Interviewing my grandma

I did this interview when I was in the ninth grade. I recently found my old flash drive and this was one of the files on it. I think it's pretty good for ninth grade!
On July 30th 1936 a baby by the name of Betty Mencel, was born. Later to be known as Betty Heflin after marrying Herbert Heflin. Little did she know that in just 5 years her life would change due to the second world war. Although Betty Heflin was only 5 years old when Pearl Harbor was bombed and the U.S. declared war, she still remembers how it was living in that time.
The United States entered the “world wide war” in 1941. At that time Franklin Delano Roosevelt was in office and the economy had just been brought up from the Great Depression. “I remember hearing about it on the radio,” said Betty Heflin with a spaced look on her face, as if she were reliving the moment. “I was so young I didn’t really understand what was going on, but when I saw my mother shaking her head and tears coming into her eyes, I knew it couldn’t be good.
Betty Heflin was the 8th born of 9 children. She recalls that she used to think her older brother was her father. Although, during that time most African Americans were poor. Betty Heflin, however, was considered to have a “rich family.” Her mom worked cleaning houses and sewing clothing. She stated, “The blacks that worked cleaning the white people houses were better off than the ones that worked in the fields.”
1941 was also the first time the Army Air Corps opened its enlistment to African Americans. James White, Betty Heflin’s older brother went to war during that time. Although he wasn’t in the Air Corps branch, James White was only 18 when he became a soldier. With a smirk on her face, Betty Heflin remembered “Me and my mamma didn’t want him to go. . .but he insisted on it. . .he wanted to fight for his country.”
Betty Heflin remembers that during the war there were many blackouts. When there was a problem, a siren would go off, letting everyone know there was an emergency. Sometimes her second oldest brother, who was a boy scout, would ring the church bells in case of an emergency. When the siren went off it was to tell everyone that they should stay together in a house or find a certain place to go to, like a school house. Betty Heflin lived less than a mile away from Camp Blanding in Starke, Florida. Camp Blanding is a military installation near Jacksonville, Florida. Today it is the Florida Army National Guard’s primary training area. It is located in north-central Florida. While smiling, Betty Heflin told me that “ I remembered the soldiers and how they would patrol the area in trucks, or they could have just been passing by to get to Camp Blanding.”
Another thing Betty Heflin remembered from her childhood was that during the war the food was rationed. Rationing is when goods that are used for the military are sold but only a limited amount per customer. “Oh yes, we had tickets for certain products that we could get at the commissary on the military base.” Betty Heflin stated. She remembers that they could only buy a certain amount of butter, and sugar. The rationing system was set up by the OPA, or Office of Price Administration. The “tickets” that Betty Heflin referred to were actually coupons. Each household received ration books filled with coupons to buy scarce items that were used by the soldiers fighting in the war. Also, butter and sugar weren’t the only items that were rationed. The list also included shoes, meat, coffee, and gasoline.
With the large number of men gone to help out with the war effort, the economy still had to continue; hence many women began receiving jobs that were once held by men. Even though Betty Heflin’s mom already had a job before World War II, her auntie however, didn’t. Daisy Able worked as an at home mother with 4 kids at the time the war broke out. When her husband went off to war, Daisy was forced to get a “man’s” job so she could support her family. Betty Heflin’s mother provided a great deal of help for her only sister. Even with 9 children she still found the space and time to care for her sister’s. “Man, that house used to be so packed at times I thought we were having a get together or a family reunion. . .it was fun to me!” Betty Heflin had two older sisters and six older brothers. One of her sisters was working and 4 of her brothers had jobs so they were able to support the two families, but just barely. In addition to jobs Betty Heflin also remembered how women began playing sports now that the men were gone. Sports like baseball were being played by women because the American people still felt the need for entertainment.
Just 4 years after the United States entered the war, it was over. The Allies won and there were new economic opportunities for grabs. Betty Heflin remembers it as a “welcome home party” for her brother and uncle. “I didn’t pay no attention to the war I just knew that my mom said my brother was coming home, and I couldn’t wait!”
Today you can find Betty Heflin in Ocala, Florida living with her daughter Faye Goring. She is retired and she is my grandmother.

2 Teach is 2 Learn 4 ever (my volunteering experience at an elementary school)

Turie T. Small, an elementary school located in Daytona Beach, is an institution dedicated to discovery and learning. They believe that education is an essential ingredient for a child’s future success. Their philosophy is explained in their vision statement:

We at Turie T. Small will work to create a motivational and meaningful environment to all. We believe every child will learn and reach his or her full potential. Our students take pride in themselves, take responsibility for their actions and develop an attitude that education is vital. They will apply these attributes to setting goals for the future in order to be successful contributors in our democratic society. We are building today for a better tomorrow. We are doing it all at Turie T. Small.

