Oral History Collection Atkins Library UNCC

Completed by Randy Hughes Graduate student UNCC 1674-X Lowell- Bethesda Rd. Gastonia, NC Randy Hughes Graduate student UNCC 1674-X Lowell- Bethesda Rd. Gastonia, NC Elaine Rhodes Graduate student UNCC 1231 Oakmont Ave. Charlotte, NC

Table of Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Graduate student Christina Wright interviews Decker Ngongang in Decker attended open schools in the Charlotte Mecklenburg system in the early 1990s. Interview takes place in Founders’ Hall, Charlotte. Summary

I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Decker Ngongang June 18, 2005 Christina Wright interviewing

Charlotte Mecklenburg district-wide reform events spanning 1960 to nc/chronlology.htmlwww.pbs.org/makingschoolswork/dwr/ nc/chronlology.html Charlotte Mecklenburg district-wide reform events spanning 1960 to nc/chronlology.htmlwww.pbs.org/makingschoolswork/dwr/ nc/chronlology.html Chronology of Events

Swann v. Board of Education PostBrownCases/SwannvCharlotte- busing.htmhttp://brownat50.org/brownCases/ Swann v. Board of Education PostBrownCases/SwannvCharlotte- busing.htmhttp://brownat50.org/brownCases/ Charlotte and Busing

Transcription of an Interview with Superintendent Eric Smith ( ) transcript.html Transcription of an Interview with Superintendent Eric Smith ( ) transcript.html District-Wide Reform

Writer Corey Ford describes equity issues in the Charlotte Mecklenburg system. c/equity.html c/equity.html Writer Corey Ford describes equity issues in the Charlotte Mecklenburg system. c/equity.html c/equity.html Equity as an Issue

Transcription of an Interview with Superintendent Eric Smith ( ) transcript.html Transcription of an Interview with Superintendent Eric Smith ( ) transcript.html District-Wide Reform

Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Conversational Interaction Interviewer initiates subjects and interviewee responds with answers, interspersed with Interruptions: “We learned how to--’sup dawg-- ’scuse me.” add link Yawns: [yawn] “Sorry.” add link Interjections of agreement: “Yeah,yeah, yeah.” add link Interviewer initiates subjects and interviewee responds with answers, interspersed with Interruptions: “We learned how to--’sup dawg-- ’scuse me.” add link Yawns: [yawn] “Sorry.” add link Interjections of agreement: “Yeah,yeah, yeah.” add link

Table of Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

People Decker Ngongang Larry Gauvreau Bill James Decker Ngongang Larry Gauvreau Bill James

Decker Ngongang Attended Irwin Elementary early 1990s Contributing writer to Creative Loafing On the Board of Members for POSTPOST Attended Irwin Elementary early 1990s Contributing writer to Creative Loafing On the Board of Members for POSTPOST

Places Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Charlotte, North Carolina

Events Open School Movement Texts Open School Movement Texts Julius Chambers MSS at UNCC Julius Chambers Benjamin S. Horack MSS at UNCC Benjamin S. Horack William Waggoner MSS at UNCC William Waggoner Margaret Whitton Ray MSS at UNCC Margaret Whitton Ray Open School Movement Texts Open School Movement Texts Julius Chambers MSS at UNCC Julius Chambers Benjamin S. Horack MSS at UNCC Benjamin S. Horack William Waggoner MSS at UNCC William Waggoner Margaret Whitton Ray MSS at UNCC Margaret Whitton Ray NPR on busing NPR American RadioWorks on desegregation efforts American RadioWorks

Table of Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Key components-Labov ABSTRACT: “I mean for us, there was this lady, Ms. Barber, who lived across the street.” add link here pdf file excerpt ABSTRACT: “I mean for us, there was this lady, Ms. Barber, who lived across the street.” add link here pdf file excerpt

Key components-Labov ORIENTATION: “I don’t know if she’s still alive or not but she’s one of our, one of the teacher’s good friends. She lived across the street from Irwin.” ORIENTATION: “I don’t know if she’s still alive or not but she’s one of our, one of the teacher’s good friends. She lived across the street from Irwin.”

Key components-Labov COMPLICATING ACTION: “And in the fifth grade we’d just go take field trips to Ms. Barber’s house. She opened the fence and we just all kinda chilled there.” COMPLICATING ACTION: “And in the fifth grade we’d just go take field trips to Ms. Barber’s house. She opened the fence and we just all kinda chilled there.”

Key components-Labov EVALUATION: “We loved it.” EVALUATION: “We loved it.”

Key components-Labov RESOLUTION: “I mean we would ride the bus and yell at her just because she was a nice lady.” RESOLUTION: “I mean we would ride the bus and yell at her just because she was a nice lady.”

