Concerns raised over the teaching of Holocaust

[Hope]

With Holocaust Memorial Day falling this coming Wednesday, a number of MPs have expressed concerns over the patchiness of teaching about the Holocaust, saying that not enough teachers have been taught about the event itself.

http://dailym.ai/1Qsa8wO

For most of us here, it wasn't even part of the curriculum, being to close to the present to be deemed teachable.

Having never had to teach about the Holocaust, I have no particular opinion (in fact, I'm not sure that I've ever been present in a lesson on the atrocity) so I'd be interested to know how people here would approach the subject.

[Owlswing]

With Holocaust Memorial Day falling this coming Wednesday, a number of MPs have expressed concerns over the patchiness of teaching about the Holocaust, saying that not enough teachers have been taught about the event itself.

http://dailym.ai/1Qsa8wO

For most of us here, it wasn't even part of the curriculum, being to close to the present to be deemed teachable.

Having never had to teach about the Holocaust, I have no particular opinion (in fact, I'm not sure that I've ever been present in a lesson on the atrocity) so I'd be interested to know how people here would approach the subject.

Factually?

[floo]

With Holocaust Memorial Day falling this coming Wednesday, a number of MPs have expressed concerns over the patchiness of teaching about the Holocaust, saying that not enough teachers have been taught about the event itself.

http://dailym.ai/1Qsa8wO

For most of us here, it wasn't even part of the curriculum, being to close to the present to be deemed teachable.

Having never had to teach about the Holocaust, I have no particular opinion (in fact, I'm not sure that I've ever been present in a lesson on the atrocity) so I'd be interested to know how people here would approach the subject.

I don't remember it being taught when I was at school or during my children's school days. That evil event should never be forgotten, and should certainly be part of the curriculum  in all secondary schools.

[Shaker]

I don't remember it being taught when I was at school either, though that's no indication of anything as I detested school and I've tried to blot everything about it out of my memory.

[Walt Zingmatilder]

I don't remember it being taught when I was at school either, though that's no indication of anything as I detested school and I've tried to blot everything about it out of my memory.

Tell on.

[Rhiannon]

I was taught about it at school as part of the world history syllabus that I took for O Level - one of the few subjects that I found interesting and well-taught. It wasn't taught otherwise.

I'm not sure school trips are answer - cost being the main problem. My kids' school has an Aushwitz survivor go in to talk to the Yr 9s as a part of RS, and it is also taught in history lessons. I think having resources for schools that record the words of survivors and their families is important. It's also important to get across that ordinary people participated in this.

My cousin's ten years younger than me and I know he got a huge amount from watching Schindler's List as part of his school's teaching on the subject.

[Owlswing]

Tell on.

The kind of erudite and apposite comment on a topic that we have come to expect from Vlad!

[Walt Zingmatilder]

The kind of erudite and apposite comment on a topic that we have come to expect from Vlad!

No I meant for Shaker to tell us more....you haven't obviously heard that expression ''Tell on''.

[Owlswing]

No I meant for Shaker to tell us more....you haven't obviously heard that expression ''Tell on''.

I'm sure you did - have you never heard of the expression - which I would apply to Shaker's post - 'nuff said. The post said all that needed to be said.

[Nearly Sane]

Didn't do it in history at school, though there are huge number of things I didn't and people didn’t cover. I knew lots about the run up to the 1st WW but not about the war itself. What I knew about the Holocaust came from The World at War.


We cannot expect teachers of history to have been taught all history. We can expect them to be taught about the method and know about anything on the syllabus by reading that syllabus. It's the same if books are added to the Eng Lit syllabus, I don't expect a teacher in English to have been taught on everything that they teach.


I am suspicious of the motivations of MPs picking on specific subjects like this rather than looking overall at teaching, or teaching of the whole subject. I think that the Holocaust, or rather WW2 and the run up should be on any syllabus.

[Shaker]

The list of Holocaust-related books is as long as your two arms combined and then some, but I learned most from Sir Martin Gilbert's book, which is as close to the definitive account as you can get probably by the one individual who is the foremost expert on the subject as you can get:

http://goo.gl/MFULNg

[Nearly Sane]

Just to note that if you have kids interested in history, I think the book linked to below is excellent.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_History_of_the_World

[Owlswing]

Just to note that if you have kids interested in history, I think the book linked to below is excellent.


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Little_History_of_the_World

I am interested in the history of thge Holocaust, but I got my early education on the subject first hand - from members of my family who managed to survive - 3 from Ravensbrüch, 1 from Auschwitz and 2 from Bergen-Belsen - and then from my own reading.

Right up until when my son left school (sixth form) history as part of the syllabus ended on September 2, 1939.

I am waiting, with bated breath and a certain trepidation, for Ad_o's take on this thread.
 

