5th & 6th Grade Expedition Expert: Marie Kamido

Close your eyes and imagine this...What it must have been like for the slaves in Texas to find out they were free. Celebrating in New York's Time Square when WWII ended. Witnessing first hand the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Marching across the bridge in Selma with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. What were people thinking about as these events were occurring? How were they feeling? To be a "fly on the wall" during those events would be an awesome thing to see and hear. 

This year our 5th and 6th graders learned about WWII and several events that occurred during that war. What countries were involved in it. What the Jewish people went through. What event provoked the United States to enter the war. As a class we did a deep dive into what it meant for Japanese Americans to be Interned in camps or forced into Incarceration Camps or Concentration Camps. We learned the power of words and how those words have meanings that best describe what Japanese Americans went through. 

What would it be like to speak to someone who was incarcerated in the Internment Camps during WWII? It would have been amazing for our students to get a first hand account of what those Americans experienced. Our students were very fortunate because a wonderful woman named Mary Kamido spoke to them about her experience as a little girl incarcerated in a camp located in Arkansas during WWII. Ms. Mary is in her 90's and enjoys sharing her story to the kids. She showed patience as they asked her questions and the students were captivated by her. How often do you get to meet someone from the history you are learning about?