A friend and co teacher burst into my room yesterday, upset and needing to tell me that a 14 year old student was denying the Holocaust ever took place, telling her that “images can be manipulated by computer, blah, blah, blah.” (She is an English teacher and the Remembrance song by our student Kylie was a culmination of our mutual Holocaust Days of Remembrance program last year with the kids.)
My first instinct was to let the kid know what I thought about his comments. Then again, this is what the kid is probably seeking- attention. He’s probably yanking her chain. I myself have been attacked by cowardly types on-line or by email, and I’m afraid I did not trust myself that I would not unleash some pent-up frustrations. So I let it be and I will talk to the teacher about how things went and are going. And if I ever have the kid in class, we will see what happens- she was so upset she could not tell me his name. And really I don’t think I want to know… forcing him to watch Schindler’s List won’t change anything. As educators we can try to persuade, but I think ultimately it’s about what the other kids learn from this encounter with Holocaust denial. A lot of kids have not been exposed to it (though every third website in a Holocaust-related search seems to be devoted to it), and without having to point fingers or make examples, now they witness it firsthand…
The wisdom to know the difference… It’s not about the boy, the teacher, or me, but what rational individuals can learn from personal encounters with Holocaust denial.
Teaching History Matters 