Regular readers might recall a column I wrote last year about a string of interviews with my sixth-grade granddaughter for a biography assignment in her English Language Arts class.
Last week was the culmination of that project when, at a presentation reception at Kaneland Harter Middle School in Sugar Grove, Tessa and her fellow classmates handed copies of their published work to the folks they had interviewed — mostly grandparents, but also a smattering of great-grandparents and parents.
I expected a nice stapled or even spiral-bound report.
What we all got was truly a gift.
Presented as magazine-style books – thanks to Nikki Larson and the graphic arts class at Kaneland High School – these biographies contained multiple chapters, research and infographics on decades, cover and title pages, “about the author” pages, favorite memory pages, table of contents and dedications.
I was thrilled as no doubt were all “the old people” (a sixth-grader’s description of the audience) in that lunchroom/auditorium.
In fact, ELA teacher Tina Schertzer, the force behind this project, told me she measured its success by how many of these young authors commented on the smiles they received when presenting their books.
It made all the work that went into it well worth it, she said.
Turns out, the idea for these biographies is part of Schertzer’s own history. It goes back to her first year teaching in Pennsylvania, when she wanted to do a “meaningful project with the kids to not only help develop their writing but to connect with family.”
With far less technology, students completed a “much different” yet still “memorable” version back then, and Schertzer continued the project after moving to New York state. But it sat on the back burner after she began teaching at Kaneland in 2008.
This school year was different.
Schertzer, who I met nearly a decade ago when she organized a large, multi-faceted book drive for an impoverished Mississippi community, will retire next month. What better “swan song,” she decided, then to bring this biography project back one final time. And so, she pitched the idea to fellow ELA teacher Maggie Pacana, who immediately jumped on board.
“It was such a wonderful opportunity for students and family” in this “fast-paced society” where “valuable conversations may be hard to find,” noted Schertzer. “This gave students and their families a time to sit and hear stories about life from the past.”
Indeed. While this final project was about presentation, the time these Generation Alpha kids spent with us “old people” was about connection.
“Thank you for giving me your time and stories,” Tessa wrote on the dedication page. “I admire you because you have built me to become a better writer.”
The kid does, indeed, love to write. And it showed in the way she naturally weaves words and phrases together. But it was obvious the project did not get fed into ChatGPT, thank goodness. And as Schertzer pointed out, there were too many students, too many pages to go through to make all those grammatical edits.
The charm of these biographies, however, lies in their authenticity – the small spelling missteps and unpolished phrasing that reflect genuine middle school voices. Written through the intuitive and curious perspectives of 12-year-olds, this memorable project manages to capture both their developing skills and innocent but sincere efforts to understand another generation.
While Janis Davis was “honored” to be the subject of her granddaughter’s project, she was more than a bit surprised at what Savannah took from those interviews, like leaving out what she considered important details but highlighting the fact her nana “HATED HIGH SCHOOL,” (yes, all caps).
But this was “Savannah telling her story, and what she got right or wrong is part of that story,” said Davis, adding that when her granddaughter turns 25, “I want to reread it with her and tell her, ‘Savannah, what were you thinking?'”
Likewise, what I considered major experiences of my life were left on the cutting room floor. Yet Tessa featured a very short-term boyfriend and the cousin from California who “stole” him away. And generations will forever know that “Denise would get into some trouble as a kid like when she wished her sister was dead.”
As did Davis, I laughed aloud when I read some of these paragraphs. But I also got teary at other passages. And I realized yet again – especially after Tessa’s dad admitted he learned a few things about his mom – just how important it is to share these memories before it is too late.
So kudos to these teachers who feel the same but who put so much effort into making it happen.
“I think students were shocked to hear stories about what life was like in the past,” said Schertzer. “More importantly, they realized they actually have some things in common … even though they are years apart.”
And so, in spite of a little unexpected creative writing in her bio, “it was a lovely idea,” insisted Davis.
The best gift of all, she added, is that the project “gave me a reason to spend a lot of time talking to Savannah.”
dcrosby@tribpub.com
