This week we begin the development of a Community Profile Research Paper. I ask my students to explore their community for a person with an interesting story to tell. Their essay will combine personal interview with academic research from our college databases. Their profile will become an excellent way to discuss important social issues.
In the past, my students have written about farmworkers in the family. They detail the hazards of the job. They discuss the mental and physical toils that come with working in the fields. Other students visit their former teachers. They examine the rapidly changing conditions and demands of the profession. What is the state of education in California today? Health is a popular topic: Fitness, Weight Loss, Sickness, Physical Injury. These papers come out both personal and poignant. Students take ownership of their writing while adhering to MLA guidelines.
To the left is a picture I used in my first Community Profile Project I ever modeled for an English class. I interviewed Lute from Lute’s Wedding Chapel in Yuma, AZ. He’s been marrying people in less than two minutes for over sixty years. They used to have a Drive-Thru. You didn’t even have to get out of the car. You could get married in less time it took to serve you a burger and fries.
Why would I write about Two-Minute Marriages? There is a history and tradition of quick and convenient weddings in Yuma, and también, Mexicali. For a long, long time, star-crossed lovers have been driving down from L.A. five-six hours across the desert to get married in two minutes once they cross the California border. I found a lot of interesting legal and historical information to share from our college databases.
Do you recognize the couple in this picture? It’s taken not far at all from where I live. The two lovers are standing at the base of the steps to an historic building on the UABC campus. ( I pass by the exact location on my bicycle rides every morning!)
To find out the identity of the happy married couple, you will have to read my Community Profile. Jaja.
Stay tuned to this Facebook Group Page
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