Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (Full Version)

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StephenJ -> Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 3:31:50 AM)

One of my art teachers recently informed me that his kid's school is not teaching them about the Holocaust in history class, out of a concern that it's to tough of a subject matter for kids. I told him that if I were Jewish I'd be offended, forget that I'm not Jewish and I'm offended. He' said he's pretty scared of this sort of thing happening in any education system.

Has anyone else heard about this sort of thing happening?



Kath -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 3:59:39 AM)

No, actually my son is a junior in high school and is learning about the Holocaust right now.



StephenJ -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 4:25:02 AM)

Yup, when I was in 4th grade we went through the diary of Anne Frank. When I was in Middle School we went to the Musuem of Tolerance out here in the LA area.

I'm worried though that some revisionist have actually gotten into the public school system.



csl7037 -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 7:12:21 AM)

I do think this is very dangerous. And the Holocaust is a huge illustration of revisionist history but it's all over. My kids are at a private Christian school and my oldest is in 3rd using ABeka. I have a degree in history (dropped out of grad school) and her history book irks me. It goes way out of it's way to make all of these historical figures look like good Godly people. Some may have been but a lot of this is reachng, IMO. It tries too hard to make histor a moral lesson. Sometimes it can be. But you can't force history into your social agenda no matter what it is.



iluvatar -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 7:19:36 AM)

I graduated in '97, used Abeka or Bob Jones through 11th grade and if we covered the holocaust at all, it was for a VERY short amount of time. From what I remember, the history classes didn't really cover much of anything in the 20th century. It seemed like the more recent it was, the less coverage it got. IIRC, The revolutionary war and the civil war each had 2 chapters, while the world wars shared a chapter, and everything else after that shared a chapter (Vietnam got something like a page or two).

-Dan.



JuliaHop -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 8:51:09 AM)

A Beka US History would have had several chapters on the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. A Beka World History (grade 12 history) is the class that would discuss the Holocaust. Here is just one quote from the book:

quote:

"The scenarios of deportation were generally the same. After arriving at a camp, the group of terrified and exhausted men, women, and children would be taken from their railroad cars and divided into two groups: a "healthy" group to be sent to work in te factories or camp, and a "sickly" group to be sent to specially constructed gas chambers or to laboratories. The division was usually made by the chief camp physician; the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele of Auschwitz especially took delight in this job. The enclosed gas chambers were disguised as public showers; the people were told to undress and wer then packed into the chamber. Instead of water, the chamber was filled with poison gas. After writhing in agony for several minutes, the victims died. Their corpses were pulled out and stacked before mass crematoriums to be burned. Other, less fortunate victimes were sent to laboratories for sadistic and deadly medical experiments made by Nazi physicians."


From: World History and Cultures in Christian Perspective, 2nd Ed., copyright 1997, 1985 Pensacola Christian College.

I also looked at a BJU 5th Grade Heritage Studies book. It is a very well balanced book of general Social Studies and History...and the Holocaust is included.



JuliaHop -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 8:58:48 AM)

I did a quick Google and noted that there are schools that are not teaching the Holocaust. Several British publications had articles discussing schools dropping the teaching of the Holocaust to keep from offending muslim students.



garsyt -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 9:00:03 AM)

For a midwest city we have a pretty large jewish population in our school district. At the middle school level in the 8th grade they do a pretty large cross curricular unit on the holocaust. It's much more extensive then ANYTHING I had when I was in school 25 years ago. They just finished reading Night by Elie Wessil and they also covered the Diary of Ann Frank and had a holocaust survivor - that was in hiding for many many years and never in a camp, come and speak of her trials. I guess it was standing room only for this event that the entire 7th and 8th grades attended.

Blessings,

Garsy



debilyn -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/21/2008 9:46:38 AM)

Both of my children (middle school and high school) have had lessons in the holocaust. I remember many talks we had together as a result of what they had learned.



PrincessDonna -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/23/2008 4:41:56 PM)

If my kids were not learning it by middle school, I'd find my own resources and educate them at home. Actually, we'll probably talk about it at home anyway, even if the schools do cover it. It's one of the very important things I think kids need to learn about, so it is not repeated.

I wonder how it would go over if we erased the Black history over the last century. Not well...and it shouldn't. Same kind of issue, as far as I'm concerned. People of all races and colors are precious to God, and I intend my children to know that, even if I have to teach it myself.



coolfamily6 -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/26/2008 9:50:18 PM)

I have heard that this is happening in other countries, but I believe that sadly it will start happening here.

