Teacher Jackie Morgan shares her story after attending the Changing Worlds 2005 Summer Institute. Who is the most important person? became the mantra for each student in Ms. Morgan’s class at Goodlow Elementary. As students began to answer questions and organize their thoughts highlighting family history gleaned from interviews of their relatives, students better understood their place in the world, and thus their identity is affirmed. These grandchildren of the Civil Rights Movement shared stories of Jim Crow laws, family migrations from the South and even ancestors of former slaves who can now take their place in their familial history. This window to the past serves as a connector to help improve student achievement. "The students' experiences are quite compelling,” shares the teacher. The arts and literacy integration really illustrates the students’ hard work and enthusiasm for oral history.
