Jan. 4



TEXAS:

Organization to enable WISD schools to teach more on Holocaust


Waco Independent School District teachers will learn how to make lessons
about the Holocaust more relevant to students through a training program
sponsored by a local Jewish organization.

The aim of the program is to get educators to go beyond historical fact
when they teach the Holocaust and relate the dark period in history to
decisions students face today, organizers say. The Holocaust occurred
during the 1930s and 1940s when the Nazi regime killed about 6 million
Jews.

"The Holocaust can be taught historically and that is very important,"
said Debbie Hersh, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Waco and
Central Texas, which is sponsoring the program. "But for kids to
incorporate it into their world, they have to make connections so it means
something to them today. . . . We're just wanting to provide quality tools
to teachers so they can use it in the most effective way."

The idea for the program developed after the federation approached a WISD
librarian about donating Holocaust-related books. Although the librarian
was interested, Hersh said, she made the point that books sitting on a
shelf would likely have little impact on students.

So federation officials started brainstorming and came up with the idea of
a training workshop. They approached the district about the project,
offering to pay all costs.

Karen McDonald, a social studies specialist for the district, said she
jumped at the chance, as did administrators and school board members. The
Holocaust is part of state-mandated curriculum for students in three grade
levels eighth-grade English, 10th-grade world history and 11th-grade U.S.
history.

"Obviously, I think this is something that will be very beneficial to the
district," McDonald said. "Teachers will be given books and notes and all
kinds of stuff to teach with. It's meeting so many needs. I'm excited
about it."

The training will take place in four sessions totaling 15 hours, starting
next month. The cost of putting on the sessions will be about $5,000. That
will cover teaching-related materials, classroom sets of Holocaust-related
books and travel expenses for two guest speakers.

The first guest speaker will be from an organization called Facing History
and Ourselves. The Massachusetts-based company uses historical case
studies about discrimination and collective violence as a way to teach
people about themes such as tolerance.

The speaker will give teachers ideas about how to talk about broader
issues related to the Holocaust, as well as access to printed and online
materials they can use in lesson plans, organizers said.

"It focuses on the dangers of prejudice, the value of diversity and the
need to respect others," Hersh said. "It also emphasizes being involved
and standing up for what's right so something like the Holocaust wouldn't
occur."

The second guest speaker will be a Holocaust survivor who lives in Dallas,
Hersh said.

The training is being offered to English and social studies teachers at
the secondary level, McDonald said. So far, about 22 have signed up for
the 30 slots available. The workshops are free for teachers and will give
them 15 hours' worth of continuing education credit, she said.

Hersh said the federation is not yet sure if it will hold workshops again
in the future or expand the program to other schools. But the project has
definitely invigorated the federation's membership, she said.

The only formal involvement the group has had with local schools before
was donating Holocaust-related books and giving awards to history fair
projects dealing with Jewish topics, Hersh said. Most of the time, the
federation raises money for out-of-town charitable causes, she said.

"We're really excited to do something locally," Hersh said.

(source: Waco Tribune-Herald)