East Mont interview

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With this project, we aimed to compare at least of the three high schools in a single school district, Montgomery County, Virginia. Eastern Montgomery High School serves the most rural, least prosperous section of the county. Auburn High School is in a part of the county that was dominated by agriculture, particularly dairy farms, until fairly recently. Christiansburg High School serves the county seat, one of two towns in the county. Blacksburg High School serves the other town, which is the home of Virginia Tech. The intent was to interview teachers who used Appalachian place-based education in their classes and their principals. East Mont administrators and teachers readily agreed to cooperate. Blacksburg dismissed the suggestion Christiansburg never responded. Auburn agreed, but did not respond to follow up calls to schedule an interview. It may or not be relevant that East Mont is involved with Radford University’s Appalachian Arts and Sciences in Schools. The high school also uses Appalachian studies in its freshman seminar and in its freshman remediation classes. By chance, one of the teachers who participated in the interview graduated from Christiansburg. Another graduated. Both said they never considered themselves “Appalachian.” One said that the only Appalachian literature she studied in college was Sharyn McCrumb’s bestseller She Walks These Hills. Our teachers included three in their first year; one with 11 years’ experience; one with 30 years; one who’s been teaching for 38 years. Their subjects include English, Appalachian studies, freshman seminar, journalism, drama, physical education and health education. Four grew up in areas inside Appalachia, though only two of them considered themselves Appalachian. One grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, but has lived longer in Appalachia than she did in Ohio. Another is the child of immigrants who grew up in New York City and on Long Island. None had any appreciable education in Appalachian studies before they began teaching it. The interview was conducted at East Mont High School, immediately after school Oct. 29, 2008. For the sake of protecting their anonymity, the teachers are identified by number. When asked, “What does “Appalachia” bring to mind?” the teachers said: Mountains, home cooking, apple butter, Appalachian Trail, hiking, poverty, bluegrass, culture, coal mines, cock fighting, moon shining, quilting, music, art, folk tales, clogging, oral histories, Asked to name characteristics of Appalachian culture, they said: Family, hard luck, middle man, blue collar, accent, dependence on the land Do you consider yourself Appalachian? 1 – no, but worked with App culture – gifted coordinator – oral histories The thing that I found when I moved here is that a lot of people were not proud of their heritage. And that really bothered me because I think people should be proud of their culture, whatever it is. (Her father immigrated from Malta; came through Ellis Island. Her father died when she was young.) I wanted to instill that in them, that they should capture their culture before it’s gone, and be proud of it because that’s who they are. I think there are some parallels. (Her family buried their culture; worked to become Americanized) 2 -- I think our kids here don’t necessarily know how they are connected to Appalachia. … They associate it with redneck. They don’t want to be that. I do identify with it, but I also identify with them, in not wanting to be part of that negative image that they’ve adopted. 1 -- They buy into it, which is wrong. (Today she and her students talked about their journal topics. Someone went on about cake their grandmother used to make. But the student didn’t have the recipe. To the teacher, this was a symbol of the eroding culture. And there are many positive things about Appalachian culture.) None of those things are highlighted by the media. People think they’re living Appalachia when they go to Cracker Barrel. They have no clue, which I think is really sad, because they have a beautiful culture. 3 – (Though he grew up in Appalachia, his parents were from eastern North Carolina. He felt a connection to the South, but no Appalachia.) I was more like a boring suburban kid ... I didn’t feel any connection with the mountains or the culture gong on around me. 4 – (She has lived more of her life in Appalachia than in Ohio, where she grew up. She identifies with the South more than the North. People back home stop her from talking to strangers in the grocery store, for example.) How do you incorporate local sites into your classroom? 2 – (Last year she had her students do a project that required them to represent a local place in mixed media. They had to find out something about it, first. They did some reading and some first hand research. They didn’t know anything about local resorts or industry, the railroad’s role in the area, or a local nursing home that’s become a community center. She’d done an oral history interview there when she was in high school.) 