November 16, 2018 Educating Our Children In Difficult Times With the recent unspeakable tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, along with reports of anti-Semitism in area high schools, some members of our Jewish community have rightfully inquired about our approach to educating students about the Holocaust and the history of genocide. I want to reassure the entire Madison community that our schools have a deep dedication and commitment to meaningfully incorporating the study of these topics in our core curriculum that reaches all students. We are educators. We are at our best when we are left to do what we are professionally trained to do…teach. By meaningfully building these topics into our curriculum, we can reach all students with some of our most important work. Although we do in fact begin instruction about different religions and traditions as early as kindergarten, below are just some of the highlights of our overall instructional program.. Guaranteed Curriculum Experience For All Students Beginning in grade 3, we approach the history of Connecticut, including the conflicts between the Colonists from Great Britain and the Native Americans, in an age-appropriate manner. This course of content includes an early understanding of genocide in relation to the Connecticut tribes and the Colonists. Again, this is done in an age-appropriate approach. View Grade 3 Unit 2 Curriculum on our website. With more sophisticated learners in grade 7, our Social Studies curriculum begins a deeper look into 20th Century Europe. The second unit in grade 7 is about acceptance and understanding of various cultures, religions, and belief systems throughout the world. The events of 20th century Europe is the primary lens. Students analyze the complexities of human rights, equality, and governance, and consider examples when belief systems have been, and continue to be, manipulated by individuals or groups in order to maintain power and control. Students are asked to critically analyze the role of propaganda and divisive language to manipulate the masses. Students consider the historical significance of the League of Nations and the United Nations, with applications and connections to modern day. Students hypothesize how to develop religious acceptance and understanding for the purpose of community building and coexisting as allies. Specifically, students are taught the systematic development of the Holocaust by the Nazis. View the Grade 7 Unit 2 Curriculum Grade 7 Unit 3 Social Studies Grade 8 Unit 5 Language Arts Grade 9 Unit 6: Grades 10-12 Modern Middle East (Elective Course): The second unit of this elective course invites students to investigate the deep and complex history of Israel and Palestine in order to build an understanding of how the conflict between people in these nations is linked to broader tensions across the Middle East. Ultimately, the goal of this unit is not to assign blame or debate solutions, but to develop empathy for the multiple perspectives of people who have lived and continue to live through this seemingly intractable struggle. Students begin by learning about the historical ties that both Jews and Palestinians have to the land, and grapple with questions of fairness related to the creation of Israel after the Holocaust as a permanent home for the world's Jews. Then, students explore significant turning points in the conflict during the 20th and 21st centuries. The performance task for this unit requires that students keep a journal from the perspective of one of four possible perspectives: a Zionist, a moderate internationalist Jew, a moderate Palestinian, or a militant, Hamas-influenced Palestinian. Also, the causes and patterns of anti-Semitism in Europe is studied in unit 2 of our Modern Middle East elective. This unit can be found here. Additional Experiences
This spring will mark the 10th year that Polson Middle School has hosted an interactive presentation with Holocaust survivor Judith Altman. Judith meets with all 7th and 8th grade students, sharing compelling stories with our students while also hosting a question and answer period.
Finally, on Wednesday, Polson Middle School completed step one of The Daffodil Project, a global initiative that started in 2010 as a way to build a Living Holocaust Memorial by planting 1.5 million daffodils around the world in memory of the children who perished. Since then, this youth-led initiative has grown to include support for all children who continue to suffer in the face of genocide and humanitarian crises in the world today, such as children in Darfur, South Sudan, and Rwanda. 423 bulbs were planted, one for each child in our school, and we look forward to the daffodils blooming in the spring. Final Note It is a sad reality, but it must be acknowledged, that given the pace of events in our world today, it is simply impossible to incorporate every conflict, every tension, or every mistreatment of any population naturally into our curriculum. However, there is a way to naturally incorporate broad understandings and intellectual capacities into each and every unit of instruction, across all subjects from kindergarten through high school. For six years our schools have worked tirelessly to integrate these 15 capacities for success in the current world and beyond. I urge you to look over this one page document to understand the deep commitment our schools have to substantive learning beyond the mere acquisition of factual knowledge. These capacities will enable our children to thrive in the world they will enter when they graduate, no matter how imposing that world may appear to us today.
Superintendent of Schools QUICKLINKS 10 Campus Drive • Madison, CT 06443 • (203) 245-6300 |