Remembrance: Passing the Baton Education is a freedom that can sometimes be taken for granted in the United States. When it comes to educating our youth, most people would agree that it is important, but when it comes to choosing what topics children should be taught there is still debate. From the controversy over banning certain books to the controversy over banning topics in some subjects, the nation is still trying to figure out what is best for future generations to know. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) has not only made it clear that they believe children should be taught about the Holocaust, but they also provide many resources for teachers to implement curriculum. Not only is it appropriate to teach children about
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The graphic details need not be introduced to children, but a more simplified account of the events that occurred during the Holocaust is important to invoke empathy. Empathy is the most important aspect of learning about the Holocaust. Without it, it would be impossible for students to care about the discrimination, prejudice, hatred and mass murder that occurred. If empathy is removed from the lesson being taught, the things learned lose some significance because the students would be unable to apply what they learned or relate to it in any way. The USHMM’s question raises another important topic, if schools are to teach the Holocaust, how should it be taught in order to retain the important lessons that stem from this learning without invoking cynicism from the young …show more content…
Evidence of this belief can be found in many of the stories used to teach the Holocaust to children. Number the Stars, A True Story of Heroism During the Holocaust, and Faces of Courage: Children Who Resisted are all novels for elementary and middle school children that focus on more positive stories of the Holocaust (“Lesson Plans”). While that may be helpful in teaching very young children, if students in fourth grade or higher are subjected to this kind of teaching, it may skew their interpretation of the Holocaust as one of a great event that allowed many people to be local heroes and save their friends (USHMM). It is important to recognize when the Holocaust is romanticized and to prevent this romanticized idea from being the only interaction students have with this history. As with any subject, factuality and accuracy are important. Again the USHMM has a few basic guidelines to help teachers build their curriculum and teach their students in a way that will foster a better and well-rounded understanding of the Holocaust as opposed to a role model driven education about the Holocaust. The foundation suggests starting any curricula by defining the term Holocaust so the children have a clear sense of how to use the word and what it
The graphic details need not be introduced to children, but a more simplified account of the events that occurred during the Holocaust is important to invoke empathy. Empathy is the most important aspect of learning about the Holocaust. Without it, it would be impossible for students to care about the discrimination, prejudice, hatred and mass murder that occurred. If empathy is removed from the lesson being taught, the things learned lose some significance because the students would be unable to apply what they learned or relate to it in any way. The USHMM’s question raises another important topic, if schools are to teach the Holocaust, how should it be taught in order to retain the important lessons that stem from this learning without invoking cynicism from the young …show more content…
Evidence of this belief can be found in many of the stories used to teach the Holocaust to children. Number the Stars, A True Story of Heroism During the Holocaust, and Faces of Courage: Children Who Resisted are all novels for elementary and middle school children that focus on more positive stories of the Holocaust (“Lesson Plans”). While that may be helpful in teaching very young children, if students in fourth grade or higher are subjected to this kind of teaching, it may skew their interpretation of the Holocaust as one of a great event that allowed many people to be local heroes and save their friends (USHMM). It is important to recognize when the Holocaust is romanticized and to prevent this romanticized idea from being the only interaction students have with this history. As with any subject, factuality and accuracy are important. Again the USHMM has a few basic guidelines to help teachers build their curriculum and teach their students in a way that will foster a better and well-rounded understanding of the Holocaust as opposed to a role model driven education about the Holocaust. The foundation suggests starting any curricula by defining the term Holocaust so the children have a clear sense of how to use the word and what it