Essay On Amish Community Interview

For this assignment, I had the unique opportunity to interview a woman from my church who was born into an Amish family, and decided to leave the Amish community when she was 18 years old. There are many Amish families and communities here in Rural, Northeast Iowa, and I’ve grown up visiting Amish greenhouses and stores with my family ever since I moved here. However, there are many new things that I learned from this interview, and I enjoyed listening to someone else’s perspective on certain aspects of life. My interviewee currently works as the owner of an acclaimed quilt shop in town, and is an experienced quilter herself. She considers her work to be important to the community, and says that her family feels the same. When asked how she
“They think that children are a gift from God, but they should be seen and not heard.” she said. She said the only physical punishment she could remember were spankings. “No beatings or anything.” She also told me that age played a factor in power roles, as the oldest are more highly respected. When asked about the importance of education in the Amish culture, she brought her hand close to the ground. “Bottom of the totem pole.” She said. “Just readin’, ‘ritin’, and ‘rithmatic.” She said that Amish schools only continue until 8th grade. This perfectly corresponded with my prior research about Amish education, and according to “Education of the Amish Child,” Amish children should be provided with more extensive education. However, my interviewee also said that she, “Learned in 8th grade what you’ll learn in 12th grade. We went to school to work, not watch videos.” “Always greet someone with a handshake,” she quoted on the topic of personal space and typical greetings, “Unless you’re a pastor, or the pastor’s wife; then you greet people with a kiss on the cheek.” I then asked her what misconceptions she would like to clear up about the Amish culture. “They don’t paint their doors red when they have eligible daughters.” She said rather