Rebecca J. Anderson EDFA School Community Relations Family Interview

Anthropological Case Study Questions Interview Conducted By Rebecca Anderson 1. Tell me about your life history. Give me some of the highlights that stick out in your memory. (Begin with your early life, then teenage years, then adult years..) 2. Tell me about a typical day in your life. 3. When you go shopping where would you say you shop the most? Tell me about your food shopping. What’s your favorite food? 4. Tell me about your car. How long have you had it? What happens when it needs repairs? 5. Tell me about what your family does when you can find time to relax. How do you spend whatever free time you get? 6. Tell me about your parents—their jobs, their lives, etc. 7. What would you say was the one value that your parents passed on to you that is the most important one? 8. What about your own values? What makes you angry? Sad? Happy? What trait do you respect the most in other people? 9. When confronted with a problem where do you turn for help? 10. How would you describe your parents’ attitudes toward school? How far did they go in school? 11. What do you expect out of your child’s school experience? What are your hopes for him/her with regard to school?

Cam Brown B.S. in Nursing from Eastern Michigan University Married with 5 children Works at Webberville Secondary Schools as a paraprofessional

Family History Tell me about your life history. Give me some of the highlights that stick out in your memory. (Begin with your early life, then teenage years, then adult years..) I was born and raised in Dearborn, Michigan. I lived with my parents and younger brothers. My mom stayed home with us until we were in high school. My elementary school was two blocks away that my brothers and I walked to everyday. Jr. High was 7th and 8th grades while I was there. I was also in walking distance but we had to walk across Telegraph Road. I was in the band; flute played a huge role in my high school life. I went to community college for a year while I decided what to do. I decided to major in Nursing BSN. I commuted from Dearborn to Ypsilanti for 4 years. I was a home body and liked being home. After college I got married to someone I dated off and on for 8 years we now have 5 wonderful children.

Typical Day Tell me about a typical day in your life. I work at the school my kids go to. Since we have 7 people in a house with 1 bathroom I get up first to get ready. Then I wait for the boys as they get ready for school. My after school routine consists of helping with homework, making dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry and taking care of the animals.

Shopping When you go shopping where would you say you shop the most? Tell me about your food shopping. What’s your favorite food? I would have to say I do most of our food shopping at Meijer. If I had more time I do like to shop sales with coupons but lately I just haven’t had the time or energy to hunt for the deals. I try to stretch every dollar to feed my family. I used to plan weekly menus but with changes in our family this year this has not taken place. I would like to get back into this system this summer. My favorite food... I have many; I love Mexican, Italian, mac and cheese. I do like many things, but most of them plain.

Car Tell me about your car. How long have you had it? What happens when it needs repairs? I drive a 2006 Ford Freestar minivan. We have had it for 5 years. It is now paid for and will be driven until it dies. What do we do when it needs repairs? Well right now I need to get the engine fixed. I got an estimate and found that it is safe to drive it the way it is. So for the moment I will continue to drive it since we cannot afford to fix it at this time.

Relaxing Family Time Tell me about your what your family does when you can find time to relax. How do you spend whatever free time you get? This is a hard question. Some of us read, watch TV etc. we have never gone on a family trip or vacation. We have gone camping just not in the last several years. My parents live up north but visiting isn’t a vacation just working in a different place. We do try to relax up there but help my parents with things around their home.

Parents’ Lives Tell me about your parents’ lives- their jobs, their lives, etc. My dad worked for Fords/Rouge steel until retirement. He started out at age 16. He was an overhead crave operator in the steel mill. He retired in his 50’s. My mom stayed at home until we were in high school. Then she worked at Sears then Ace Hardware doing stock. She just worked to get out of the house and to get some spending money.

Parents’ Values What would you say was the one value that your parents passed on to you that is the most important one? Work hard, be honest, and don’t give up. Those were the messages from my parents.

Personal Values What about your own values? What makes you angry? Sad? Happy? What trait do you respect the most in other people? Do your best, if you did the best you can and give it your all, then it’s okay. Always be honest, try hard. I try to be organized or plan ahead. I do not do well when things are changed or do not go as planned. Seeing my kids being happy and successful makes me happy. Their pain makes me sad. Missing my mom makes me very sad. In other people I respect honesty and hard work.

Problems When confronted with a problem where do you turn for help? It depends on what the problem is. I have different people in my life that I turn to for different problems. I do feel I have a good support system.

Parents’ Attitudes Toward School How would you describe your parents’ attitudes toward school? How far did they go in school Both my parents received their high school diplomas. They felt that you should do your best at school. They also encouraged my brother and I to go to college. I was encouraged to pick a major that would allow me to support myself later in life if I needed to. I choose to get my BSN, my brother tried college and it didn’t fit for him. He worked in a tool and dye shop for years.

My Children’s School Experience What do you expect out of your child’s school experience? What are your hopes for him/her in regards to school? I believe I have higher expectations for my children’s education than the school systems do. I do not have the typical kids. My kids love to learn. I wish they were challenged more. I really wish we had more advanced classes offered with a teacher. I understand there is online available but an actual real life teacher brings so much more to the class. Two of my children have already graduated. They did not take college as seriously as we would have hoped. After 1.5 years they decided college was not for them. They both joined the U.S Navy and have really done very well. As they look back now, they wish they would have taken college more seriously. As for my younger children, my hopes are for them to go to college. I want them to get an education in a job field that they will be able to find a job in after graduation. I am hoping they will be able to afford college without being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Those are my hopes for the future. My hopes while they finish high school are to be challenged, to feel like they are learning something.