Overcoming Adversity Through Stories Worth Remembering

I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with students who have outstanding potential to affect change in the world. My Senior English students have already overcome many challenges during their school careers to rise above an old climate of low test scores and even lower expectations. It's thrilling to see students go from a vague idea of "yes, I'm probably -- maybe -- going to college" to the point where they are excitedly filling out admissions and scholarship applications to actively plan for their future success. One missing piece of the puzzle for many of my students is a sense of family involvement in their educational process. Students often take for granted the struggles that previous generations have overcome to provide them with an educational opportunity. I believe it's so important for students to claim a family history that can be a source of strength and inspiration to them when times are rough. I think that growing up in a large Southern town, my students have a tendency to take for granted key Civil Rights era events that took place in their own backyard. The challenge, I think, is finding an innovate way to approach ethnography and family history in our quest to find stories worth remembering. With your help, I wish to use <i>Persepolis</i> to help students approach their family history through the experience of another. In this graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi vividly captures the story of her family's life during the Iranian Revolution. As a 9 year old girl when the Revolution upended her way of life in 1979, Marjane is able to give the reader a sense of the fear and frustration she felt as life became increasingly difficult and restrictive under the new regime. Marjane's uncle, imprisoned in the story and later executed, convincingly argues, "Our family memory must not be lost." I'm excited about this project because it would enable us to meet several important objectives for my students. By using a graphic novel, we're able to engage with reluctant readers who are often ignored in the traditional canon. Additionally, <i>Persepolis</i> tells the story of a strong female character struggling to capture her sense of identity. Students will be using the text to practice engaging in the types of close reading that will be so important to their college success. The personal interviews and research involved in connecting to their family stories will help increase parental involvement. According to the Harvard Family Research Project, this involvement is critical as "youth whose parents are familiar with college preparation requirements and are engaged in the application process are most likely to graduate from high school and attend college." [<a href="http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/community/CF2-2.html">HFRP</a>] Hopefully this project can help open those doors of communication between the students and parents regarding their educational future. Through your investment in this project, my students will use this story to springboard a search for their own "family memory" that will be a source of inspiration and pride as students remember "from whence we've come." Thank you for your consideration.