Week 8: 1st Oral History

Another week of firsts, Dr. Lyons was able to organize my first oral interview for the Hillcrest History Project. I was slated to interview Mrs. Rose, a teacher at Hillcrest Elementary spanning the 80's, 90's (with a hiatus) and the 2000's, on March 2nd, 2017.

This required me to utilize the notes and instruction received in Dr. Gannon's Oral History Workshop. Following the Baylor Oral History for Beginner given at the workshop, I began writing a prospective script on Tuesday and Wednesday during this week, implementing tips such as using "open-ended questions" and the interviewer etiquette to guarantee a structurally sound oral history (I did make some blunders, which will be addressed later). Some questions were specifically due to knowledge I had gained during the internship. I referenced Fern Creek Elementary, where many kids were taught when the school was being rebuilt in the 1960's and where the kids will be taught once again in 2017 while Hillcrest is being rebuilt. As I learn more about the school in the last 100 years, I hope I will be able to gear my questions with that knowledge in mind

With Dr. Lyons, Thursday saw another excursion to Hillcrest for the interview, which was hosted in the media center of the reading room of the school. At approximately 2:30, I met Mrs. Rose and conducted the oral history. Through the interview, I learned she was a UCF grad and she had taught a wide range of grades from Kindergarten to Third Grade (which is a great variation ages and how one decides how to conduct a classroom to accommodate for the given audience). Mrs. Rose also gave me an abridged history of when the school was a bilingual school (i.e. pre-magnet designation) and how that shaped her teaching. These and many more of the anecdotes were wonderful and I gave her a big thanks because I know a teacher's time is limited.

Looking at the oral history self-critically, I made some mistakes talking a bit too much while reassuring the interviewee, who should be the center of attention due to it being their story. Also, it ran short due to me not giving Mrs. Rose time to elaborate on her ideas, which make it come across  as rushed when that was not the environment I wanted to cultivate. Hopefully as I become more experienced with the camerawork and gain the poise needed to be the interviewer, I will conduct the oral histories with fewer bumps in the road. It being my first oral history , I will simply move forward and try to avoid my previous missteps.