Bell, Barbara Guest Interview

Scope and content:

This interview was conducted by Andrew Cotman and was indexed by Marriya Schwarz with audio management by Nicholas DeAtley. The interview was later transcribed by Nicholas DeAtley, Marriya Schwarz, and Andrew Cotman. The interview took place during the afternoon of 3/15/18 in the third floor 311 classroom of the College of William and Mary American Studies building, located on 114 North Boundary Street Apt Williamsburg, VA 23185, using a Zoom H-1 Handy Voice Recorder. Overall the quality of the interview is very clear, however the volume of the interview was a little low. There was a little interference due to an AC unit turning on and off which may have obstructed slightly the clearness and volume of Ms. Bell's voice. Also, there was an interference early on in the interview because Ms. Bell's microphone detached from her jacket. During the interview, Barbara Bell discussed her experiences in various school systems, like Richmond Public Schools, Fairfax County Public Schools, Department of Defense Schools, and the Medina City School District, during her 35 years of teaching. She reflected on her experiences teaching students with varying socioeconomic statuses. Throughout the interview, she made references to the power of having diversity throughout the classroom, and the joy that she has gained from teaching. Towards the end of the interview, she discussed her work with homeless student populations and a program that she created, called Diversity-In-Actions that promotes knowledge of African-American culture. For clarity, the transcribers have eliminated ever "um" and "uh" from the transcription.

The content of this note was taken from the headnote created by the interview team.

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