I did my volunteer hours at Turie T. Small. With my major, English education, it only makes sense that I experience working at a school. For the short time that I volunteered there, I was faced with quite a few learning experiences. For example, the students had to get in groups to read together. Everyone took turns reading a page out of the book but when we got to the student I was tutoring, he read too quiet for anyone to hear. One of the teachers informed me that he was not a very good reader, which I knew was not true because I had just helped him with his homework and he read exceptionally well. While everyone else continued reading I convinced him that he was a good reader and that he should read. So, when he gave it a try, he surprised a lot of the other students that thought that he simply could not read. After that day, he began to open up to his peers and make friends.
I knew what to do in the situations I faced at Turie T. because I had had prior experience with young children from helping out at my mom’s home daycare. I believe that every child has the capacity to learn, some just require additional attention or effort. Of course there were those students who were problematic. Some students, mostly the older ones, had made up their minds already that they would not do their homework. Dealing with these students took an extreme amount of patience. I knew that they did not want to do their homework but knew that they would have to. When dealing with these types of students I made sure I was firm but understanding. Once I related to them, we were no longer enemies and were able to tough it through their homework.
There were also students that were born leaders. One of them, Destiny, was always the one who volunteered to read first, pass out folders, or anything else she could do to help. Another student that is bound to succeed is Benny. Saying that he is smart is an immense understatement. Anytime I was paired with him for tutoring, I knew my job would be easy. Then there was Moniqua, she was always in the know about the happenings at Turie T. Small. Sometimes the teachers would ask her if they were unsure about it themselves. Her only downfall is her talkativeness which I think she’ll be able to control later on.
The experiences I had volunteering at Turie T. Small Elementary School will stay with me forever. As volunteers, it was our job to help teach the children but in actuality, we were the ones being taught. Volunteering at Turie T. was definitely a positive experience for me and I wouldn’t mind doing it again for my next volunteer hours.

African American History - What I'll do to succeed in this class.

I believe that African American history is an essential subject for every student, regardless of ethnicity, because it shows the ability of a group of people to succeed even when the odds are against them. In order to complete this class, I have and will continue to make sacrifices. I plan on completing all assignments as soon as possible. To insure my success, I am willing to give up anything that might obstruct my way. I understand that there may be questions that I don’t know, books I’ll dread reading, or essays I will be reluctant to write. But I believe that with determination and perseverance, success is inevitable. In past classes, I have always been one to contribute to classroom discussions. I intend on continuing this habit while in African American History. My knowledge on the history of my people is extremely limited as I’ve gone to schools that devote only 28 or 29 days to teaching students the subject. It’s because of my lack of knowledge on this topic that I will be bringing eagerness and questions to the academic atmosphere.

"Revelation at the Toystore" (What was the lesson learned?)

In “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara, a group of African American children are exposed to a different socio economic class than their own. Their teacher, a neighborhood college graduate named Miss Moore, takes them to visit F.A.O. Schwarz, a famous toy store in New York. The children are astonished by the prices of the toys, especially the main character, Sylvia. She becomes enraged that there are people who would pay $35 for a toy clown when her family pays the same amount for rent. Despite her anger, the trip to the toy store has a positive effect on Sylvia in the long run.

“Who are these people that spend that much for performing clowns and $1000 for toy sailboats? What kinda work they do…?” These questions are pondered by Sylvia when she notices a toy boat at the store. Her questions show that she notices her own economic standing and is comparing it to another. It’s a good thing that Sylvia is angered by this because she may try harder later on to change her socio-economic class. Sylvia realizes that the people who can afford $1000 sailboats must have jobs that pay well. This knowledge will also give her the encouragement to move up in life. At the end of the story, Sylvia’s cousin, Sugar, tries to race her to the ice cream store. But Sylvia has a revelation. She vows that no one will beat her at anything. She is not just speaking about races, Sylvia plans on excelling financially too. In order to do this she would have to further her education. It is obvious that the positive that comes from her visit to F.A.O. Schwarz surpasses her anger.

To sum it all up, Sylvia’s experience at the toy store is beneficial to her. She will probably strive harder to obtain what she wants. Also, Sylvia has learned another valuable lesson. Although she is poor now, it doesn’t mean that she has to remain that way for the rest of her life.

"Parenting Styles" Willy Loman Vs. Charlie (Based on Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"

“Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller is a timeless tale of the last days of Willy Loman, a sixty-three year old traveling salesman. In the story, Willy begins to hallucinate about the past. His hallucinations are believed to be the result of how his sons, Biff and Happy’s, lives turned out. Biff, thirty-four, has moved from job to job since he dropped out of high school and for a brief time went to jail. He wants to work on a farm though it’s against his father’s wishes and he feels like he should be “making a fortune” at this point in his life. Happy, the youngest of the two, lives in an apartment and keeps telling his parents that he will settle down and get married, though he isn’t going anywhere in his business and enjoys sleeping with many different women. The Loman’s next door neighbor, Charley, owns his own business and his son Bernard has become one of his most valuable employees. It is apparent that Charlie is doing something right when it comes to parenting. His techniques are much more effective than Willy’s.

