Teachers are encouraged to use family histories as a way of making history real to their students. The workbook cites an example of a community brought together through its interest in exploring its roots. In French Island, Maine, a small group of residents started asking neighbors to talk about life there when they were young, in an effort to capture some of the history of the French-speaking community before it disappeared. With the help from the people in the community and a grant from the Maine Humanities Council, these oral histories evolved into a photographic archive, a web site, and an illustrated history of the community. People can enter stories they have collected about their families and the stories will be preserved in a database.
Families can also browse, download, or order the full text of the kit.
Teachers will find links to help bring the project into the classroom, and a calendar of events will post history workshops, programs, and exhibits around the country. The potential benefits for families, schools, and communities are great. Perhaps the line between official history and personal memory will blurr even more in the future. Ferris thinks it might. We hope that the project will be a catalyst that brings together all the different kinds work on family history already going on.