Sample Perspective Interview

Mr. Melgarejo
American Lit
December 6, 2009

Interview with a Perspective: Education

Purpose: To see how experiences have shaped the perspective of a Cejay Roman on education.
Back ground information:
1. Name: Cejay Roman
2. Place of birth: Chicago, Il
3. Age: 23
4. Where do you currently live: Wilmette, Illinois
5. Schools attended: Loyola Academy, Lake Forest College, Argosy University
6. Highest level of Education completed: 1st year of grad school (MS Psychology)

Experience questions:
1. What is the highest level of education your parents have completed?
a. My mom and dad both only completed high school.
My father took some collegecourses, but never finished.
2. What type of student were you in school?
a. I was always a good student. I usually earned A’s and B’s on my report card, but it
wasn’t easy. I managed to get a couple of D’s on a few exams. I did poorly my first year
of college because I couldn’t balance school and my life together right away.
3. Describe your time in grade school, high school, and college
a. Grade school was fun from what I remember, but I can’t really remember it all that
well. High school was great! Your remember, you were there! Football games, prom,
friendships. Mr. Seeburg’s class. So many memories. College was a great time too. At
the beginning I wasn’t so sure because it was a lot harder for me, but I feel that most
people didn’t have as hard of a time as I did.

Follow-up Questions:
1. Tell me how you’re parents’ experience with education helped shape your perspective
a. Well, my father worked very hard to open up his grocery store after coming to America
from Italy. He always worried about making enough money to support his family. I
think we are pretty well off, but he always worries about making enough to support us
since he the money we had was dependent on the amount of business the store had.
Because of this both my parents always forced me to get an education because of they
didn’t want me to depend on the success of a business for stability.
2. You said you’re experiences in school have been primarily positive. Is it safe to say you like school?
a. Yes, I do enjoy school. I don’t always like the classes or teachers, but I do know it
is necessary for me to do the best in all my classes because of the fact that it
determines where I get to work in the future.
3. What do you mean about your future?
a. Well, getting a good career. Since my field of study is psychology I need to get a
doctorate. There is more schooling that I need to complete in order to complete
degree. Each class I work as hard as I can.

Reflection:
After interviewing Cejay Roman, I can see why she believe education to be positive. The experiences she has had in school have helped shape this positive perspective. Since her parents have had such a hard time supporting their family it has made Cejay value education. She also seems to be motivated by her goal of earning a PhD in Psychology. Cejay recalls having fun in school with friends, sporting events, and social activities like prom. These experiences have left her with a positive perspective on education. Had she not earned the grades she did, not seen her parents struggle, and had negative experiences with school she would most likely have a negative perspective on education.

Our Perspectives Interview Project

An Interview with a Perspective Name:______________
This task is simple and can be EXTREMELY beneficial if executed correctly. The purpose of this is to understand how our perspectives are molded by our individual experiences. This is worth 100 points!

1. Purpose: It is important to choose a topic that we are close to and keep that topic in mind while thinking about the questions and conducting the interview (These topics were on the board).

2. Background Questions: Basics stuff to ask your interviewee (the person you’re interviewing). Name, where they grew up, education, anything that you believe to be relevant to your topic.
· Example: What is your name? Where did you grow up?

3. Experience Questions: Ask them about their experience with the topic you are trying to understand. These questions maybe
· Example: Explain both a positive /negative experience with a police officer.
· What is the highest level of education anyone in your family has accomplished?

4. Follow-up Questions: When the person shares something interesting or relevant it is important to ask more questions about that particular question. YOU COULD ALSO ASK THEM HOW THEY THOUGHTS WOULD CHANGE IF THE OPPOSITE OCCURRED TO THEM.
· Example: Tell me more about your negative experience, how did it make you feel after?
· Since the highest level of school for your family was HS, how do you view education?

5. Reflection: This should be in the form of a paragraph. In the reflection you should analyze how the person’s experience has shaped their perspective. ALSO, explain what would make them change their perspective.
· Example: After interviewing _______, I can see why they believe police to be _____. The experiences ____ had shaped this perspective.

Questions for Blue Highways

1. List some examples of the traditional Hopi way life (p102/105).
2. How could you follow the Hopi way of life?
3. How is Kendrick Fritz going against the “Status Quo”?
4. Fritz says, “It’s hard to be a Hopi anywhere.” What do you think makes it difficult to be a Hopi? (Think about how whites view Native Americans, how Native Americans view others for “acting like Anglos”, How the Hopi and other Native Americans have been treated)
5. How would you compare the Hopi experience with that of other minority groups in the U.S?

