Fusion: Seniors are Assets to School Children - Live History Learning that we are Not Tapping into.

It seems a natural integration while watching a young child listening to an elder family member tell stories of 'back in the day'.  I was always fascinated listening to my family elders retell stories from my Armenian upbringing.  I learned all about The Forty Days of Musa Dagh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forty_Days_of_Musa_Daghhttp:// and it is part of history I found fascinating.  I really learned so much about history this way, and remembered facts far easier than studying from any book.  What I am sure of is, that over the years of observing my own children and those in libraries during library story hour ~ most children conjoin with the storyteller.

I contacted Commissioner Deborah Gist because from time-to-time on her Facebook she posts articles that referenced children failing to connect to science, history, math etc.  I have always thought we have an ability to make an impact on our children by involving our Seniors, whom hold so much history.  Let's unite and have some  community outreach involving our seniors.  We should ask some of these historians to speak at assemblies at our schools.  It was spent listening to 4 seniors give their reflections of what it meant back during the Depression.  The children were abuzz after the assembly, some humbled by the meager gifts of pantyhose as a luxury gift, and it left the children with stories to take home to their families and open them to further discussions.  Evoking forgotten facts or just having given emphasis by replacing boring words from a book with a live speaker whom was full of passion for retelling their past.  This is far more a classical way of teaching than those boring core book lessons, don't you think?

I also found one school with BIG outside the box thinking.  School Budget costs are cut way down because they are providing low-income senior housing built alongside a Charter school.  This school is utilizing the nurturing care, mentoring, tutoring, teaching valuable historic facts along with helping during lunch duties of the seniors. http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/education/20060309-9999-6m9senior.html

Today, I sat with a former Rhode Island Senator of 21 years, Eleanor Sasso and Mr. Bob Ouloosian who worked in Social Security and was one of the key players in formulating and implementing the Medicare system.  Mr. Ouloosian had a lot of history about the Roosevelt term, Nixon etc.  While the former female maverick Senator Sasso has so much to bring to our lunch table about the legislative side, especially as a female I could assimilate more hearing it from a woman.

I feel our Commissioner, Ms. Gist, should consider giving school children and our seniors an intergenerational program.  Children are especially enthralled listening to speakers, and I know we have so many seniors whom love sharing their history and culture with the youth ~ why not benefit from this intermingling?  Why do we not tap into this opportunity, especially because I feel this information sinks in far more than from any book.