So can each of you talk about who you chose to interview and why you selectedthem?

SPEAKER4: So I selected a person called Marsia Taha. (03:35):
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She's a chef in a restaurant in Bolivia.
Wow. Um, and her restaurant has been on the list of the top restaurants inSouth America.
And I really enjoy cooking and baking, so I thought it would be interesting tolearn from someone who's doing that as her career.

SPEAKER1: What a fascinating selection. (03:55):
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How did you know about her?

SPEAKER4: I used to live in Bolivia and my dad is a photographer, so he would take pictures of that kitchen and that restaurant. (03:59):
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SPEAKER1: All right. So you have a lot of familiarity with her as a figure, but did you you didn't know her before this process? (04:07):
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SPEAKER4: I'd met her before, but I'd never really talked to her much. (04:14):
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Maybe just a hello.

SPEAKER1: That's really exciting. (04:19):
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Okay, how about your choice?

SPEAKER5: I chose to interview Miss Black, the orchestra teacher here at OMS, because I just really like music. (04:23):
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So I'm in orchestra here, and I enjoy talking to her.

SPEAKER1: Oh that's great. (04:31):
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I bet that made her feel good to be selected for that.
And how about you?

SPEAKER6: I interviewed a woman named Monica Hesse. (04:36):
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She's a columnist with the Washington Post as well as an author.
And she knew my dad in high school.
So I we were able to get a connection with her.
And I really like writing.
So I found it really interesting to learn about her career and how she was ableto achieve that.

SPEAKER1: What fascinating selections, you guys! (04:54):
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This is something else.
So what was it like to prepare for the interview?

SPEAKER4: So at first reaching out, it was -- I was a little nervous to do it because, you know, she had worked with my dad. (05:01):
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So I wanted to like in a way, I was representing my dad.
So I wanted to come off well.
And before I was really nervous.
But I think as the interview went on, it got easier to talk with her.
So I think at the beginning you're nervous about it, but then the more you doit, the better it gets.

SPEAKER1: Terrific. (05:26):
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SPEAKER5: Well, I definitely put a lot of work into it, and I just was I was having a lot of fun thinking of things to ask her and stuff I wanted to learn (05:27):
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about.

SPEAKER1: So even though you. (05:37):
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You see her regularly?
There were still things that you really wanted to know.
Nice. How about you?

SPEAKER6: I found it quite enjoyable, so it was kind of hard to reach out to her. (05:44):
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But once we did, um, I had a lot of really good time just talking to her andgetting to learn more about a career that I'm interested in.

SPEAKER1: Was it a Google Meet or a telephone? (05:55):
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It was a

SPEAKER6: Google Meet, so we were able to talk face to face, which was really nice. (05:58):
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That is

SPEAKER1: really nice. Did you have a Google meet too? (06:01):
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Yes. Okay. And I imagine you were in person.
Okay. Okay.
So what was the highlight for you?

SPEAKER4: I think it was just really interesting about learning a career that I think is interesting. (06:10):
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I feel like going into cooking, it's kind of like it's more uncertain becauseit's like, well, people like your food.
But her view on it was like, you're going to you're going to fail.
It's going to happen, but it's okay.
And she was able to get back up again.
And she's a really good chef now.

SPEAKER1: What an amazing lesson. (06:32):
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Yeah. Okay.
I

SPEAKER5: think the highlight for me was just sort of getting to know a person that I sort of look up to and enjoy being with and getting to know more about her. (06:36):
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SPEAKER7: Very sweet. (06:44):
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SPEAKER6: The highlight for me as well was learning about her career and as well learning about her job as a columnist, because I'd never really thought about doing that. (06:45):
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But now I really think that would be a really cool job option in the future.
That would be.

SPEAKER1: Fascinating. (06:56):
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SPEAKER6: And just learning about her books and her take on the world as well. (06:57):
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SPEAKER1: Oh really? She's also an author of of a book. (07:00):
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Okay. Wow. Many.
Oh, I've got to look her up.
That's really cool.
Okay, so what's the most important thing you've learned?

SPEAKER4: So like I said before, maybe getting back up there when you fail. (07:11):
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But I also think it was interesting to, in this career that presenting food ona table isn't just about getting the people to like your food, but more showing
where that food came from and showing your own identity within the food, whichis something I think a lot of people overlook.

SPEAKER7: For sure. (07:32):
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SPEAKER1: That means that there's so many layers of meaning to what's in front of you, right? (07:33):
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SPEAKER7: Yeah. Wow. (07:39):
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SPEAKER5: I think one of the most important things I learned was just how important it is to communicate with them and to be flexible, like we had some problems with (07:41):
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scheduling something.
She wasn't able to make it the first time.
So we had to come up with a new time.
And it was just--

SPEAKER1: So communicating through that change and understanding the need to be flexible? (07:55):
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Yeah, okay. Those are really important skills for everybody.

SPEAKER6: I think the most important thing that I learned was she talked about how writing is not the fairy tale it's made out to be. (08:03):
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And you don't just sit down and write an entire novel.
It takes a long time to actually work on it.
And as well as columns, she said she would write like 7 or 8 columns a week,but only like three would get posted.
So it's not just this fairy tale where everything comes together.

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It takes a lot of hard work and time.

SPEAKER1: Well, that's an amazing insight into that world. (08:28):
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I would never have expected that she wrote that many columns in a week, only tohave a few in the paper.
That's really interesting.
So how will you use this stuff in the future?

SPEAKER4: So I think that learning that you're going to fail is going to help me in the future a lot. (08:43):
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I know that sometimes I get frustrated in the kitchen when something doesn'twork out, or I'm supposed to be making dinner, but it doesn't taste good, but
it's okay to fail. And that's how you learn.

SPEAKER1: Well, not only is that a great lesson, but I love the fact you're cooking for your family. (08:58):
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That's what a good experience that is.
What's your favorite dish?

SPEAKER4: I really like making Chinese food, so orange chicken is fun. (09:07):
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SPEAKER7: Okay, that (09:11):
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SPEAKER4: sounds -- (09:12):
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SPEAKER7: That sounds wonderful. (09:12):
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Okay.

SPEAKER5: I think I'm considering becoming a music teacher. (09:15):
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So just the stuff I learned about how she went about becoming a music teacher,well that's exciting.

SPEAKER1: So hopefully in ten years we'll be seeing you back. (09:24):
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Okay? Okay.
And you, Maya?

SPEAKER7: As well. (09:30):
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SPEAKER6: I think I would also like to take a career as an author and maybe try to intern at the Washington Post as she did or get a job there, because I find it really (09:30):
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inspiring that all of the work that she's put into this and how much she enjoysher job, oh.

SPEAKER1: That's amazing, you guys. (09:45):
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Thank you all very much.
Yeah. Thank you for having us.
Remember that you can find links to all episodes of Inside the OSD and submittopic ideas on our website at OregonSD.org/
podcast. You can find this podcast anywhere you can find podcasts.

(10:07):
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