Lawrence Students and Seniors Connect Via the Internet

Once a month this year - as part of a five-month project called "Past Meets Present: An Intergenerational Look at the Changing Times" - third-graders in Beth Foley’s class at Ben Franklin Elementary School use Skype, a computer application, to conduct a video conference call with men and women at the Lawrence Senior Center a mile away.

Last month, the groups discussed how Lawrence Township has changed over the years, with the seniors explaining what it was like to go to school when they were younger.  The second such conversation between the groups took place last Thursday (March 31).

For an hour, the students and seniors talked about ancestry. Some of the questions asked were:

• Where were you were born?
• Where are your families from?
• Were your parents born in this country?
• What is your ethnic background?
• How do you communicate with your family out of the country?
• How often do you visit your families out of the country?
• Are there any ethnic foods you enjoy (to keep you connected with your family)?
• Do you play any games or activities unique to your heritage?
• Did you raise your children in your heritage?

Foley and Ben Franklin Principal Chris Turnbull came up with the questions.

Foley said the students “took them home to ask their parents. Then they worked in groups to combine the answers into paragraph form.” Each of her 25 students was given a question to ask of the 10 seniors participating. The seniors then had an opportunity to tell the students about their families and their lives.

The third-grade students also made a map of all the countries their families are from – including a new student from Egypt and one from Switzerland.

Vince Heether, Lawrence Township Public Schools Network Administrator, coordinated the technological aspects from the Ben Franklin side, while Michael Dean, technology coordinator for the school district, handled them from the Lawrence Senior Center. 

When the groups experienced a “bad connection” part-way through the event, Heether told the students it is “just like a phone call – they’ll hang up and call us back.”

After the formal question and answer period, some students and seniors had more questions. One of the seniors wanted to know about Diwali. A student went to the microphone and eloquently answered questions about the Hindu festival of lights.

A pair of students asked if any of the seniors had celebrated their quinceanera, a Latin American tradition on a girl’s 15th birthday. Teresita Bastides-Heron, one of seven girls in her family, lit up talking about hers. “Yes, yes! You have to have a party. You wear a pink dress, heels and little bit of lipstick. You change from childhood to adulthood.”

As each student asked a question, they politely thanked the seniors for their answers.

There was also a lively discussion about sports. Some of the seniors spoke of how, when they were younger, they played hockey, soccer, rowing, baseball, aquatic swimming (like dancing in the water), volleyball, and basketball – activities just like today’s children do.

Both groups left happy feeling as if they learned a lot. Foley concluded the conversation by saying “our class really looks forward to this each month.”

In June, both groups will meet in person to have an end of the year celebration.