1 – (She took her students to interview people at Meadowbrook) One of the guys took out a Jew’s harp and started playing it. 4 – (When she taught Appalachian studies, she had her students interview a relative. They recorded traditions, took pictures, collected recipes and conducted research their own family.) (School officials thought the could reach students who failed the 8th grade reading Standards of Learning tests through Appalachian literature.) I think one of the things we found was that a lot of the Appalachian literature, the kids couldn’t read it. Their reading level was too low. (They still have lot of Appalachian literature and local authors. They incorporate as much as they can. All English classes try to incorporate Appalachian literature. Sharyn McCrumb’s St. Dale on the new Mountain Academic Competition Conference study list.) 1 – If they’re going to write, they have to have a voice. If they’re going to have a voice, it should be their own, authentic voice. So, who are they? This generation is kind of swept up with everything that’s going on around them. Everything they’re aiming for is fake. (She’s trying to get them back to what’s real.) (She put a prompt on an exam, “Is this a good place to bring up children?” Ninety-nine percent said yes. Brighter kids want to get out of here.) They feel like they’re missing out on life. (She asked, should they build a Wal-Mart in their town. It spurred a discussion about jobs and convenience and changes in the community.) 5 – (She covers mental health and health in Appalachia with her students. She thinks it’s important for them to be aware of problems that plague Appalachia: obesity, drugs alcohol, teen pregnancy) I’m a very big advocate for rural mental health, plus health in general What stands in the way of getting Appalachian studies into classrooms? Virginia’s Standards of Learning. 5 – (The freshman seminar doesn’t have a set curriculum, so it can fit in there.) 4 – In English, most of it happens in the 9th and 10th grade. (SOLs take away flexibility after that.) 1 – (9th & 10th English is more about literature appreciation. She’s trying to help them find their voice. She likes using the Alice Walker short story “Everyday Use.” In the story, one daughter wants her mother’s quilts and butter churn to use as decorations. Another wants to use them.) The daughter who wants to put them on the wall, she’s all about – she thinks she’s cultured. 4 – (They use Truman Capote’s “Christmas Memories” as a jumping off point.) 6 – (She uses Sharyn McCrumb’s “She Walks These Hills” in her Appalachian studies class.) That was the only story I was taught in college that I thought would apply. 3 –(It’s hard to find texts the Appalachian studies students can read. Their attitude toward Appalachian culture seems to be) Poverty sucks and I don’t want to associate myself with anything anywhere near that. They really seem to have a lack of interest in their heritage, unfortunately. 5 – (She asked students in one class why it’s important to know about their culture and how they would incorporate Appalachian culture into their classes. Their answers included: go to mountains, go to caverns, go camping.) They don’t have any idea what culture is. (Other answers included:) Why is it important? So we know where we come from. Because it teaches us things. IDK 2 – (On students’ attitude about Appalachian culture:) They don’t think that they have one. Some of them don’t realize they have one. They wish they had one. (The Internet and the media) It’s kind of making us all more the same. 1 – If you’re not proud of who you are, then you want to be like everyone else. (Students in Appalachia have something inside them money can’t buy, but they can’t identify it.) The only thing that they have that looks good to them is what they see on TV. (Many of them have unrealistic, grandiose ideas of what they’ll do with their lives. Kids at the top and the bottom of the ladder want to get out. She does have one student who is a farmer. He appreciates the value of the land.) What affect does Appalachian studies have on students? 2 – (Her students were amazed at things the learned about local history.) They just couldn’t believe any of that. They enjoyed hearing those things. (They talked to a docent at the local museum.) They came back telling me about what he had taught them. And they seemed really interested in learning more about that. They said, ‘I wish we could study more local history instead of world history.’ I said so do I, but I guess it’s not on your SOLs, so I guess that’s why you don’t get to. That’s where it is. They have to teach them a certain set of facts that they have to cram into their heads so they can pass these tests, and we’re just losing out this way. We really are. I don’t know how we can solve that problem. When it comes right down to it, they’ve got to get them ready to take a test. 1 – (It’s hard to get field trips, for time and bureaucratic reasons. It’s tough if you’re teaching regular classes. Some kids need every minute.) (At their school, Appalachian studies is mislabeled. It’s for students who couldn’t pass a test.) 2 – The Appalachian studies is for students who didn’t do well … It’s making it sound as if Appalachian study and people who live there are dumb. And it shouldn’t be that way. 1 – (Other schools have real Appalachian studies. She’d love to bring in guest speakers. Radford University and Virginia Tech professors could visit.)

