When I was in 8th grade, my class and I read The Diary of Anne Frank. As part of our reading, my teacher made some of us the “Jews,” and we had to wear yellow stars during class. Then he started treating us poorly–he ripped up our homework, wouldn’t let us use the restroom, and made us sit at the back of the room. One day we had enough and ran away to the French room, but he found us and had us removed from class. Throughout all of this, there was only one student who stood up to our teacher and told him what he was doing was wrong. This student wore glasses, was overweight, and was often picked on at school. Hence, no one really listened when he tried to tell our teacher that this was fundamentally wrong.
When the entire simulation was over, our teacher asked us why that student was the only one to question the teacher’s authority. Even though it was only a simulation, any time someone is being mistreated, it is our obligation to intercede and stop the aggressor. That lesson in 8th grade was one of the major reasons I joined the Army.
My 8th grade class finished reading The Diary of Anne Frank and Night a few weeks ago. I would never put them through the same simulation my teacher used on me, but I hope they take away the same important message. After reading the books and discussing them, each student group was charged with presenting information to the class in hopes that they will feel they need to intercede and stop aggressors.
Students Present Information about The Holocaust:
This simulation involved choosing how to stay alive.
