Through a Child’s Eyes: The NPR Podcast Challenge

Talent Elementary School Kids Tell Their Stories with the Help of a Talented Teacher

--Article by Jefferson Reeder

“Everyone says how hard it is on them. They don’t know how hard it is on us.”

--Fifth grader, Talent Elementary School, Talent Oregon

Here in Southern Oregon, we are well aware of the devastation of wildfires and trauma and then the aftermath of picking up and rebuilding, complicated with Covid and what seem to be all sorts of changing protocols.

This has hit the disadvantaged the worst, from farm-workers who have seen their homes burn down, to those without access to bilingual services, to those who were getting by paycheck to paycheck in the first place.

But perhaps it has hurt children the most. As adults, we tend to think of children as naturally resilient. We presume that they can adapt to changing circumstances. But the fact is, children suffer trauma, much of it hidden inside. It’s rare indeed to have their point of view. Many children look to their home as a sanctuary, and wonder about a return to “normal.”

Now we have, thanks to Teacher Jess and Talent Elementary School and NPR, a living document of children and their lives, and worries, and going forward.

Teacher Jess

“Being a kid these days is absolutely chaotic.”

--Another participant’s voice.

Let’s start with Teacher Jess, as she likes to be called...and as a civilian she goes by Jessica Ward.

She’s a magnet teacher at the Outdoor Discovery Program at Talent Elementary School (TES) and as such she has students grades through three and five so she spends lots of time getting to know her students, and vice versa.

We’ve all probably (hopefully!) had teachers like Teacher Jess, who provoke thought, action, learning and curiosity. She wears Chuck Taylors but I don’t think that’s to be hip. Let’s just say I like her style.

Teacher Jess listens to NPR most mornings, and she heard about NPR’s ‘Podcast Challenge.’

About National Public Radio’s Podcast Challenge

“I have a voice.”

–Another participant.

Simply put, NPR annually challenges students around the country to create a podcast with the help of a teacher and compete for a chance to win its grand prize and have their work appear on NPR.

The students at Talent had a lot to put in into their podcast-- after all, they have quite a story: Dealing with the pandemic and masks and all that, coupled with the Almeda fire and the Obenchain fire destroying hundreds of homes in the community. Some of these poor children went through multiple evacuations.

Students in the Outdoor Discovery Program at TES built a temporary studio and recorded more than an hour of audio for a podcast. They trimmed it down to six and a half minutes and entered it in the challenge for students in grades 5 through 12. 

You can hear the podcast on Spotify at the link below and I promise you that you may laugh or shed a tear, or both (True confession: I did).

https://open.spotify.com/show/5mL3pEsj75KBRWa6Uxz7Ms

I spoke to Teacher Jess and she followed up with how this all went down and then she obligingly helped me with additional questions.

Q: How many children participated?

Teacher Jess: I had my entire class participate in writing their responses (23 students). Four of them chose not to record their interviews.

Q: I notice you gave them a little space to podcast from. I guess this would be for privacy and to keep them at ease?

A: Honestly, it was mostly to ensure we had a quiet recording space, but I do think that students felt easier in their interviews knowing that they weren't being listened to by their peers, even if their interview was going to be broadcast more generally later.

Q: Were there any commonalities that you noticed in the stories?

A: Definitely. A lot of students shared experiences of how confusing it was on September 8th, (Ed. Note: The day that went up in flames here in the Rogue Valley.)

Many of them talked about how they were doing regular things when the adults started "freaking out." Many of them talked about how they didn't know what was happening or thought that the fire wasn't a big deal. Many of them also talked about how their experience of evacuating was scary, being displaced was uncomfortable, and how the smoke lingered for days and limited what they could do and where they could go.

Q: Do you believe the children felt empowered? That their voices mattered?

A: Many of them shared that the biggest value they got from this project was just feeling like they had a voice. Many of them shared that as kids they feel like no one listens, or like no one cares. I think that through sharing in this platform they feel like they did have people listening to them. We also received a fair amount of local press attention for the project, which I think added to the students' feelings of being validated and listened to. You really feel like your message is getting through when a sound clip is repeated on the evening news.

Q: They say everyone experiences trauma differently. Could you notice that some children were at different places, like in willingness to share?

A: Yes. I went into this project aware that I was potentially opening a Pandora's box of emotions that I was not necessarily equipped to help students process.

Partly I felt empowered to do this through the fact that I have built relationships with my students over the years and their families, and felt that I already somewhat understood where individual students were at.

