Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1316347
Read- Alongs on Demand Wajeha Chaudhry's YouTube channel promotes literacy — and sweet dreams Wajeha Chaudhry "I believe that oral history is a wonderful way to engage students in meaningful learning," relates Escobar, an associate professor of English at Moreno Valley College and member of the Riverside Com- munity College District Faculty Association. "It's a way for students to tap into their own network, family and friends. It is a way to introduce researching and inter- viewing, and to understand how events like immigration, racism and other challenges make people who they are today." She also believes it can give agency to marginalized communi- ties, as she said when she received a 2017-18 fellowship: "Oral history storytelling has the potential to highlight experiences of people and communities who are misrep- resented and underrepresented in order to effect change and promote equity and social justice." That same year, Escobar broadened her scope and asked a handful of secondary and post- secondary educators in Perris and Moreno Valley to join her work, focused on the Inland Empire. In 2019, Escobar and four fellow teachers were awarded an $18,480 grant from CTA's Institute for Teaching that allowed 20 class- room teachers in middle school through college to participate in the "Researching Our Communities Through Oral Histories" project. It continues this school year with an IFT grant of $7,455. Participating teachers and students are from the community college district and Moreno Valley Unified and Val Verde Unified school districts. Angelena Tavares, an eighth grade language arts teacher at Mountain View Middle School in Moreno Valley who has par- ticipated in the project since the beginning, says that interviewing family members was an excellent way for her English learners to practice reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. "Many learn about the struggles of their families who came from other countries," says the Moreno Valley Educators Association mem- ber. " They learn why their parents value education so much; about their parents' strong work ethic; even how their parents met. They are learning a new respect and appreciation for their own families." Oral histories can take the form of written essays, photo essays, artwork, poems and videos. Stu- dents are encouraged to convert what they learn into "positive action" for social justice, equity and acceptance in their communities. Plans to share student projects at a community event last spring were halted by the pandemic. Instead, they can be viewed at oralhistoryie.com. The stories are compelling: They include a young woman diagnosed at age 19 with vertigo, and a gay man who was outed to his family. One of Escobar 's students, Josue Sanchez, interviewed his fiancé, who grew up in a religious home, married, divorced his wife and started dating men. " Too often, we have superficial conversations with the people that we are close to," says Sanchez. "An oral history allows someone to share their story in a very powerful way that touches other people." Students learn how to ask ques- tions, write narratives, and listen to others. Interviewees feel validated and sometimes unburdened to share stories of the past. "Sometimes there is sadness in sharing these stories, and sometimes there is great joy," says Escobar. "But one thing is certain: The experience is life-changing." A J E H A C H A U D H R Y W A N T E D her students to love reading as much as she does, and also wanted to make it eas- ier for them to be able to hear a stor y read aloud daily. So she created her own YouTube channel to read bed- time stories to them, and became an internet sensation with youngsters in her community. It started in October 2019, when she was teaching third graders at Loudon Elementary School in Bakersfield. And it has continued now that she has transferred to Berkshire Elementary School, where she teaches first grade. (Both schools are in the Panama-Buena Vista Union School District.) W 26 cta.org the Innovation Issue