Reflections

My name is Lucca Abele, and Denise Russell is my mother. 

When beginning the planning for this website, I was quite skeptical of interviewing family members. I was unsure of the value of interviewing someone I already knew so well. I quickly realized that I was mistaken. There was and is immense value in interviewing people that you already have a close relationship with you. This interview allowed me to understand my mothers' opinions and emotions during this difficult time. Given the structure of an interview, I was able to have a different conversation with my mother, then one merely about what we did that day at the dinner table. This structure allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of both my mother and the power of an interview. Through the interview process, I was able to create an interview that was both meaningful to me as a daughter and useful to the world during this time. 

As an elementary school principal, my mother provides a deep insight into the struggles of educators during this time. Her worry about the well being of children with difficult family situations demonstrates the struggles of this time. An interview through the lens of someone who knows what is happening to the younger generation during this time and is doing what they can to help them succeed and be safe is a valuable perspective of this moment in history.