I really struggled with pandemic teaching. I was very upset that after all I had experienced in the summer of 2019, visiting Lithuania and Poland, now it would be impossible to convey my passion for teaching the Holocaust. Two months into this remote learning, I could see how tired students were from the model and frankly, so was I.
It was hard to remain resilient.
Just when I was ready to surrender and accept defeat, my dear friend and UCONN Thomas E. Dodd Fellow, Kimberly Ballaro, came to the rescue. Ms. Ballaro is Director of The HERO Center and organized a Virtual Speakers Bureau where students could virtually meet with a Holocaust Survivor. I screamed with excitement as I read the email and called her immediately to set it up.
On June 2, I believe my students and I made history.
Sixty students and I participated in a Google Meet with 92 year-old Holocaust Survivor, Gisela Adamski. She was accompanied by her daughter and three granddaughters for moral support. She was quite savvy with the technology and was just amazing.
Prior to meeting with her, my students watched the documentary Gisela's Legacy, about her experience and answered reflection questions. I was blown away by their participation. Their questions were sensitive, meaningful, and poignant. Some questions they asked were:
What gave you the strength to persevere?
What role, if any, did your Jewish faith play in your experience?
What message do you want for our generation to take away from your experience?
She was honest and open. I could barely keep up with all the questions as they filtered through the chat box.
Then there was the last question, particularly relevant to the current events:
What do you think of all the protests and racial injustice addressed by the Black Lives Movement?
To which Mrs. Adamski said, "well if I wasn't in my 90's I'd be protesting as well!"
My students' eyes gleamed. She told them to not give up or forget.
She inspired my students to use their voices for change and she reminded us of 2020's life lesson: resilience.
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