Story Corps Interview Analysis 8

http://storycorps.org/listen/surinder-and-rupinder-singh/

Possible questions:
What was it like first coming to America?
What was school like for you?
Were there ever times when people pressured you to take off the turban and fit in?
Do you still feel persecuted when you go outside?
After all you've been through in America, has it changed your perspective on the world or your perception of people?

1. When Surinder says that when he came to America, nobody even knew what a Sikh was, it shows the situation they were entering, the isolation that they were bound to face.
2. Rupinder says that when he was a child, he just accepted that persecution and name-calling would be a given wherever he went to school. This illustrates how much a child in that situation loses their identity and their confidence, or rather, how it's taken from them.
3. Rupinder talks about how he wasn't certain who would be his friend one day and change their mind the next, about how hard it was for him to give his trust to anybody knowing what so many before had done to him.
4. Supinder talks about a job he was hired for, and how he was told that he had to remove his turban and look like everyone else. He refused and  lost the job, but maintained his dignity.
5. Despite the harassment they've endured based on their religion and appearance, Supinder and Rupinder still see the world as mostly good, and try to avoid the bad side of humanity, knowing that there is no shortage of good people they would rather associate themselves with.


http://storycorps.org/listen/ken-rensink-and-laurel-hill-ward/

Possible questions:
What was it like recovering from your accident?
What do you think made you harder on your students than most special ed teachers?
What, in your opinion, was the difference between you and most other special ed teachers?
Was there any particular student that you remember?
Did you ever run into him after graduation?

1. When he talks about the condition he was in after his accident, Ken says that his arm was too weak to even hold a cup of water. This introduces us to a man at his absolute lowest, in a situation that most would be unable to return from.
2. When Ken says that he completed a nine month physical therapy regimen in five weeks, it shows his determination and strength of will.
3. The story of his willingness to give one of his students another chance after being caught with alcohol shows that he doesn't let these kids, who the rest of the world has given up on, give up on themselves.
4.When he met the student years later, he was grateful for getting another chance, but Ken was equally grateful to him for not wasting it.