Solid day with the kiddos yesterday. Funny how our most solid days seem to be when I let the kids drive.  And while this has not always been a comfortable role for me, as we move deeper into the 180 journey, it is a role that I’ve come to relish more and more. Today we will start our viewing of The Book Thief, the first of three movies that we will watch about the Holocaust before reading Night. But before we begin down that path, there was some stage-setting to be done, and to that end, I gave the kids a QUEST yesterday.

QUEST

1. Using the 7 mini-articles and corresponding puzzle pieces, complete the Jigsaw activity for the history of the Holocaust.
2. Read the letter from the school board, and issue a team response. Write your response on the letter.
3. Review your work from Elie Wiesel’s speech “Hope, Despair and Memory.” Determine the central idea of the text and write it on your poster. Use one of the Statement Starters to begin your statement.
4. Attach all work to the poster.
5. If time allows, add images that represent the Holocaust.
6. As a team, decide when to take your brain break.
7. Posters must be complete by end of period.
8. Go!

The Book Thief

Today, as I mentioned above, the kids will begin watching The Book Thief, but not without some controversy. I am not sure if you can read the letter on the posters, but there has been some concern raised over using movies to teach the Holocaust. The concern stems from the “Hollywoodization” of the Holocaust and whether a not-always-historically-accurate approach to this dark period in history is worthy of the respect and recognition it deserves. Seizing it as an authentic learning opportunity, we will view the movies through the critical lens of determining their value in understanding the historical and modern impact of the Holocaust on the human experience. Ultimately, the kids will get to play a vital role in determining the outcome of this issue. It was rather remarkable to witness the level of engagement upon their reading the letter. Simply, they came to life, the lights on bright as they cussed and discussed the issue, offering their initial responses. It was amazing.

Driving question: Should we use movies to teach the Holocaust?

Critical Lens #1: Historical Accuracy. Here kids will look for “I wonders.” Essentially, they will keep tabs on historical accuracy by using the stem, “I wonder if _____________________ is historically accurate.” Then, later, as teams, they will take on the role of fact-checkers, determining the historical accuracy.

Critical Lens #2: Point-of-View. As the movies will present various points-of-view, the kids will analyze, both formally and informally, the Holocaust and the various angles from which they see it.

Critical Lens #3: Audience Impact. As members of a modern audience, kids will identify and analyze the director’s choices with various scenes, looking for the intended impact on creating understanding and empathy among members of an audience now 70 years removed.

Of course I want the kids to enjoy the movies, but I also want to establish that this most-familiar medium can also be a powerful teaching tool. But I want the kids to discover and make the case on their own. I just wanted to give them a nudge in the right direction, placing them where they belong: in the driver’s seat, making me a privileged passenger.

Happy Thursday, all.

“So far, you have not at all prepared me for the test at the end of the year or the real world.” 

While words may not hurt me, they certainly seem to keep me awake at 1 a.m. Above is a response one of the kids left on the optional, open-ended question at the end of the survey, which prompted them to share anything else they wanted me to know about their experience in 211 so far. Well, I asked for it, and I guess I got it. It stung yesterday morning, and it still stings today. Of course, I should know better than to let it upset me, and I do, but it’s funny how one negative comment can neutralize a host of positives. Funny, too, how such comments can seep so quickly and deeply into the cracks, the doubts of our foundation, rocking our world. Oh, it’s not the first negative I’ve encountered–there have been many over the past two decades, and now, as then, I will bounce back, clinging to the positives that surround me. But for a while longer, I will waver and worry. Can’t help it. It hurt.

Of course my wavering and worrying has made me analyze the comment over and over–yes, even at one o’clock this morning. I think what cuts here is that no quarter was given, no qualification–a kill shot, “not at all prepared.” I have grown accustomed to complaints about the Essay of the Week. It’s part of the teacher and student back and forth. Work is not always fun and it causes the push and pull between us. It’s expected. But this comment seems something else. And I wish I better understood. It seems something darker may be at play here, and it disturbs me. Is he/she angry at me, and this is a projection of that anger? Does he/she really feel that I have done nothing to advance his/her preparation or progress for the test or the world? Hmmm. I want to know. But sadly, I probably never will. I just hope that as we continue with our journey, he/she comes to see me and what I am trying to do in a different light. But I worry, with such a strong sentiment, that it may be too late. And that makes me sad.

But, I cannot linger here. I have too many others who not only depend on but also  seem to genuinely value what I am doing in 211, too many who need my energy and light. After all, we are currently in the mountains, and I have to see them safely through. No time to sulk. And so, I will regard the above comment for what it is. A perception. One’s part of reality. Not the reality of all. And so, instead, I will cling to and celebrate a separate set of words, words that help diminish the sting and shadow, words that usher in the light and delight of what I get to do: make a difference. Wish it were true for all.

“I enjoy my time in this class, it does more for me than you can realize.”

Thank you. Your words do more for me than you can realize. So much more. Thank you.

Happy Tuesday, all.