Storytelling: A Unique Family Experience

Storytelling: A Unique Family Experience

Why should we tell our family story to others? If we don't learn each others' stories, we may assume that others' experiences are the same as our or we may generalize that people of the same culture have the same family story. In a unit on family and house in Spanish class, students are setting out to understand the Hispanic family. It is easy to generalize about Hispanics based on studies and accounts from the past. For example, this study Culturally Sensitive Interventions by BD Rivera, informs educators that Hispanic/Latino children often act inferior, for instance, looking away when an adult is talking to them. Generalizations reinforce or instill stereotypes.

 This video created by UMBC explains why it is important to share personal stories. I love that generations within a family share their experiences through digital storytelling.
 Spanish students at UMBC also created personal stories, but they are made private.

 My intention as is to share stories publicly, so that we as a community can learn from them, while keeping identities concealed to protect the authors. Spanish students and heritage Spanish-speaking students created a snapshots of their family life. They thought profoundly about the following essential questions: What is my family-life like? and What is my house like? Many of these students are blessed to be a part of a multicultural family. In their writing they reflect on valuable time spent with family members, the benefit of being a member of a multicultural family, and the style of the home.

 Here is one snapshot:

Mi familia mexicana-irlandesa, pero no Chicana