For my second interview, I interviewed my uncle, Matt Etra. My uncle is an American History Teacher for 7th graders. He has told me that he has seen much more of an interest in Alexander Hamilton since the Musical started. I thought that it would be a perfect idea to interview him because of one of my sub questions is: How did the musical, Hamilton impact children’s learning of American History? I was originally going to face time him on the 5/20 but I ended up interviewing him on 5/22. I had prepared 10 questions to ask him. My questions were:
- Have you seen more interest in Alexander Hamilton since the show started?
- Approximately when did you realize that students had an increased in interest in Alexander Hamilton?
- Have you focused more on Alexander Hamilton in your lessons since the show started?
- Have you incorporated the music from show into your history lessons?
- What other historical figures do the students seem to know more about from the show?
- What important historical events do the students seem to know more about since the show?
- Is it now more fun for you to teach about Alexander Hamilton and this period of history?
- If possible, do you think there should be an organized class trip to go see Hamilton?
- Do you think the show Hamilton has helped children have a better understanding of this period of history?
- What other methods have you found successful for bringing history alive for your students?
When I first set up the interview I asked my uncle if I could video the interview. He said that I could video the interview. The interview took shorter than I expected. I thought it would take a half hour but it only ended up taking ten minutes. I was very excited to do the interview, but a tiny bit nervous.
After I asked him each question he gave me a very good answer. The answers he gave me were intelligent and easy to understand. He could answer all of the questions that I gave him, and gave examples when he was giving me the answers. For example, he said that the kids in his class now ask more personal questions about Alexander Hamilton, his wife, his first son, and the Schuyler sisters. He also brought up an interesting point about making sure that his students know that not everything in the show his true, but the big things are true. Students are also very interested in the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr and the conflict between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. The answers that he gave me I wouldn’t be able to find in a book, I would have to know how the musical impacted the children by interviewing or talking to a history teacher that teaches about Alexander Hamilton. The answers also helped me get a better understanding of how the musical, and how Hamilton impacted children’s learning of American History. I’m so happy that I got to interview my uncle!
I think it is wonderful how you can discuss Alexander Hamilton with your uncle on such a professional level. I’m sure he will be interested in seeing your final Capstone project. We are taping everyone’s project so you’ll definitely be able to share with Uncle Matt, if you interested in doing so. I like how you pointed out that the answers he gave could not have been found in a book, perhaps proving to you — and your readers — that interviews are a valuable source of information.