The Stories that Bind Us

The article "The Stories That Bind Us" was written by Bruce Feiler who was having difficulty bringing his family together as his father stated how they were falling apart. Research states that a family whose unity is based on an oscillating family narrative leads to children having a better sense of self and family which makes it overall easier to handle difficult situations. The bottom line of the article is that if you want to have a happier family, you must recall stories of positive moments and the ability to bounce back from difficult ones.

In my classroom, I believe that I would have a class project based on the great depression. I would create groups in my class based on cultural background and after teaching them the basics of what happened and how each different group struggled, I would then have the students research and present the struggles and how those groups over come. As a sidebar, I may have the students take a trip with parents and relatives involved in the tenement museum walk in NYC. Where they can see how groups grew up, lived, struggled, and see how they overcame these difficulties.