With this project, we aimed to compare at least three high schools in a single school district, Montgomery County, Virginia. Eastern Montgomery High School serves the most rural, least prosperous section of the county. Auburn High School is in a part of the county that was dominated by agriculture, particularly dairy farms, until fairly recently. Christiansburg High School serves the county seat, one of two towns in the county. Blacksburg High School serves the other town, which is the home of Virginia Tech. The intent was to interview teachers, who used Appalachian place-based education in their classes, as well as their principals. East Mont administrators and teachers readily agreed to cooperate. Blacksburg dismissed the suggestion. Christiansburg never responded. Auburn agreed, but did not respond to follow up calls to schedule interviews. Administrators and teachers at Floyd County High School, the only high school in a county that borders Montgomery County, agreed to participate. It may or not be relevant that East Mont and Floyd are involved with Radford University’s Appalachian Arts and Studies in the Schools. East Mont also uses Appalachian studies in its freshman seminar and in its freshman remediation classes. By chance, one of the teachers who participated in the interview graduated from Christiansburg. Another graduated from Blacksburg. Both said they never considered themselves “Appalachian.” One said that the only Appalachian literature she studied in college was Sharyn McCrumb’s bestseller She Walks These Hills. Another said her education in Appalachian studies consisted of a book of stereotypical photographs, the book The Man Who Moved a Mountain, and the movie Deliverance. Our teachers included three in their first year; one in her 10th year of teaching; one with 11 years’ experience; one in her 20th year; one in her 21st; one with 30 years; and one who’s been teaching for 38 years. Their subjects include English, Appalachian studies, freshman seminar, world history, information technology, journalism, drama, physical education, and health education. Six grew up in areas inside Appalachia, though only four of them considered themselves Appalachian. One grew up near Cleveland, Ohio, but has lived longer in Appalachia than she did in Ohio. Another is the child of immigrants who grew up in New York City and on Long Island. Another grew up in Appomattox, Virginia. Only one had any appreciable education in Appalachian studies, having taken Appalachian studies classes while working on an English degree at Radford University. One interview was conducted at East Mont High School, immediately after school Oct. 29, 2008. The other was conducted at Floyd County High School during teachers' planning period Nov. 18, 2008. For the sake of protecting their anonymity, the teachers are identified by number and their comments are not separated by school. When asked, “What does “Appalachia” bring to mind?” the teachers said: Mountains, home cooking, apple butter, Appalachian Trail, hiking, poverty, bluegrass, culture, coal mines, cock fighting, moon shining, quilting, music, art, folk tales, clogging, oral histories, Asked to name characteristics of Appalachian culture, they said: Family, hard luck, middle man, blue collar, accent, dependence on the land, self-sufficient, work ethic, food, honesty, religion. Do you consider yourself Appalachian? 7- I never really thought about it, but when you list all those things, I guess yes. 9- (She agreed with 7.) 1 – (No, but she worked with Appalachian culture when she was a gifted coordinator at another school.) The thing that I found when I moved here is that a lot of people were not proud of their heritage. And that really bothered me because I think people should be proud of their culture, whatever it is. (Her father immigrated from Malta; came through Ellis Island. Her father died when she was young.) I wanted to instill that in them, that they should capture their culture before it’s gone, and be proud of it because that’s who they are. I think there are some parallels. (Her family buried their culture; worked to become Americanized) 2 -- I think our kids here don’t necessarily know how they are connected to Appalachia. … They associate it with redneck. They don’t want to be that. I do identify with it, but I also identify with them, in not wanting to be part of that negative image that they’ve adopted. 1 -- They buy into it, which is wrong. (Today she and her students talked about their journal topics. Someone went on about cake their grandmother used to make. But the student didn’t have the recipe. To the teacher, this was a symbol of the eroding culture. And there are many positive things about Appalachian culture.) None of those things are highlighted by the media. People think they’re living Appalachia when they go to Cracker Barrel. They have no clue, which I think is really sad, because they have a beautiful culture. 9 - I know a lot of people think , "Appalachia, oh it’s poor people, mountain people and we throw rocks like Earnest T. Bass and that’s not true." 8 - (Remembers finding a book of photographs in the Library at Emory & Henry College, a school in Appalachia that's very involved in Appalachian studies.) I just remember going and looking because it was so foreign to me. The family sitting on their porch or the way that they were dressed or what their homes looked like because it was nothing like what because it was nothing like what I had grown up with or ever seen or been a part of. So I guess that’s why I find it difficult to really bring in a lot because it’s not something I can relate to personally. 3 – (Though he grew up in Appalachia, his parents were from eastern North Carolina. He felt a connection to the South, but no Appalachia.) I was more like a boring suburban kid ... I didn’t feel any connection with the mountains or the culture gong on around me. 4 – (She has lived more of her life in Appalachia than in Ohio, where she grew up. She identifies with the South more than the North. People back home stop her from talking to strangers in the grocery store, for example.) How do you incorporate local sites into your classroom? 