Do you know about your family?

After reading the NY Times article "The Family Stories that Bind Us-This Life" I reflected on my own family stories. Dr. Robyn Fivush developed a measure called the “Do You Know?” scale that asked children to answer 20 questions. Some of them include: Do you know where your grandparents grew up? Do you know where your mom and dad went to high school? Do you know where your parents met? Do you know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family? Do you know the story of your birth? I was actually able to answer all these questions. Dr. Fivush concluded that "The ones who know a lot about their families tend to do better when they face challenges,” They have a stronger sense of control over their lives and a higher self-esteem. I guess my family did the right thing by passing down our families stories about our past. As a teacher, I would like to help teach my diverse students to understand their families' struggles and develop both resiliency and potential for success. I would create a project in which each student has to interview a family member about their past and how they became the person they are today. What struggles have they faced and how have they overcome those challenges. I think this is very important for children to understand their families past and the challenges they have faced as well as their successes. It is very important for ELL's to understand that must be resilient while learning English and adapting to their new culture and that hard work pays off. I would also like for my students to share their family experiences with the class if they feel comfortable so that their classmates see that no matter where you are from everyone will face challenges and somehow find a way to move on and never give up.