I recently started reading John Boyne's The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. I have owned this book for several years, but I have yet to read it. On the heels of gearing up for New York this summer for the Holocaust seminar, I have been trying to read more Holocaust related books.
I have only read the first 100 pages, but I find the timing (of my reading this novel) odd...eerie even. This is the story about a son of a Nazi officer who befriends a boy on the OTHER side of the fence...
You see, last week, Nils, our German foreign exchange student, shared some pictures with all of my classes via a flash drive and a profound experience. Nils went on a field trip to a concentration camp in Germany. He shared a handful of pictures, talking us through the details. These pictures were haunting.
Dark. Very dark history.
Last Thursday was Holocaust Remembrance Day (May 5th). The day before I had told Nils (in private) that I would be teaching a Holocaust themed writers' workshop. I wanted to know if this would bother him at all. He said no, of course not. At this, I got the courage to ask him how the Holocaust is taught in Germany...or if it is taught at all. He said it is taught in depth. He also explained that while there are Nazis who do still exist in Germany, but they are rare and very few these days. Nils and I had a great conversation. It was enlightening.
In the end, I am continue to be inspired by my students. We ALL come to the table with different experiences and we truly do learn from one another.
I have the best job in the world.
I have only read the first 100 pages, but I find the timing (of my reading this novel) odd...eerie even. This is the story about a son of a Nazi officer who befriends a boy on the OTHER side of the fence...
You see, last week, Nils, our German foreign exchange student, shared some pictures with all of my classes via a flash drive and a profound experience. Nils went on a field trip to a concentration camp in Germany. He shared a handful of pictures, talking us through the details. These pictures were haunting.
Dark. Very dark history.
Last Thursday was Holocaust Remembrance Day (May 5th). The day before I had told Nils (in private) that I would be teaching a Holocaust themed writers' workshop. I wanted to know if this would bother him at all. He said no, of course not. At this, I got the courage to ask him how the Holocaust is taught in Germany...or if it is taught at all. He said it is taught in depth. He also explained that while there are Nazis who do still exist in Germany, but they are rare and very few these days. Nils and I had a great conversation. It was enlightening.
In the end, I am continue to be inspired by my students. We ALL come to the table with different experiences and we truly do learn from one another.
I have the best job in the world.
Prompt: What do you know about the Holocaust and the concentration camps? Explain.