Norms, expectations - Hymes SETTING AND SCENE: “They had paddles at Pineville.” SETTING AND SCENE: “They had paddles at Pineville.”

Norms, expectations - Hymes PARTICIPANTS: Interviewer Christina Wright Interviewee Decker Ngongang PARTICIPANTS: Interviewer Christina Wright Interviewee Decker Ngongang

Norms, expectations - Hymes ENDS: When Christine asks about Decker compares discipline at Pineville Elementary to Irwin’s in the open school environment. ENDS: When Christine asks about Decker compares discipline at Pineville Elementary to Irwin’s in the open school environment.

Norms, expectations - Hymes ACT SEQUENCE: “Like they used to whip kids at school. At Irwin…we had little timeout things. And at Pineville, you got beat.” ACT SEQUENCE: “Like they used to whip kids at school. At Irwin…we had little timeout things. And at Pineville, you got beat.”

Norms, expectations - Hymes KEY: Incredulous-- [Laughter] “Yeah! At Irwin I swear I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world.” KEY: Incredulous-- [Laughter] “Yeah! At Irwin I swear I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world.”

Norms, expectations - Hymes INSTRUMENTALITIES: Informal speech Occasional grammatical errors Swearing Laughter Yawns INSTRUMENTALITIES: Informal speech Occasional grammatical errors Swearing Laughter Yawns

Norms, expectations - Hymes NORMS: “Because I never really, my mom didn’t, believe in it and so it was this, kind of this alien thing.” NORMS: “Because I never really, my mom didn’t, believe in it and so it was this, kind of this alien thing.”

Norms, expectations - Hymes GENRE: Decker is relaying to an interviewer about discipline programs at two contrasting schools using examples of conditions. GENRE: Decker is relaying to an interviewer about discipline programs at two contrasting schools using examples of conditions.

Table of Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Table of Contents I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features I.Summary II.Speakers and setting for this interview III.Conversational interaction IV.Major themes V.Sample narrative VI.Major discourse characteristics VII.Additional features

Metaphors Decker: “Tiptoe that line of being bad.” “Finding the common threads.” “It was kind of like your place of worship as a community.” “It’s kinda like knowing the car that you want but seeing that it has leather--or a CD player.” Decker: “Tiptoe that line of being bad.” “Finding the common threads.” “It was kind of like your place of worship as a community.” “It’s kinda like knowing the car that you want but seeing that it has leather--or a CD player.”

Select Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools Irwin Avenue Elementary School Piedmont Open Middle School West Charlotte High School Garinger High School East Mecklenburg High School Irwin Avenue Elementary School Piedmont Open Middle School West Charlotte High School Garinger High School East Mecklenburg High School

Irwin Avenue Elementary School Irwin Avenue Elementary School Opened Fall 1973 First system-wide “optional school” New building students Opened Fall 1973 First system-wide “optional school” New building students

Piedmont Open Middle School Piedmont Open Middle School Opened Fall 1977 First system-wide “optional middle school” 700+ students Opened Fall 1977 First system-wide “optional middle school” 700+ students

Events: Call Numbers: Open Schools Events: Call Numbers: Open Schools Z5814.O63 R35 Open education : a bibliography / by Janelle Ranken LB1029.O6 I53 Informal education: "open classroom" provokes change, controversy; Theodor Schuchat LB1029.O6 C Open sesame: a primer in open education [by] Evelyn M. Carswell and Darrell L. Roubinek LB1029.O6 S72 The teacher’s guide to open education [by] Lillian S. Stephens LB1029.O6 P47 The Philosophy of open education / edited and with an introd. by David Nyberg LA633.R3 Open education: the informal classroom; a selection of readings that examine the practices and principles of the British infant schools and their American counterparts. Selected and edited by Charles H. Rathbone Z5814.O63 R35 Open education : a bibliography / by Janelle Ranken LB1029.O6 I53 Informal education: "open classroom" provokes change, controversy; Theodor Schuchat LB1029.O6 C Open sesame: a primer in open education [by] Evelyn M. Carswell and Darrell L. Roubinek LB1029.O6 S72 The teacher’s guide to open education [by] Lillian S. Stephens LB1029.O6 P47 The Philosophy of open education / edited and with an introd. by David Nyberg LA633.R3 Open education: the informal classroom; a selection of readings that examine the practices and principles of the British infant schools and their American counterparts. Selected and edited by Charles H. Rathbone

Works Cited Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. 14 November CreativeLoafing.com. 14 November Partners in Out of School Time. Postcarolinas.org 15 November Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. 14 November CreativeLoafing.com. 14 November Partners in Out of School Time. Postcarolinas.org 15 November 2007.

The staff in UNCC’s Special Collections Library. Acknowledgements