Story Corps is a great project for all generations. There are many ways a teacher can incorporate these activities into a class room. The most simple would be to create a National Day Of Listening Activity.
The main message Story Corps is “Listening is an act of love.” The follow video is an animation (22:47) of a few of the thousands of conversations recorded during the 1st ten years of the project.
Video: Listening is an Act of Love, A Story Corps Special (22:47)
“Story Corps provides people across the country with the opportunity to record and preserve the stories of their lives. Its first recording booth opened in New York City’s Grand Central terminal.”
“Story Corps has recorded thousands of conversations, including a few from founder David Isay.”
Interview #1: Grand Central Station, New York Benji Isay (Dave’s nephew) and Dave Isay (StoryCorps founder) (1:40 – 3:45) Dave explains to his nephew about his Thanksgiving Day interviews using a tape recorder Dave with his father
“I just start by asking you one of the questions on my list, right?” Benji
- “What were you like as a kid?” “
- “Where did you grow up?”
- “Did you like school?”
“I spent a lot of time by myself, but I always liked talking to older people like the waitress at the luncheonette or my grandparents. I remember when I was just a few years older than you. Your great grandpa Abe and your great grandma Rose and her sisters came over to our apartment for Thanksgiving. After dinner I found a tape record and started to interview them. I recorded their voices and stories and saw how much they loved being listened to. A few years later your great grandpa and your great grandma and their brothers and sisters passed away.
Why do you keep looking for the tape? “It would make me so happy to hear their voices again and I would love to play that tape for you. Doing that recording really taught me something. You can find the most amazing stories from regular people. All you have to do is ask about their lives and listen. We can learn so much about the people around us, even about the people we already know, just by taking the time to have a conversation. If you pay just a little attention, you will find wisdom and poetry in their words. Most people loved to be listened to because it tells them how much their lives matter. All you need to ask are questions like “Who was the most important person in your life?” “What are you proudest of?”
If you are a teacher who tutors, register with us for just $12 for a year. This is the only fee! Teachers keep 100% of the money. One of our teachers made $5,000 last year tutoring.
Parents, “teachers are great tutors!” Find one in your area today!
Visit our Special Days of Learning page.