The World on a Turtle's Back

In the beginning there was only the air and the ocean. In the air existed a Sky World where the gods lived. The was a married couple who lived in the Sky World. The wife was pregnant and had many particular cravings. The husband, fed up with his wife's demands, "accidently" pushed her down a hole near the tree of life. Long story short...she has a daughter who later births twins, a left handed twin and a right handed twin. The left handed is born out of the woman's mouth subsequently killing the woman. The right handed one is born the normal way and ends up angere with his brother. They fight back and forth for many years and compete by creating new life forms. At the end, the right handed twin kills the left handed one. The grand mother is very angy about this, but the right handed twin accuses her of always standing up for the left handed twin's murder of their mother. The right handed twin kills the grandmother and throws her head into the sky where she becomes the moon! What a crazy story huh? Remmber we focused on balance and harmony the comes from this creation myth. Your assignment was to find your own creation myths from the internet or a family member. Here is good place to start. http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPYlFMyfdvKkQ-7K4S9mvkTIn7RgypWObe90KlaJL72zMLhzM8T_QRjRmY21Lwm2DQyLL8Zl3wPT_OCLHXaIqZpF49YsrYedDj4QkbTw7_hdutYIhrsy2xEBu-ejw9L8xK4J1t1Ch7IEk/s320/turtle.jpg&imgrefurl=http://nikhilsblogspot.blogspot.com/2009/09/earth-on-turtles-back-summary.html&usg=__pwPEbrzfTZu4b1ylTHvxXwErFqo=&h=320&w=277&sz=27&hl=en&start=6&sig2=J0Hb7Ew7Q2skGnYUnQcvNQ&um=1&tbnid=bl_Vqs-bDmx7AM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=102&prev=/images%3Fq%3Diroquois%2Bworld%2Bon%2Bthe%2Bturtle%2527s%2Bback%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26um%3D1&ei=IeEGS6GDHtSQnAe1kqjUCw

RIT Score!

NWEA says we need to know x,y, and z in order to be a Sophmore. We created a goal for each class, I will have those goals posted shortly. Please visit :http://www.nwea.org/support/article/532
To learn more about the RIT score!

Area of Focus	RIT Score	RIT Goal
1st Period: Literature	185	200
4th Period: Reading Strategies	201	220
7th Period: Literature	200	210

What is an American?

Crevecoeur had an idea of what an American was…He believed an American was a hardworking foreigner who made it here to be rewarded by his hard work. We discussed if this is still true today…Some people felt it was true, but not entirely. There are changes today. What we failed to realize or define is work! Truly hard work is more than just physical labor. Raising a family, becoming financially dependent, completing college, and finding a reliable career that is hard work!

Why We Read?

According to Harold Bloom, we read for several reasons.... (Same way we play a sport for different reasons: exercise, fun, or competition. We would play each way differently)

Information- Reading for information is a prevalent type of reading. We read to gain information from various places. We read television channels, social network profiles, surveys, instructions, research, and studying. Think about books you’ve read for classes like Math, Science, Spanish, and Art.


Entertainment- Some people read because it is an enjoyable way to pass the time. We update ourselves on the world, get a laugh, become inspired, at times we cry. People use books like movies. Think about books or magazines that you read on your own for fun.



Culture Awareness- We read to make connections within society. This allows us to converse and discuss with one another. Society as a whole can connect by referring to or discussing books that we have all studied in school studied. Think about books that you and your friends from other schools have studied.



Knowledge- We read to gain knowledge on various subjects that we are unfamiliar with. This adds to our knowledge. We can learn about new ideas, topics, people, places, and mistakes. Think about books that you have read that express ideas that you have never even thought of before.



Historical Context- We read to learn about our past in order to prevent future mistakes. We read to understand who we once were to develop who we will become as society tomorrow. We learn about our past, present, and future through this type of writing. Think about books that show you the past, present, or future.



Aesthetic- We read because literature is art! Think poetry and beautiful words. Books, stories, and poems are carefully crafted strong developed writers. These are the types of works that we study in school and live on to be studied for centuries. Think of poems and stories that have reached you on an emotional level or made you laugh, cry, or really think.



Escape- Sometimes we read because we want to escape our everyday lives. We live vicariously (live through the life of another person). We use our imagination to pretend we are the main character in the story and learn from their mistakes and actions. Think about whenever you wanted to be someone from a movie or story you’ve read.

Hello Classes!

Hello Inquiring Minds!
Welcome to our blog! I have noticed that many students spend a lot of time on the internet, so I' thought I would give this a try. I will post most major assignments and class work on here. Your job is to check this site on a weekly basis. Check for updates, assignments, and overview of class work. In addition, if you are sick or miss school for any reason you should check this site to catch up on missing work or information from the class. Also feel free to post questions or answer other students' questions. I will monitor the site and address any incorrect postings.

This is a key component for college because most of the work you do will be done online. In addition, for those of you think about skipping college, most employers now have some sort of online component. Now, to make sure you check this site and to get your points for the WEEK please complete the following assignment.


Your very first online assignment is very simple:
My mail box is empty and I want it full by the end of the week!
Email me: mmelga86@gmail.com
YOU MUST INCLUDE THIS IN YOUR SUBJECT LINE: CLASS, PERIOD, NAME
(ex. American Lit, Period 1, John Smith).