“You’re either part of the
solution or part of the problem”
During
this autumn, when children and grown-ups in Syria have been brutally murdered
by gasings, we are reminded of how necessary it is for every generation to
develop a moral standing against genocide and be ready to act in solidarity,
with civil courage (In Danish: Folkedrab).
Jonathan
Glower writes in "Humanity. A moral history of the twentieth
century", "... The evidence suggests that those who rescued victims
of the Nazis had not been given a rigidly disciplined upbringing. When they
were children, parents had shown them respect, giving them reasons rather than
orders. Respect may create a climate where moral identity can grow. Evidence
from Nazi-occupied countries suggests that cultures may have climates which
vary in their support for the growth of moral identity.
Although
most people can do little about their own upbringing or about the culture they
live in, the robustness of the sense of moral identity is not entirely outside
a person's own control. There is scope for partial self-creation."
In
this newsletter, a few examples highlight how to support self-creation of moral
identity through teaching and learning experiences:
Genocide
-
"The topic of genocide should not be discussed prior to grade six, because
although younger students have the ability to empathize with the victims of
genocide, they have difficulty understanding genocide in its historical
context." Quote from Dr. Lynch at "How
should the topic of Genocide be taught in schools?" (web magazine)
- “United to End Genocide” on "What is Genocide?
(webpage)
-
“US Holocaust Memorial Museum” on
-“Teaching Tolerance” on
The Armenian Genocide
Holocaust
-
“The United States Holocaust Museum”:
Many other reminders of the violence inflicted by humans on other human beings
"… between 1946 and 2001, the world witnessed approximately fifty
major ethnic conflicts, fromRwanda through the former Yugoslavia to Indonesia and
Sri Lanka. Although many of these conflicts have been resolved, the emergence
of new conflicts and continuing efforts to understand the horrific crimes of
the past remain as constant reminders of the violence inflicted by humans on
other human beings.” P. 260-261 in Roads &
Szelenyi (2011): Global Citizenship and the University. Advancing Social Life
and Relations in an Interdependent World.
- “United to End Genocide” on "Past Genocides &
Mass Atrocities" (website)
The Freedom Writers
….is now an organisation that supports students and teachers in creating
learning through self-development and struggle for a better life, even in the
most despairing environments.
The beginning was the experience of a novice teacher, Erin Gruwell, in a
school in South Los Angeles. Here every student knew someone who had been
murdered in the streets. At some point she uttered in despair that her students
had too much self pity. They thought no one, even during the Holocaust, had
been in a situation worse than theirs. When she received the question
"What is Holocaust?", she used this window of opportunity to
introduce Anne Frank's diary. Her students marveled at the civil courage of
Miep Gies, the lady who hid the Frank family for years. When they found out she
was still alive, they raised funds and invited her to the US and their
classroom and she came. They continued by reading the diary of a young girl (Zlata Filipovic) written during the
siege of Sarajevo, when snipers were killing people everyday. They also invited
her, and were inspired to write about their own situations of mixed despair and
hope. They decided to call themselves "Freedom Writers", Inspired by
the “Freedom Riders" that challenged the race discrimination laws in the (US)
South during the 1960s. They had ridden busses and sat on "White
Only"-seats, even when they were harassed and beaten.
-Fim
and TV serial The
Diary of Anne Frank (Wikipedia article)
-
A detailed account is found in the book by Erin Gruwell (1999): “The
Freedom Writers Diary: How a teacher and 150 teens Used Writing to Change Themselves
and the World Around Them” (summary in Wikipedia article)
l-
Another book by Erin Gruwell (2007): ”Teach With Your Heart” (Presentation,
reviews & sample pages)
-
The students have created an association "Freedom Writers Foundation" that keeps on
spreading the ideas and supports students in need and have expanded to 250
communities.
A cautionary note: It is
relevant to combine teaching about genocide with evaluating resources on the Internet
(source criticism (in Danish: Kildekritik) An example:
A second cautionary
note: As judgment differs from country to country about what is appropriate
to watch at a given age, then every teacher must rely on his/her professional
judgment when selecting video resources for use.
Concluding remarks: An
examination of genocide allows students to consider what it means to be a
compassionate human being and a responsible world citizen. In the words of the
philosopher George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are
condemned to repeat it". And, in the words of Elridge Cleaver “You’re
either part of the solution or part of the problem”.
This text is "Teach GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP" newsletter no. 7
Copenhagen & Frostburg, Maryland October 2013
____________________________________________________________________
To read any of
the previous newsletters simply visit
the blog http://teachglobalcitizenship.blogspot.dk/
Yours
Egon Hedegaard,
Independent
instructor and Developer of Education
Email:
eghedegaard@gmail.com
____________________________________________________________________
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