FULL TRANSCRIPT (with timecode)
File Name: Voices E29 Heather Perella.mp3
File Length: 00:05:30
00:00:02:23 - 00:00:07:25
Introduction: Welcome to Voices, a podcast brought to you by the Seneca Valley School District.
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Jeff Krakoff: This is Jeff Krakoff, I am with Heather Perella, who's a senior high social studies teacher. Welcome.
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Heather Perella: Thank you.
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Jeff Krakoff: So today we want to really focus on there's a new course. I understand you're currently working on the curriculum. It's titled Diverse Voices in U.S. History. Can you tell tell us a little bit about this course?
00:00:32:17 - 00:01:23:21
Heather Perella: Yes. And thank you very much. So diverse voices in US history is an elective course. It's a semester-long ethnic studies course being offered in the social studies department for 11th and 12th graders. It just introduces students to four American ethnic groups. And this is based on percentage of US population American Indian, African-American, Asian-American and Mexican-American. And in addition to studying the history of these groups, students will also develop an appreciation of the culture of others in society, as well as deepening their understanding of ways in which ethnicity and cultural diversity have shaped American institutions, ideology, laws and social relationships.
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Heather Perella: So in summary, it's just giving voice to stories not heard.
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Jeff Krakoff: Got it. Got it. So from what I understand, there are a number of themes in this course. Can you walk us through what those are?
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Heather Perella: Sure, absolutely. So immigration and ethnic diversity are central characteristics of the American experience. And individuals of various minority groups may maintain their ethnic identities while sharing a common culture and history with Americans from many different different ethnic backgrounds. And so what we wanted was a way to focus the experiences and the perspectives of the of these groups. And that's how we came up with these five themes. The first one is just kind of an overview of who they are and their history.
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Heather Perella: And with a focus here, western Pennsylvania and then maintaining their own cultural identity distinct from American culture; struggles throughout U.S. history. So a history of laws and court cases where our groups have faced discrimination based on race and ethnicity, but then the triumphs, the perseverance, the resilience of these groups to continue to fight against discrimination and the landmark court cases and laws that have changed American society.
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Heather Perella: The fourth one is their contributions to American life, such as a music and art, literature, science, math, technology, and in some cases is actually cross-community contributions with one group has influenced and supported another. And then the last theme is just contemporary issues.
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Jeff Krakoff: Wow, that's a lot pretty, pretty far reaching topic areas. So I know you've been teaching U.S. history, sociology. So why is this important for Seneca Valley students taking this class to really learn about American culture?
00:03:15:29 - 00:03:48:11
Heather Perella: Well, there's no minority group that easily fits in a category or can be described simply no tso individuals experiences are alike and just making generalizations can lead to stereotypes and prejudice and stereotypes of the idea that everyone within a certain group shares that same characteristics. And this may influence the way we behave towards certain people. And the expectations we have of them in this can cause tensions between groups. And so each of these groups is so unique and they have their own history and culture.
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Heather Perella: And if you don't take the time to learn about them, then how are you going to see their perspective on issues happening in society? And so the more we understand about stereotyping and seeing it in American culture, then hopefully the less misjudgments, misunderstandings we will have towards other groups. It's it's about just changing the single story narrative.
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Jeff Krakoff: So when I know again, you mentioned to me, you're designing the course, you're writing the curriculum, what's the goal? What do you hope a student. What's the takeaway for a student that takes this course next year?
00:04:23:18 - 00:05:09:02
Heather Perella: So I'm hoping that students will be able to examine and reflect on the history, the struggles, the challenges, but also the resilience, the perseverance and the contributions of these four diverse groups to American society and by the students will be able to then engage socially and politically and and to think critically about the world around them. And so, you know, the goals of the course really are respect, cultural diversity, working towards greater inclusivity, developing a better understanding and appreciation of others, promoting the effective civil engagement and just developing interpersonal communication, learning to communicate more effectively and constructively with others of varying backgrounds.
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Jeff Krakoff: What sounds great, I'm sure a lot of people are going to look forward to taking this course when it's available next fall. Thank you so much for joining us.
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Heather Perella: Thank you very much.
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Jeff Krakoff: All right. Have a great day.
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Heather Perella: You, too.