It has been a busy time for Class 71. They've finally opened a twitter account - @Class71DC, and the class blog is up and running, hosted on the HWDSB Commons. It will be made public soon. This fall students have been exploring biography and the art of asking questions during an interview that lead to story.
Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Senator Pamela Wallin. Senator Wallin was a perfect subject for us to interview. Not only has she led an extremely interesting life, but she was Canada's first female news anchor for a national broadcaster and has interviewed some very famous people. How does someone score an interview with such a prominent Canadian? Ask! I contacted Ms. Wallin's office. Her executive assistant, Renee Montpellier forwarded our request to Ms. Wallin who was delighted to be asked. This was new territory for Senator Wallin and her staff, so it was a learning experience for those in Ottawa and us. Because the communication was with a high profile member of the government, we couldn't use Skype. A secure line was required and Peter Feltham set this up for us from Ottawa using WebX.
Students, many of whom had never heard of Ms. Wallin, spent time learning about her many, many accomplishments. They were quite impressed. They then prepared a range of questions which were subsequently narrowed down to nine. (I'll post these later). Ms Wallin agreed to give as half an hour of her time, squeezed into a very busy schedule.
What an outstanding experience. The students' questions were excellent! They got her story. I was proud of them. Ms. Wallin was generous and gracious in response. Throughout the interview students rose to the occasion and demonstrated impeccable behaviour as they listened and took in what she had to say.
Ms. Wallin gave them excellent advice for interviewing. Do your homework on the subject. Find out as much as you can about them, make them feel comfortable and remember they are people with a story. She shared stories about how interviews can go wrong - she once had a subject show up drunk to a live interview. We learned that she had become a journalist by accident - having begun her career as a social worker.
Ms. Wallin spoke very movingly of her time in New York City as Canada's representative at the UN post 911.
With all that Senator Wallin has accomplished, students were curious about which achievement she was most proud of. She identified her role in Afghanistan as her greatest achievement. When she visited Afghanistan she realized that Canadian soldiers were poorly equipped for IEDs. Upon her return home, she spoke with the Prime Minister about the need for better equipment for Canadian soldiers and ensured that this was acted upon. She also spoke very touchingly of what it meant to have the people who know her best, those from her small hometown in Saskatchewan, recognize her achievements by naming a street after her.
There is much more that was discussed which I will leave for another time. The session ended with students asking what advice she had for them about achieving their dreams. Ms Wallin advised them to take risks and that when someone offers them an opportunity, "Say yes!" She also passed on words that she and her sister had been given by their parents: "character trumps genius".
The students were quiet and attentive throughout the interview which ran well past our agreed upon time. I wasn't sure though, what impact this session was having on them. As soon as we disconnected it became obvious.
"That was amazing!"
"I learned so much."
"I can't believe we got to speak with someone so high up."
"That was so interesting."
"When can we do this again."
One student expressed pleasure that Ms. Wallin had made them feel so comfortable, "It was just like a regular conversation. She didn't hold herself high up because she's someone so important." Another observed how incredible it is that a chance happening could lead to someone's life going in a completely different direction. Two responses to this session stand out for me. One was written in a thank you letter to Ms Wallin, "This experience was life-changing." and the other from one of my reluctant writers who is not a fan of school, "Can I get down to the lab to write my thank you letter? I have so much to say."
Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Senator Pamela Wallin. Senator Wallin was a perfect subject for us to interview. Not only has she led an extremely interesting life, but she was Canada's first female news anchor for a national broadcaster and has interviewed some very famous people. How does someone score an interview with such a prominent Canadian? Ask! I contacted Ms. Wallin's office. Her executive assistant, Renee Montpellier forwarded our request to Ms. Wallin who was delighted to be asked. This was new territory for Senator Wallin and her staff, so it was a learning experience for those in Ottawa and us. Because the communication was with a high profile member of the government, we couldn't use Skype. A secure line was required and Peter Feltham set this up for us from Ottawa using WebX.
Students, many of whom had never heard of Ms. Wallin, spent time learning about her many, many accomplishments. They were quite impressed. They then prepared a range of questions which were subsequently narrowed down to nine. (I'll post these later). Ms Wallin agreed to give as half an hour of her time, squeezed into a very busy schedule.
What an outstanding experience. The students' questions were excellent! They got her story. I was proud of them. Ms. Wallin was generous and gracious in response. Throughout the interview students rose to the occasion and demonstrated impeccable behaviour as they listened and took in what she had to say.
Ms. Wallin gave them excellent advice for interviewing. Do your homework on the subject. Find out as much as you can about them, make them feel comfortable and remember they are people with a story. She shared stories about how interviews can go wrong - she once had a subject show up drunk to a live interview. We learned that she had become a journalist by accident - having begun her career as a social worker.
Ms. Wallin spoke very movingly of her time in New York City as Canada's representative at the UN post 911.
With all that Senator Wallin has accomplished, students were curious about which achievement she was most proud of. She identified her role in Afghanistan as her greatest achievement. When she visited Afghanistan she realized that Canadian soldiers were poorly equipped for IEDs. Upon her return home, she spoke with the Prime Minister about the need for better equipment for Canadian soldiers and ensured that this was acted upon. She also spoke very touchingly of what it meant to have the people who know her best, those from her small hometown in Saskatchewan, recognize her achievements by naming a street after her.
There is much more that was discussed which I will leave for another time. The session ended with students asking what advice she had for them about achieving their dreams. Ms Wallin advised them to take risks and that when someone offers them an opportunity, "Say yes!" She also passed on words that she and her sister had been given by their parents: "character trumps genius".
The students were quiet and attentive throughout the interview which ran well past our agreed upon time. I wasn't sure though, what impact this session was having on them. As soon as we disconnected it became obvious.
"That was amazing!"
"I learned so much."
"I can't believe we got to speak with someone so high up."
"That was so interesting."
"When can we do this again."
One student expressed pleasure that Ms. Wallin had made them feel so comfortable, "It was just like a regular conversation. She didn't hold herself high up because she's someone so important." Another observed how incredible it is that a chance happening could lead to someone's life going in a completely different direction. Two responses to this session stand out for me. One was written in a thank you letter to Ms Wallin, "This experience was life-changing." and the other from one of my reluctant writers who is not a fan of school, "Can I get down to the lab to write my thank you letter? I have so much to say."
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