I came home today to an email from the student whose grandfather’s immigration records came up on the Ellis Island website. This is what she wrote:
Dear Serene,
I told my father what activities we did in class - dealing with family history moving to America and what was on the Ellis Island website. He was so happy he started to cry. He was not only happy that you looked up his father, but also that I was able to tell the story of my grandparents in class. It was an interesting conversation because then we talked about how my grandma came to America through Cuba (which I forgot). And then how she lived in America illegally - and one of her family members here turned her in to the authorities. They were going to send her back to Armenia, but the senator stepped in and kept her here because she had been living in America for 15 years.
Thank you for everything,
S
I think I’m going to start to cry…
2 comments:
How sweet! Maybe you could plan a trip somewhere...? Like, traveling to a Canadian elementary school, followed by a trip to a Mexican elementary school? Let me know if you need chaperones!! :)
Well, I did not grow up in a suburban neighborhood, but I definitely did not grow up in 'da hood. However, from my teaching experience, you could say that the differences in the quality of education from the "good" vs. "bad" parts of a city seem very much like journeying from one country, or culture, to another.
:) lovely lovely! reminds me of the time i had to interview my maternal grandad on when he came to singapore and when i went back to swatow to visit the ancestral home. take a bow serene che!
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