As a class we have been studying World History and specifically the Holocaust. Obviously this is an important event, 6 million Jews were killed by Hitler and his Nazi regime, but I really wanted my students to have more than a numerical understanding of what took place.
First of all to teach a sensitive subject such as the Holocaust it is important to remember to include all the factual information, but it is also important for the students to make a personal connection to the event to truly take steps towards removing the kind of racism and discrimination that led to the death of so many. I could go on and on about how to try and attempt this but the key is that there must be some level of self reflection in which you the student or person can place yourself in the shoes of someone living through the Holocaust to really fully (to the best of your ability) understand the scope of this terrible event.
This culminated in my showing of the movie Life is Beautiful. If you have not yet rented this movie, go now and get it......I mean it, right now, STOP READING THIS AND GET OFF YOUR REAR AND RENT IT...
Well if you are still here you must have gone and rented the movie and are preparing to watch it (It is Better subtitled - but that is just my preference). The Point of this whole bloggin story is that I watched this movie a few years ago and it impacted me, but today as I watched it with my students I realized that there are many things that are different than they were the first time I watched it. Today I am married, a father, a husband, and this has changed my life. I hadn't thought about this for a while but my life is so different... and when I watched this movie I realized how much.
This man lives to protect the innocence of his child, to love his wife with all his heart despite the physical boundaries of a concentration camp, and in the middle of all this mess protects the beauty of Life for his son who is not aware of what is going on around him.
May I become a Man like this Man.
