I’m Done

I’ve just completed my last presentations of the year at Byåsen VGS in Trondheim. Maria, a teacher who is originally from California, organized my trip. The teachers asked me to do five of my eight presentations–so this visit allowed me to revisit many of the presentations I’ve done this year.

The U.S. Teens Speak has been by far the most enjoyable presentation for both me and the students, I think. The students always get a kick out of my sarcastic question at the beginning, “Has anyone in the room ever seen an American T.V. show?” Of course, every one of them has. The long version of the presentation includes videos about fashion, transportation, cultural diversity, facing challenges, and everyday experiences. Most of the students really feel a connection with the Fresno High students, I think because their videos illustrate what they do every day: go to school, hang out with friends, get distracted from doing their homework. My favorite of the Fresno High videos was created by Axel Fipps and Matthew Mungia, who use humor in their depiction. Every time I show these videos, I think about the students who created them–who probably have forgotten doing so and who would be amazed at the large number of Norwegian students who have watched and discussed their creations. Their teacher Delaine Zody is going to invite me to talk to her students (the ones who made these videos) next year when I return. I can’t wait!

I have also really enjoyed my literature presentations. Thanks to the help of Gry Engeseth at Framnes Kristne Vidergående, I found the perfect texts to use in my literature of immigration presentation. Throughout the year, I started with a Stop and React activity using Sandra Cisneros’ “Geraldo No Last Name.” The students almost always actively participate in talking about this story. Then, I divide the students into groups to talk about three poems: Janice Mirikitani’s “Recipe,” and the two poems that Gry found for me: “Immigrants” by Pat Mora and “Education” by Serafin Syquia. All three of these poems work really well; the students find them easy to understand, but still quite meaningful. Each group shares their poem with the class, and then we enjoy listening to Tato Laviera recite his poem “AmeRican.” I like ending with this poem because it’s so positive about ethnic diversity.

The second literature presentation I do is on American Indian Literature. When I presented in Karasjok, the teacher warned me that the students’ English skills weren’t very strong, so I created a presentation using a lot of visual elements. I enjoyed this version of the presentation so much, that I’ve stuck to it ever since. In this presentation, we talk about 2-3 written texts: a Dine trickster story, a poem by Luci Tapahanso, and a poem by Sherman Alexie. I also try to help students visualize contemporary Indian life by showing them videos of fancy dancing, hip hop powwow, and two clips from the movie Smoke Signals. I’ve incorporated controversial pieces of art like Edward Curtis’s “Chief Garfield, Jicarilla,” Fritz Scholder’s “Indian with Beer Can” and Wayne Eagleboy’s “We the People.” All in all, students seem to enjoy this presentation.

During this trip, I also gave the Food in the U.S. presentation to a group of students who are studying catering and the restaurant business. Usually the vocational students have weak English skills which results in quiet presentations. Every once in awhile, there’s an exception to this, though, and the students at Byåsen were definitely among the exceptions. In fact, these kids were so fun. In this presentation, we start by talking about fast food, which is basically what most Norwegians think of as being “American food.” We also look at what was eaten at different time periods by different groups of people. I have a section where I show video related to regional cuisine: a song about southern barbecue which still makes me laugh, a documentary about taco trucks, and a commercial about food in California that ends with a testimonial by Arnold Schwarzenegger which always surprises (and amuses) the students. The presentation ends with the students creating “recipe poems” about American food. Almost always their poems focus on fast food, even though I’ve tried to give them a picture of other types of American cuisine. Still, the poems are funny, and the kids love sharing them.

The last of the five presentations I did at Byåsen this week is on California Immigration and Diversity. This is a more lecture based and my least favorite presentation, so I’ll spare you the details. I revised it recently because I’d gotten bored of it . . . but I’ve still mostly had success with it. This time around, I had some technical difficulties with the sound that translated to a rough start which I never really moved beyond. Ah, well. Most of the presentations went well, and I was able to salvage that presentation during the second half of the class which was devoted to the literature of immigration.

At the end of the day, I had Maria take a picture of me with my last group of students. They were such a good group of kids and I feel lucky to have ended on such a positive note.

Students at Byåsen VGS

I also feel incredibly lucky to have had this year in Norway. It’s been such a year of growth for me, both professionally and personally. I’m glad to have experienced both success and failure this year, to have had the opportunity to revise and perfect presentations, and to have figured out how to use humor in my presentations. I’ve become much more comfortable presenting to large groups of students, though I still prefer talking with just one class.

As I move on to the next big thing in my life (I wonder what that will be?), I think I’ll be stronger, more flexible, wiser.

Wow, I’m done.