[Hope]

I am interested in the history of thge Holocaust, but I got my early education on the subject first hand - from members of my family who managed to survive - 3 from Ravensbrüch, 1 from Auschwitz and 2 from Bergen-Belsen - and then from my own reading.

Right up until when my son left school (sixth form) history as part of the syllabus ended on September 2, 1939.

I am waiting, with bated breath and a certain trepidation, for Ad_o's take on this thread.

Just when did your son leave school, Matt.  Septemeber 3rd 1939 and later has been on the syllabus for getting on for 30 years now.  I can remember supporting a couple of Somali lads (Year 10, iirc) in a history lesson about 12 years ago that covered the Miners' Strike of the 80s.

However, I think that there has been a reluctance to deal with issues WW2 in many history teachers' minds because, until fairly recently, it was too close to their own lives to be comfortable.

[Owlswing]

Just when did your son leave school, Matt.  Septemeber 3rd 1939 and later has been on the syllabus for getting on for 30 years now.  I can remember supporting a couple of Somali lads (Year 10, iirc) in a history lesson about 12 years ago that covered the Miners' Strike of the 80s.

However, I think that there has been a reluctance to deal with issues WW2 in many history teachers' minds because, until fairly recently, it was too close to their own lives to be comfortable.

1998 - but he gave up history in 1995/1996 and I would not be surprised if you are right in that it was not taught "at the teacher's discretion".

[Brownie]

I don't remember it being taught when I was at school or during my children's school days. That evil event should never be forgotten, and should certainly be part of the curriculum  in all secondary schools.

Mine was taught about the holocaust at school and has done some independent study.  You and I were certainly not taught about it but neither were German youngsters of the same age, they found out later.  Their reaction can only be imagined - actually there is a good film starring Liam Neeson and Kate Winslet called 'The Reader' which does illustrate how young German people reacted.  Worth seeing floo, for more than that reason (you may have already seen it, it pops up on the box every so often).

Anyway, I think the idea was that there had been enough horror in the world in recent times and our generation was to be shielded from it, at least until we were old enough to face it. From what I have heard, even horror films were not made for a while and things starring old actors like Bella Lugosi had been extremely popular.  Later on - 1960s  I think - Hammer came along and their films were 'hammy'. 

I was about 12 or 13 before I learned anything at all about the holocaust and that, of course, was not at school.  Gradually documentaries and discussions appeared on TV and we became enlightened.   I remember going around as if a great dark cloud was over my head when I first knew.   It was very sobering.   A thousand times worse for Jewish friends.

Certainly the holocaust must not be forgotten. 

[Nearly Sane]

Another thing not covered in my schooling was the Highland Clearances

[Walt Zingmatilder]

Another thing not covered in my schooling was the Highland Clearances

Too reminiscent of Thatcher and the miners I wonder.

Some of my ancestors were ''cleared''.

[Gonnagle]

Dear Sane and Vlad,

Yes, just the Clearances, it happened north and south of the border, I suppose it must have happened in Ireland and Wales, sheep more profitable than people

And yes I enjoyed history at school ( well when I attended ) but nothing about the holocaust, WW1 and I think we had some stuff on Bannockburn.

Gonnagle.

[Nearly Sane]

To expand the OP what should be in a history syllabus?

[Nearly Sane]

Just to note that today is Holocaust Memorial Day.

[Shaker]

Just to note that today is Holocaust Memorial Day.

Indeed; and BBC2 is showing a programme marking the event at eight o'clock this evening.

[Outrider]

I studied History from 1st to 3rd year at senior school (years 7-9, these days) in mid 1980s and World War II was in there, including the Holocaust - though, from memory, I don't recall it being termed that at the time.

The attempted genocide of the Jewish people was definitely in there, though, alongside the other 'undesirable' elements of society that were carted off; the emphasis was on the camps themselves, it seemed to me, and the methods that were used to show that this had really happened.

My history teacher had served in the Pacific, and he seemed disgruntled that the WWII module was so focussed on mainland Europe.

O.

[Aruntraveller]

I may have told this story before but I like Outrider only studied history for the first 3 years at senior school; for some bizarre and totally idiotic reason you had to choose between Geography and History - totally nuts as the two are inextricably linked, anyhow I digress; I only remember 2 things from History - one, our teacher had been amongst the first Brits to go into Nagasaki after the bomb was dropped and he had a pile of plates that were fused together that he used to show to all and sundry (I don't know how he managed to get them back - and more importantly could they still have been radioactive )

Two - he lived in South Africa at some point and actually made the statement "The niggers aren't treated badly - in fact they are treated like their pet dogs" in a classroom.

I went home and told my mum (I was about 12) - she was up to see the headmaster with just a few choice words!

Like others on here my knowledge of the 2nd World War was in large part gained from "The World at War".

[Bubbles]

I vaguely remember being read and told about Anne Frank and her diary.

I think that was about it though.