My daughter just read NIGHT, it is their grade level novel. Each grade (6-8) is reading a novel on the Holocaust right now. I am reading it now just to keep up with what she is learning, it is amazing that people can say this never happened. At our school, the kids have read a novel about the Holocaust and slavery every year. If I did not preread the book, DD brought it to me and said you have to read this. Great conversations for our family with these novels.



thisistheday -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/26/2008 11:53:35 PM)

Both my older girls know about the Holocaust; my 7th grader can't remember where she learned about it. My 11th grader says they learned about it in World History as freshman, and again in American History this year.

Dee



Rayoh -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/30/2008 11:50:02 AM)

They learn about it in our schools. It is a tough subject matter but just think of the kids that actually had to live it!



Rayoh -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/30/2008 11:57:42 AM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: coolfamily6

I have heard that this is happening in other countries, but I believe that sadly it will start happening here.

My daughter just read NIGHT, it is their grade level novel. Each grade (6-8) is reading a novel on the Holocaust right now. I am reading it now just to keep up with what she is learning, it is amazing that people can say this never happened. At our school, the kids have read a novel about the Holocaust and slavery every year. If I did not preread the book, DD brought it to me and said you have to read this. Great conversations for our family with these novels.



I have the book Night and read it last year. I ordered it out of one of my kids scholastic book orders because I wanted to read it. I learned some things in that book I wasn't even aware of that were done.
Another book I got out of one of their scholastic book orders was called I Am A Star by Inge AuerBacher. Another very interesting read.



Auben -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (4/30/2008 12:10:18 PM)

I can't think of any school system that isn't teaching the Holocaust (that I know of), but they do have different thoughts about when it is appropriate subject matter.

Many school systems don't teach it until middle school and then do a big unit using Anne Frank, novels, and video.



JesKlu -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (5/6/2008 1:11:07 PM)

I think it is so sad that some schools are not teaching on this subject. But I feel so grateful that I went to a high school that took this subject seriously. We even had a conference that was entirely on the subject of the Holocaust and we even had a survivor talk at the school conference. I thought that was great!

Your sister in Christ Jesus,
Jessica



manda59 -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (5/7/2008 9:06:57 PM)

quote:

ORIGINAL: JuliaHop
I did a quick Google and noted that there are schools that are not teaching the Holocaust. Several British publications had articles discussing schools dropping the teaching of the Holocaust to keep from offending muslim students.



Maybe you didn't find these sites? They are more accurate.

BBC - re False Claims of Holocaust Ban

OR
Snopes - Holocaust Teaching Ban Urban Legend



AslansChild -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (5/29/2008 11:32:38 AM)

I had the opposite experience with my son's school (middle/Jr. High). From 5th through 8th grade both the Holocaust and American Slavery were the predominant History topics for four years. And not only in History classes but a good number of the books that were read for english focused on these topics as well. Now I by no means am a history buff, but and while I feel that both of these topics are relevant and would have loved to have seen more in-depth studies on how the American Government was formed, what each branch of the govt. was set-up to do and what relevant issues formed our nation. I believe that in our case the public schools feel a responsibility to cater to the demographics that the Politically correct police feel are in need of having their ego's stroked. Very few History or English projects came home where an American (male especially) was ever held in good light. Talk about revsionist history.



DenimDiva -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (6/6/2008 2:58:52 AM)

My dd's 7th grade class was awesome. They incorporated the Holocaust into just about every class for a semester. They even got the parents involved. We (parents) would wear a paperclip somewhere on our clothing. If someone asked us about the paperclip, we were to tell them that this was a symbol that we would've been willing to help a Jew to safety during the Holocaust.

There may be schools not teaching it anymore. That would be really sad. Those who do not know history are bound to repeat it.



Karyyk -> RE: Some schools not teaching kids about the Holocaust. (6/8/2008 1:14:47 AM)

I went to both public and private schools growing up, and the Holocaust was barely mentioned. I read a good bit more back then, so I learned a bit about it on my own, but the texts treated it more like a sidebar to World War II than anything else. I took a Holocaust seminar in college (History major), and that was of course very thorough in its coverage, but other than that, I don't think people like covering it in much detail. People like to shy away from the unpleasant, no matter how vital the subject matter might be.



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