Engaging Students in English

A student once asked me why we're about to study The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. As a trained History AND English teacher, I told him that I felt it was important that the youth be made aware of the World Wars earlier than years 11 and 12 when the Senior Syllabus kicks in.

The point was then raised that we'd never be so bad as to hate a race of people. I asked him to think about this over the holidays, and, as a result, I couldn't get it out of MY head. This is my attempt at stimulating the senses and making my point: do we really learn from our past or shall we always be doomed to repeat the sins of our Fathers?

I would also like to make it perfectly clear that I am just raising some questions over FEAR. In no way am I suggesting anything else. I am attempting to make a CONTEMPORARY reference point for the students to work with (and believe me, after studying Rabbit Proof Fence, I could have made this a far more politicised presentation).

Please think, fellow Australians, did you change the way you looked at those from the Middle East after hearing of the Al-Qaeda links to the 9/11 attacks? All I am saying is that there are SIMILARITIES to now and circa 1930s-40s Germany. I am more than happy for this to be open to discussion, but please make it appropriate for school aged individuals to read.

Thank you.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• holocaust
• english
• classroom
• education
• boy
• striped
• pyjamas
• australia
• fear
• prejudice
• school
• johnston
• happyassassinator
• 911
• 9/11
• hypocrisy

[mebfeather]

I love it. Brilliant. Loved the Cronulla riots part - of course we'd never be like *them*... 0_o

I'd like to use this with my Year 8 class this term, to teach about intolerance - would that be ok with you?

[We do The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas in Year 8 - do you do the same? Also - one wonders if you'd have to give context to the 9/11 pictures - half my Year 9 class last year had no real idea what 9/11 was.]

[TheHappyAssassinator]

@mebfeather

I will be setting the context (regarding the 9/11 attacks) to the Year 8s before we start to study The Boy in Striped Pyjamas this term. Please, feel free to use the resource. Glad you found it useful. Cheers.

[pattygilmour]

now what your video lessons get progressively worse. Now your teaching young teenagers about things as brutal as the Holocaust. By the way I find this offensive as I am Jewish

[AlemceaCosey]

This video is amazing. It brings out so much emotion and really makes you think about what it is saying. I am blown away by the amount of pure emotion it invokes.