Introduction

             I first heard about Facing History and Ourselves from a student who was taking the course at the time. His description of a class with no tests or quizzes quickly appealed to me as I was in the process of scheduling my senior year. After some deliberation and discussion with students who had taken the course, I chose to take the class believing it would simply offer some relief from my already challenging schedule. When I initially started the course however, it was not the type of classroom interaction I had expected. Unlike many other classes I had taken, this forced students to question the issue of what is right and wrong and decide what type of member of society they were. When I entered this course as a seventeen year old high school student, I will admit I was a bystander who often chose not to involve myself with the issues of others. With the teachings of this course though, I saw first hand how issues such as prejudice or intolerance affect everyone and it is of vital importance to uphold the moral fiber of our society. Through studies of the situations where discrimination has been allowed to take over a society, most notably the Holocaust and Nazi Germany, I found myself changing my outlook on how to act when dealing with an issue. By the end of the course I could see how it is important to help those in need and always stand up for what is right.

Reflective Essay

What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me

            The course Facing History and Ourselves was by far the most meaningful class I have ever taken throughout high school. It taught me to question the facts around me and come face to face with some of the most difficult events in our history. It not only taught me about important historical truths but also gave me life lessons that emphasize doing the right thing and upholding moral code. Throughout the year there were many discussions, activities, and films that helped shape my new outlook on how to act as a human being that I am sure will stay with me for many years to come. Overall, I found this course to be extremely inspiring and it has definitely helped make me into a better student and person.

            One of the main impacts Facing History and Ourselves had on me was teaching me how to be a better student and question my environment around me. I have sometimes found it difficult or uncomfortable to discuss issues that deal with moral code because they often bring out conflicting or somewhat controversial ideas or opinions on what is right and wrong. However, I found that it is some of these moral dilemmas that Facing History and Ourselves openly discussed from the start of the course. Some activities such as the reading of The Bear that Wasn’t, Little Boxes, and After the First were an introduction to the idea of moral dilemma and how to deal with these issues that people can often disagree about. I thought these activities were a very good way to start the course because they all dealt with questioning how ethical something was and showed me how it is important to stick up for what you know is right even if it means going against the group or facing rejection from those around you.

            From this point we moved on the issue of how prejudice, segregation, and judging a person based on groups can have serious consequences. Certain films such as White Man’s Image, The Children’s March, The Longest Hatred, and Class Divided showed various scenarios of how prejudice can cause great amounts of tension and often result in violence, degradation, and conflict. I found these lessons extremely important and moving because they showed that allowing racism or intolerance to run rampant in society will only have negative affects on everybody. I found some of the images from The Children’s March particularly difficult to watch because they demonstrated how innocent people were victimized because of unjust actions. I personally found these movies very significant because I learned how predetermined judgments are unfair and only lead to more hate.

Another intriguing movie we watched was Freedom Writers which showed how breaking down the barrier of bigotry can bring individuals together and resolve people’s issues. This was one of my favorite movies of the year and I thought its message of equality was one that will stay with me for a long time. I thought this movie in particular symbolized the ultimate message Facing History and Ourselves is trying to convey by showing both the costs of intolerance while also showing the benefits of learning to understand a persons situation. This movie really helped me in my own life by teaching me that when I disagree with another it is important to view the situation through their eyes and try to understand how to resolve differences.

Although I learned many important life lessons from all of the activities we did as a class, the main wealth of information I garnered came from our study of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, the main focus of the course. I had had some previous information about the Holocaust from other history courses but I was amazed at how in depth we went into theses events and the activities we did gave it a very real and meaningful feeling. One of the most touching films was of Gabe Stahl’s grandfather, Kurt Jahoda, who was on the first Kindertransport when Nazi Germany was rising to power. Before this course I had never personally known a Holocaust survivor or anyone else who did but the interview with Mr. Jahoda made the Holocaust feel much more personal because I knew someone who was related to him. Previously, my studies of the Holocaust left me feeling as if it was such a distant event and I felt no real connection to the people affected but this made it seem more relatable. I felt a need to praise both Gabe and Mr. Jahoda for their bravery to discuss such difficult events and this was by far one of the intersting things we did throughout the year.

In the last few weeks of the course, we dove into the atrocities of the Holocaust and took a first hand look at what really happened. The series of movies and documentaries we watched were some of the most difficult but powerful things I had ever seen and they opened my eyes to the true nature of the Holocaust. The movies The Pianist, Uprising, The Grey Zone, and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas were some of the most inspirational yet terrifying movies I had ever watched. While I did enjoy seeing the courage many displayed during the Holocaust, I was very disturbing to see how the Jews were treated by the Nazis and I was amazed at how utterly cruel a person could be to another human being. In particular, the endings of The Grey Zone and The Boy in the Striped Pajamas were the most memorable moments I had in the class because of the saddening outcomes for the victims of the Holocaust. Never before had a movie moved me to almost crying and I was amazed at the terrifying emotion they invoked in me. These movies were then followed by a documentary detailing what was found in the concentration camps at the end of the war and the images shown only confirmed the devastation against the victims of the Holocaust. The final weeks of the course were by far the most intense moments I have ever experienced in a class and the images I saw are ones that have made a major impact on my life.

Overall, this course has taught me much more than simple facts about history. It has taught me what it means to be a person who is not afraid to stand up for what they know is right. It has taught me that prejudice and hate can only lead to horrible outcomes. It has taught me the importance of facing the hard truths of this world. One of the main reasons this course has had such a major impact on me was the passionate and dedicated teaching style of Mr. Gallagher. It was obvious to me from the first day I stepped into his room that this was much more than a time to teach a timeline of events. Mr. Gallagher set out to teach us what it means to be a productive and fair member of society who upholds moral code and he successfully did so by leading by example. Never before had a person been able make truths of this world so clear to me and I have nothing but respect and admiration for his ability to teach and his passion for the subject. I truly feel he has made the course what it is today. With his help I feel I have not only become a better student who is not afraid to discuss the often difficult issues of our world but also a person who knows the importance of living by moral code and sharing its value to others. The lessons I learned in this course will undoubtedly stay with me for many years to come and I know now that it is important to never forget where I have came from or lose sight of where I am going.

Works Cited

“Nazi Youth Member”. Google Images. Image, 18 May 2011.

“Prisoners at Auschwitz”. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

“Shot from The Boy in the Striped Pajamas”. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

“Nazi Military Rally”. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

“Entrance to Auschwitz”. Google Images. Image. 19 May 2011.