I also really tried to talk the project up at the beginning, so it felt more exciting and less scary to share.

Lastly, I intentionally designed it so that students could participate at their comfort level. I told them we would all be writing, but that they could share as much or as little about their experiences as they were comfortable with. I also made recording the podcast optional. I had one girl who lost her home in the Almeda fire and originally was not going to record, but who ended up wanting to record anyway.

I know that for myself I haven't really taken the time to process all that happened during that time, and I would imagine that the same is true for some of the students. It was like a whirlwind event, and when it was over we tried to welcome them to school and make things seem as normal as possible, but I don't think any of us have really paused since then to acknowledge how things still are not really "normal."

Q: Everyone says children are so resilient. But these children have been through so much. It seems they like to have control, and I was interested in something you said about wildfire vs. Covid, in that with wildfire they could at least help with cleanup and things, but with Covid, they really don't have control. Have you a sense that this is a common feeling?

A: I think everyone wants to feel some element of control right now; there is so much that feels outside of everyone's control. I think kids feel this especially as there is so much that really is outside their control. Their lives are pretty much directed for them by adults. In my class, I really value giving students as much voice and choice as possible, and I see a lot of amazing things that my students can do. I think kids are really resilient, but I also think they're a lot more capable than we adults sometimes give them credit for.

What I see as a teacher is my students really struggling with social and emotional behaviors right now.

We're seeing this across all demographics and age groups. It's not surprising, necessarily, but the extent is pretty staggering. So, yes, I'd say it is very common for young people right now to be struggling with a lack of control and a lot of scary things that they're facing.

Q: Onto better news… what's next for the contest?

A: We are just waiting to hear back from them about the results of the contest. The prize is that NPR might feature the podcast. When I first started this project, I thought that might be a long shot. However, with how much local attention we've gotten, I think that, whatever the outcome, the goal of sharing my students' voices will have been accomplished.

Q: Did your students give you any feedback after the program?

A: Yes, we had a debrief session after we listened to all the interviews that we recorded.

Many of them reported that they found comfort in hearing the similar experiences of their peers, and how it felt exciting to hear their voice recorded.

A Great Shout-Out to Talent Elementary

"People have faces below their eyes. It's very strange it's like seeing them without their head."

--Bassy Perchemides, a participant on record.

At CBD, we work with traumatized families and that of course includes the most defenseless and children are a huge part of our program, from our Grange groceries to toys…including a Christmas drive last year.

As our founder and President Marc Brooks said of that toy drive, “Michelle Kearn is absolutely amazing. She took Southern Oregon and truly ran with it. She and her parents took on the project of making sure that Talent and surrounding areas were taken care of and made sure to head up the Christmas portion as well. What an incredible volunteer.”

Said Kearn, "This has been an experience I won’t easily forget. I have met and formed relationships with complete strangers. Wonderful people and prayerfully, God’s light shined bright.”

CRT ended up assisting 103 kids of all ages.

So, we continue to hear the voices of the underserved and those who may not have access to ways of getting their message across. Our transparency and honesty in what we do is what these children need.

Teacher Jess is a perfect example of this can-do attitude. We salute her and the students who were so brave to tell their stories directly and to signal early signs that this generation might bring: Special handling, but with an optimistic, empathetic view to the future.

You can tell, listening to the podcast and the children, that they are very aware of what their peers are experiencing, too.

At CRT we say: Let’s all let Horton hear the Whos down in Whoville!

And let’s celebrate these children, who, yes, are persevering, but have been through so much.

We must remember that they look to us for support and guidance.

Sidebar: CDC Recommendations

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers the following tips can help reduce stress before, during, and after a disaster or traumatic event.

Before:

• Talk to your children so that they know you are prepared to keep them safe.

• Review safety plans before a disaster or emergency happens. Having a plan will increase your children’s confidence and help give them a sense of control.

During:

• Stay calm and reassure your children.

• Talk to children about what is happening in a way that they can understand.   Keep it simple and appropriate for each child’s age.

After:

• Provide children with opportunities to talk about what they went through or what they think about it. Encourage them to share concerns and ask questions.

You can help your children feel a sense of control and manage their feelings by encouraging them to take action directly related to the disaster. For example, children can help others after a disaster, including volunteering to help community or family members in a safe environment. Unfortunately CDC recommends that children should not participate in disaster cleanup activities for health and safety reasons.

It is difficult to predict how some children will respond to disasters and traumatic events. Because parents, teachers, and other adults see children in different situations, it is important for them to work together to share information about how each child is coping after a traumatic event.