Willy, though he meant well, tried to be a friend more than a father to his sons. In the play, he makes a feeble attempt at reprimanding Biff for stealing a football from school. Then he gives immediately, trying to reason that the coach would probably commend Biff for taking the initiative to practice with a regulation ball at home. The problem here is that Willy is interested with appearances more than academics. He thought that since Biff was so popular in school that he’d excel in life as well. Exaggeration is another flaw in Willy Loman’s parenting. When he says, “Go to Filene’s, go to the Hub, go to Slattery’s, Boston. Call out my name Willy Loman and see what happens! Big shot!” we see how he tries to talk himself up. Probably the greatest problem with his parenting style is that he did not set a good example for his sons. This is displayed when Biff catches him having an affair in a hotel room in Boston. Throughout the whole play Willy is unsure whether or not he raised his sons correctly.

The opposite could be said about Charley. Though we don’t know much about his background, we can gather what type of father he is by observing his son Bernard. For example, when Bernard tries to warn Willy that Biff was failing he was brushed aside. One can infer that Bernard only went to Willy because he thought that he would have commanded that Biff take more interest in his schoolwork like his father would have done. When Bernard speaks to Willy about his business trip, he does not disclose that it is to argue a case at the Supreme Court. His modesty shows that he has been raised to have good values.

Given the evidence above, one can conclude that Willy’s parenting is inferior to Charley’s. Though both of them love their children unconditionally, Charley appears to be sterner. Setting ground rules, being a positive role model, and instilling moral values are all characteristics of effective parenting. Willy just didn’t understand that.

"The Discovery" (Story I wrote in either Middle or High School)

It was probably the hottest day of summer; the sun was forcing its rays on the citizens of West Palm Beach, Florida. I was five and like most children in my neighborhood, I would never pass up the opportunity to play outside. This particular day, I had decided to ride my tricycle up and down the road. I would coast down the gently sloping hill about three houses down to Mr. Davis, who was sitting on his porch as usual, then turn as sharply as I could and pedal vigorously back up the hill. This continued for awhile until one time I made it down the hill and did not see Mr. Davis. I hopped off my tricycle and peered over his hedges and discovered Mr. Davis lying on the ground motionless.

My heart skipped about 50 beats. I sprinted to my tricycle and pedaled up the hill back home. The ride back was excruciating. What usually took me about fifteen seconds, seemed to take hours. By the time I got home I was gasping for air and drenched in sweat. I tore open the screen door and found my mom making dinner in the kitchen and, in what I thought was a calm voice, shouted,

“Mr. Davis is dead! He’s laying on his porch!”

That was all I needed to say. My dad bolted out of the door to investigate while my mom stayed with me to calm me down, though it became impossible once I heard the blaring of an ambulance siren.
 
Fifteen minutes later my dad entered the house looking much calmer than I had expected. He explained to me that Mr. Davis had had a seizure (and what a seizure was) and that he was okay. I took his explanation as it was and didn’t bother questioning any further. I was just relieved that he was going to be okay. But this was not the truth.

He hadn’t died. Nor had he had a seizure like they told me. When I was in the sixth grade they figured I was old enough to know what had really happened. Mr. Davis had passed out because he was drunk. This is one of my most vivid memories from my childhood.

Compelled to Rebel (an analysis of Amy Tan's "Two Kinds")

Children find it essential to impress their parents. The thought of a mother or father beaming with pride, for them, is pure ecstasy. In Amy Tan’s, “Two Kinds,” Jing-mei is forced by her mother to become a prodigy. After failing many “tests” that her mother would put her through, she began to resent being a prodigy. At this point, Jing-mei starts to rebel. Her newfound stubbornness is a direct result of her mother’s lack of praise for her.

We see the longing for praise first hand when Jing-mei imagines herself as a prodigy. She believes that her parents will adore her and she’ll be beyond reproach. In this brief instance of daydreaming, we notice that the thing she cares about most about becoming a prodigy is the pride her parents will have for her. This is true for any child. Even in cases in which the parent does not encourage the child to make something of his or herself, the child will still try to impress them. After attempting to recite a bible verse, Jing-mei sees disappointment on her mother’s face. It becomes more than she can bear. She realizes that she does not want to be a prodigy and vows to not let her mother change her.

The struggle between Jing-mei and her mother is much more extreme than the average struggle between parent and child. What probably contributed to Jing-mei’s mother’s drive is her loss of everything she had in China. She only wanted Jing-mei to make something of her life since she had the chance to, unlike the children she had lost. In “Two Kinds”, mother and daughter both added to the conflict between one another. Jing-mei contributed by not putting forth enough effort and disobeying her mother. Her mother added to the conflict by forcing her to be a prodigy and not praising her when she did try.