The power of one’s voice can hold more weight than just the written word alone. This notion is one that writing and social entrepreneurship teacher Michelle Gannon’s students have embodied and conveyed through the podcasts they submitted to the National Public Radio Contest last spring. Of the 2,000 submissions, Pinewood eighth graders Adelynn Wang, Blake Armistead, Emma Hsieh, and Joyce Yan all received honorable mention awards.
In Gannon’s seventh grade writing class last year, students created a podcast, highlighting a story or lesson learned that has had an impact on their lives.
Wang’s podcast, “A Tree of Two Cultures,” tells the story of what it is like to be a third-generation Asian American. She discusses finding the balance between her Asian identity and her American one.
“I believe that everyone’s different cultures are fascinating and distinctive, and they are all worth sharing,” Wang said.
Armistead’s story captures his grandfather’s unfair treatment in the Korean War, where he endured many hardships and was constantly discriminated against due to his Japanese background. This project allowed Armistead to connect with his grandparents on a deeper level.
“It was incredibly interesting to learn their story that I had almost no idea about,” Armistead said.
Hsieh’s podcast, titled “More Than Just a Meal,” is about hot pot, a common meal in Asian culture, which is one communal pot in the middle of the table where everyone can grab food. Hsieh’s podcast talks about how this dish brings her family together.
“I chose this topic because it was a way to express my Asian culture while also sharing about something I love and my family,” Hsieh said.
Yan’s podcast is called “The Double-Edged Sword of Busy Schedules,” and it explores the idea of what life is like as a student who is always busy.
“The podcast was a representation of all the kids, including myself, who are doing so many things without an idea of why we are even doing it,” Yan said.
Her story talks about the pros and cons to having a busy lifestyle with little free time.
“I wanted to put out a message to kids my age that life is about exploration, and no matter if you have a busy or free schedule, always be grateful,” Yan said.
According to Gannon, this podcast project was an opportunity for students to go back to their roots and find ideas that would be able to touch listeners in today’s world. She wants her students to understand that their writing serves for something greater. It serves as an outlet for her students to share their voices and stories with the world.
“It’s very hard to sometimes add enthusiasm in the written word, but you can do that in the spoken word, and so it’s this beautiful amalgamation of both the written and the spoken word coming together,” Gannon said.
