Assesment- Sociology Unit 1 Outcome 2 - Interview with a member of the Silent Generation

$ Interview with a member of the Silent Generation (8/5/2007)

Silent Generation Interview

this interview was find on the internet: http://library.thinkquest.org/23440/gather/cgi-bin/silentint/3.html

My two brothers,sister and I grew up in a single parent home as my mother was widowed while pregnant with me. I eventually joined the USMC where I met my husband and we have just celebrated 41 years together. We had two children and both earned college degrees using the GI Bill which was a terrific benefit. I have a degree in business/social service and worked with the frail elderly as an administrator of a government program. We are both newly retired and other than enjoying our family which includes two grandchildren we haven't figured out what to do. We do travel and have been around the world which makes us want to travel more.

Schooling

1. What were teachers like? Who was a favorite teacher? Why? Was there any teacher who made a sufficient impression on you? Who? Why?
As I recall my grade school years I always think of Miss Voight my second grade teacher, she was pretty and so very nice. But then I also remember Mrs. Brown with her glass eye and very stern manner, I liked school and in general have good memories of that time. We were expected to behave and be there which we did. In high school I like Miss Winfrey she was my english and lit teacher, she was cheery and warm yet stern. She had a way of making the subject seem so today. Once I had been ill with the flu and when I returned to class shes said "how do you feel? You look like you have been sick, you're very pale", I thought she was so wonderful for saying something personal - I wasn't just a student but also a person.

2. Was school work difficult? How were classes then different from classes today? What kind of grades did your parents expect you to get?
My mother while supporting four children and doing her best expected nothing from us but to stay out of trouble. Hence as long as I did just that, everything was fine. I earned mostly B's and C's, on occasion I would study some and earn A's. The work wasn't difficult and I do think that school work today is much more difficult. I feel that teachers had much more control of their class and students and the parents and students understood this was the way it is.

3. How long was a school day? What was the food like? Cost? How many classes did you have? What was a typical routine in class?
I imagine school was 6 to 7 hours in grade school. We had to have lunch at home or bring a bag lunch which not many did. I had lunch with an aunt which was usually Wonder Bread (white) with peanut butter and fruit cocktail (which I loved). In high school we had a cafeteria with a lunch ticket and I enjoyed the food. Some kids complained but most thought it was ok, I don't think the cost was high. In HS we had two study halls a day, one in the library with a tyrant overseeing us - the other was in the school cafeteria with a coach and was a bit of a stretch saying we were studying. Our first class was homeroom where we learned the business of the day and other odds and ends from there we pushed on to the regular programs. We had probably 5 to 6 classes a day. There was no one in the halls between class and we had hall monitors sitting at desks checking all who dared venture the hall. If we had a reason to leave our class we had a hall pass. A typical day would be roll call, discussion of the chapter and reading.

4. What was the dress code for students?
Grade school was typical gear, boys slacks and collar shirt,girls a skirt and blouse. High school about the same but boys were wearing jeans and collar shirts. Girls still skirts and blouse and on friday we were allowed to wear jeans and ones fathers big white shirt (not having a father I had to buy one). Even though the weather was numbingly cold we were not allowed to wear slacks - during first period my legs would ache because they were so cold. I hate to say this but I had to walk to school about 2 miles, sound like my mother. Bermuda shorts became popular and we wore them to basketball games and this female teacher said we all looked terrible with our ugly knees, perhaps she was right.

5. Was there violence in your school? Were there many discipline problems?
No violence in our school and not many problems, it wasn't allowed. I guess at the time we were all afraid of authority, didn't know what would happen but didn't chance it.

6. What was the most embarrassing event for you?
When I was in 11th grade my best friend and I decided to take a walk at lunch time and we kept walking until we reached home so we decided to stay home. The next day we were called into the principal's office and expelled. Our parents had to come to the office to beg for us to be allowed back in. My mother had to take time off from her job at the J.I. Case factory and come to the school. I was embarrassed because she was there in her jeans and work clothes and I felt horrid because I felt that way. The teachers looked at me like I had started WWIII and I had violated my mothers rule of no trouble, so in general I learned never to put myself in that place again. Because of this lesson I think it limited me in many choices I made through the years.