2 – (Last year she had her students do a project that required them to represent a local place in mixed media. They had to find out something about it, first. They did some reading and some first hand research. They didn’t know anything about local resorts or industry, the railroad’s role in the area, or a local nursing home that’s become a community center. She’d done an oral history interview there when she was in high school.) 1 – (She took her students to interview people at Meadowbrook) One of the guys took out a Jew’s harp and started playing it. 4 – (When she taught Appalachian studies, she had her students interview a relative. They recorded traditions, took pictures, collected recipes and conducted research their own family.) (School officials thought the could reach students who failed the 8th grade reading Standards of Learning tests through Appalachian literature.) I think one of the things we found was that a lot of the Appalachian literature, the kids couldn’t read it. Their reading level was too low. (They still have lot of Appalachian literature and local authors. They incorporate as much as they can. All English classes try to incorporate Appalachian literature. Sharyn McCrumb’s St. Dale on the new Mountain Academic Competition Conference study list.) 1 – If they’re going to write, they have to have a voice. If they’re going to have a voice, it should be their own, authentic voice. So, who are they? This generation is kind of swept up with everything that’s going on around them. Everything they’re aiming for is fake. (She’s trying to get them back to what’s real.) (She put a prompt on an exam, “Is this a good place to bring up children?” Ninety-nine percent said yes. But she's convinced that brighter kids want to get out of here.) They feel like they’re missing out on life. (She asked should they build a Wal-Mart in their town. It spurred a discussion about jobs and convenience and changes in the community.) 5 – (She covers mental health and health in Appalachia with her students. She thinks it’s important for them to be aware of problems that plague Appalachia: obesity, drugs alcohol, teen pregnancy) I’m a very big advocate for rural mental health, plus health in general. What stands in the way of getting Appalachian studies into classrooms? Every teacher said:Virginia’s Standards of Learning. 9 - We are driven by SOLs, unfortunately. 8 - For me, it would be a time issue. Unfortunately, I’m doing all I can to get through the material for SOLs. 5 – (The freshman seminar doesn’t have a set curriculum, so it can fit in there.) 7 - (Has never worked Appalachian studies into her classes, but durign the interview said she could make some aspect of Appalachia a topic for the Power Point presentation her students have to do. 4 – In English, most of it happens in the 9th and 10th grade. (SOLs take away flexibility after that.) 1 – (9th & 10th English is more about literature appreciation. She’s trying to help them find their voice. She likes using the Alice Walker short story “Everyday Use.” In the story, one daughter wants her mother’s quilts and butter churn to use as decorations. Another wants to use them.) The daughter who wants to put them on the wall, she’s all about – she thinks she’s cultured. 4 – (They use Truman Capote’s “Christmas Memories” as a jumping off point.) 6 – (She uses Sharyn McCrumb’s “She Walks These Hills” in her Appalachian studies class.) That was the only story I was taught in college that I thought would apply. 9 - (She uses "Where the Lilies Bloom" and "Everyday Use" in her classes. She brings in quilts her grandmother made and explains where the piceces came from. Another grand mother used to make fried apple pies for her class.) 3 –(It’s hard to find texts the Appalachian studies students can read. Their attitude toward Appalachian culture seems to be) Poverty sucks and I don’t want to associate myself with anything anywhere near that. They really seem to have a lack of interest in their heritage, unfortunately. 5 – (She asked students in one class why it’s important to know about their culture and how they would incorporate Appalachian culture into their classes. Their answers included: go to mountains, go to caverns, go camping.) They don’t have any idea what culture is. (Other answers included:) Why is it important? So we know where we come from. Because it teaches us things. IDK 2 – (On students’ attitude about Appalachian culture:) They don’t think that they have one. Some of them don’t realize they have one. They wish they had one. (The Internet and the media) It’s kind of making us all more the same. 1 – If you’re not proud of who you are, then you want to be like everyone else. (Students in Appalachia have something inside them money can’t buy, but they can’t identify it.) The only thing that they have that looks good to them is what they see on TV. (Many of them have unrealistic, grandiose ideas of what they’ll do with their lives. Kids at the top and the bottom of the ladder want to get out. She does have one student who is a farmer. He appreciates the value of the land.) What affect does Appalachian studies have on students? 2 – (Her students were amazed at things the learned about local history.) They just couldn’t believe any of that. They enjoyed hearing those things. (They talked to a docent at the local museum.) They came back telling me about what he had taught them. And they seemed really interested in learning more about that. They said, ‘I wish we could study more local history instead of world history.’ I said so do I, but I guess it’s not on your SOLs, so I guess that’s why you don’t get to. That’s where it is. They have to teach them a certain set of facts that they have to cram into their heads so they can pass these tests, and we’re just losing out this way. We really are. I don’t know how we can solve that problem. When it comes right down to it, they’ve got to get them ready to take a test. 1 – (It’s hard to get field trips, for time and bureaucratic reasons. It’s tough if you’re teaching regular classes. Some kids need every minute.) (At their school, Appalachian studies is mislabeled. It’s for students who couldn’t pass a test.) 2 – The Appalachian studies is for students who didn’t do well … It’s making it sound as if Appalachian study and people who live there are dumb. And it shouldn’t be that way. 1 – (Other schools have real Appalachian studies. She’d love to bring in guest speakers. Radford University and Virginia Tech professors could visit.)