As I prepare to fly out of Warsaw after an incredible 10 days in Poland, I am feeling the unbelievable weight and responsibility of what I just experienced. At our going away dinner, Tsipy reminded everyone on the trip that now, it’s on us. Our trip does not end here; the journey of educating others is just starting.
Throughout the week, we have heard so many heartbreaking stories, learned incomprehensible facts, and experienced fractions of the difficult experiences that victims suffered through during the Holocaust. Over the course of the week, I struggled with documenting what I was experiencing. How can I take a picture of something when I can’t even look at what is in front of me? How can I bring what I am feeling back to students without them experiencing it themselves firsthand? How can I do any of this experience any of the justice it deserves? I have felt inadequate as an educator surrounded by other brilliant teachers, guides, and professors.
During our final reflection, a colleague helped me deal with these questions when she said, “Be gentle with yourself. You’re doing the work.” It made me realize that just experiencing this gives me the tools I need to talk about it. Maybe I cannot show a picture of what I experienced because I was unable to take it in the moment, but by talking about what I felt in that moment, it can be just as powerful and informative. Maybe I cannot remember every single date Adam shared with us on tour, but if I can share even some of the stories, dilemmas, and general knowledge that he shared, along with my own personal feelings, I am enriching my students’ learning about these difficult topics. While providing my students with EVERYTHING is impossible, if I even bring a fraction of what I learned to the classroom, this trip will have been worth it. Thanks to Classrooms Without Borders and all of my colleagues on the trip, I have the information, resources, and people I need to make a difference in my students’ lives
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