7. Did you ever cheat on a test? Get caught? What was the worst thing you ever did in school?
Yes, I did cheat on a newspaper test, but I was so terrified of getting caught I didn't often endulge. I remember one time I was accused of cheating as a boy and I had the exact same score so we were humiliated by having our desks put in the hallway and taking another test where the same thing happened. The teacher apologized but were seen as trouble makers by the other teachers.

The worst thing was being expelled.

8. Did you have the opportunity to go to college?
As I said I was fortunate to have the GI Bill as a result of my three years in the USMC. I started college when I was 36 and finished in about 7 years. At times I was taking several classes, working part-time and trying to provide my children with the home life I felt I didn't have. I loved my classes and wanted to take everything in the catalog. I am one of very few women from my HS class that did go on to college and I am indeed proud of that achievement. Not only am I the first in my family to graduate a regular high school but then went on to college.

Social Life

1. What were some after school activities? Organized sports? Clubs?
In grade school I had none but run the streets. I did join Brownies and had to pay .25 but didn't like the structure and asked for my money back.
In high school I belonged to GAA a girls organization, more for the fun than the sports.

2. Was there any peer pressure?
Peer pressure was great, we all wanted to fit in. I of course never did and tried desperately to do so. How could I ever have that nice two parent smiling happy family with out the two parents. I thought all other families were happy just like in the books and ads. I don't recall many single parent families out there. I didn't even realize there was a fathers day until I was older. We all wanted a cashmere sweater and some girls had many,I eventually was able to earn enough to buy one.

3. Did you have a high school sweetheart? Did you marry your high school sweetheart?
I had a boyfriend for a time, he had a wonderful family and house and I could sense that his mother was less than happy to see me.

4. What were some of the social activities you did with your friends?
We went to school dances, football games, basketball games, movies, ice skating (lots of this) bike riding, swimming in the sand pit(my favorite), record store to listen to records in the booths. Sounds so 50's and quaint and wonderful.

5. What were your parents expectations?
Don't cause trouble. Make enough money to make a decent living. My college graduation was 'nice'.

6. What career did you want to enter as a teenager? Did you choose that career?
I thought I would have some kind of camp for children especially from broken homes (wonder why?). That I eventually worked in the social service field and have a soft spot for the less advantaged kids I guess this is the same catagory.

7. What were your hobbies?
Working and running around (not causing trouble). I did work in our yard which I liked. To this day I still have a garden and enjoy yard work.

Entertainment

1. What kind of entertainment did you enjoy? Favorite song? Favorite singer? Favorite dance?
Well, for some very strange reason I was taken with Al Jolson, can't figure that one. I did love Rock & Roll and Elvis and all of them. The music was so exciting and fun and different, the teachers hated it and I guess most parents did too. The music belonged to us which meant it was ok to act a little deranged when we danced. I also liked dixieland jazz and Joe Fingers CArr. I eventually bought my own 45 record player and I was living. With my record player came two free albums, Perry Como and ? both duds in my view. I did not like Eddie Fisher or Pat Boone but I did like those shoes.

2. What was your favorite television show? Did you have color tv?
Wagon Train and Playhouse 90?. We got tv when I was in 9th grade and we had two channels. What a wonderful invention. On saturday all that was on was wrestling, pretty horrid. No color tv until 1967 and it cost a bundle.

3. Did your parents have a car? Own a house?
My mother did buy a car and eventually her own little house. I was in 7th grade and we moved from downtown to the suburbs which I hated. I loved my city life, movies, library, stores, city hall, parks and swimming pool and just about everything a person needed. They were tearing down our city house and we had to get out.

4. What was the cost of a movie? Favorite movie? Favorite star? How often did you go to the movies?
It was either .12 or .25 for a movie. I loved the saturday afternoon shows, if I could find the money. My favorite movie star was Doris Day I thought she was great. I loved that Al Jolson movie about his life. In high school I went to the movies at least twice a month.

Other Information
Why is it we don't read about our generation and have stats available, no one seems to care about us. We are just here as usual. I think that my generation fell for the don't make waves, but perhaps I did more so as I had no realistic role model to show me what was indeed of value. I went for the Ozzie and Harritt when in truth there is some of that but in degrees. We should have asked more questions and been more demanding at times at least at the appropriate time. I thought the beats in New York were exciting but it was a million miles away. When the 60's came we were kinda swept away to different degrees and while I thank them for taking me with them I still retain some of that very 50's attitude.
I can't believe I spent all this time answering your questions but it was nice to stroll back and examine some of what we did. Bye

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