This oral history interview is an intimate conversation between two people, both of whom have generously agreed to share this recording with Oral History Summer School, and with you. Please listen in the spirit with which this was shared.
This interview is hereby made available for research purposes only. For additional uses (radio and other media, music, internet), please inquire about permissions.
All rights are reserved by Oral History Summer School.
Researchers will understand that:
This interview with James Decker took place via Zoom on November 19, 2020. James is a sixth grade social studies teacher based in Portland, Oregon. James has been teaching for 20+ years within the Salem Keizer Public School system. The pandemic has been a successful experiment for him and his students. He has been able to translate his project-oriented style of teaching to the online setting without much trouble, although it takes a lot of time. The only issue he has had is with Canvas, the learning management system, which he feels is clunky and hard to learn. Otherwise, he feels his students are engaged and learning, and he has been able to develop good lessons. His administration is supportive of the teachers, and the teachers are supportive of one another.
Steven Zetlan is a tenured faculty member of Laney College, a community college in Oakland, California, where he teaches English language skills to immigrants. He has had fun teaching his students to interview each other using the studio of the college radio station. In addition, Steve has a personal interest in documenting and celebrating LGBT history, and preserving the memories of holocaust survivors. Originally from New York, he has lived in the Bay Area since 1987. Steven received a master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) from San Francisco State University in 2002, after a career in marketing, and has an undergraduate degree in communications with a specialization in broadcasting.
Audio Quality Scale
Low - There is some background noise and the narrator is hard to hear.
Medium - There is background noise, but the narrator is audible.
High - There is little background noise and the narrator is audible.