Lessons

I realized that many of my assignments at work is teaching me more about what I thought I knew. I shall explain.

Two days ago, the second grade social studies teacher came up to me and asked me if I could write about my favorite book during junior high school for some of the students. Of course I agreed. I spend a couple of minutes racking my brain trying to figure out what books we actually read aside from the Houghton Mifflin reader or R.L. Stine in my own spare time.

Then, it came to my mind. The horrible images of the Holocaust documentaries, Schindler's List, and the Diary of Anne Frank came rushing in.

I decided to write about The Diary of Anne Frank as the most memorable book during junior high school. I had two objectives. One, I wanted to teach the students a little bit about world history (though I have no idea what they already know) and two, I guess I wanted to see what kind of reaction I will get from the school for writing about such a sensitive subject.

However, as I attempted to explain the complicated history of the Holocaust in simple English, I realized that there's still a lot that I do not know.

Despite all the documentaries and visiting numerous museums dedicated to the Holocaust in Europe, I really don't know why the Jews were singled out. I know that other groups were persecuted too, but what made the Jews so distinct that millions of people were executed.

I am looking online to find the answers, but the cruelty of it all still leaves certain questions unanswered.