Classroom Stories

Facing History's impact is most profound one student, one teacher at a time. From classrooms across the U.S. and in countries as far away as Rwanda or the Czech Republic, we hear the echo of our lasting impact, and share them with you in our classroom stories.


	The Way We See It: L.A. Teens on Immigration Facing History students' classroom project results in a photography exhibition on view at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles In the fall of 2008, 73 Los Angeles area high school students participated in a Facing History leadership program designed to develop the students' civic leadership through an exploration of contemporary issues.
	Embracing Diversity Using The Children of Willesden Lane Robyn Gordon teaches 6th grade reading at Antonio Maceo Walker School in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended her first Facing History Institute in the summer of 2004. Here she shares her experience using Facing History strategies to teach The Children of Willesden Lane: "Since I am a reading teacher, I utilize the novels Facing History and Ourselves provides.
	Learning from "Witnesses to History" In schools where in-depth Facing History courses exist, and teachers "go long and go deep" on issues such as Holocaust and Human Behavior, Race and Membership in American History, Transitional Justice, and other topics, Facing History is often able to bring in a speaker as a culminating aspect of a unit of study.
	Choosing to Participate Exhibit Touches Many in the Immigrant Community "As an ESOL [English for Speakers of Other Languages] teacher, it is not always easy to find cultural or educational venues that are both easily understandable and intellectually challenging," says Anne Erde.
	A Teacher Asks: What Would You Be Willing To Stand Up For? A language arts teacher at Westlake High School in Ohio, Laura Miller created Stand Up, a video (that she uploaded permanently on the popular video hosting site YouTube) featuring participants at the Facing History seminar "Holocaust and Human Behavior," Facing History staff, and students at John Carroll University who answer the question, "What would you stand up for?" People responded passionately about human rights, genocide, faith, and their students.
	Character Education in Harrisburg School District: A Partnership with Facing History and Ourselves What happened to the nine African American students who integrated a high school in 1957 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and how the community reacted, has made a profound impact district-wide in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
	Iris Bradfield, Head of History, Friends School Lisburn, Northern Ireland Facing History at Friends School Lisburn (FSL) Iris Bradfield, Head of History, Friends School Lisburn Facing History and Ourselves Board Trip, Belfast, May 2008 My first involvement with the Facing History and Ourselves Programme was back in June 2006 when I was invited to attend a 3-day Holocaust and Human Behavior seminar in Belfast.
	A Democracy Classroom By Jocelyn Stanton Jocelyn Stanton teaches Humanities at Boston International High School in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. Here she reflects about a transformative moment with one of the students in her Humanities 4 class of juniors and seniors.
	Gillian Smith, Facing History School Principal Gillian Smith is one of those educators whose enthusiasm is contagious and whose energy seems boundless. Good thing, because as the headmaster of the Facing History School, Smith is at the helm of an exciting andchallenging endeavor-providing an in-depth Facing History experience over four years to every student.
	Ruth Dike: Memphis Student Leadership Group When Ruth Dike signed up for the Memphis Facing History Student Leadership Group as a freshman four years ago, she wasn't sure what to expect. Now a senior at White Station High School Ruth says the impact of Facing History on her way of looking at the world was much more than she could have ever expected.