Facing History and Ourselves is a
course taught by Mr. Gallagher at WHS. This course runs for semester
long period of time. I personally am very pleased with the course I
believe that Mr. Gallagher does a phenomenal job showing the WHS
students past events and really going into detail with them unlike
any of the history courses do. Such as for the Holocaust the history
book we are given believes that it can cover all of the holocaust
with 6 measly pages, which is impossible. I took this course because
it was recommended for me by one of my friends last year and I
thought it would be very interesting to see what it had to offer. I
believe that after taking this course students learn how to respect
others in a different manner than the normal person would. I Believe
that it should be allowed to be taken not only by seniors and juniors
but by all of WHS because this is one of the most important classes
someone could ever take in their high school years. Some of the
topics covered by this course are Jim Crow Laws, Holocaust, Nazi
Germany, Discrimination in the United States and other countries. I
feel as though these sorts of topics are slowly disappearing from
existence, which is why I believe that this course should be taken by
students because it keeps them alive and it's a really life altering
course to take.
Andrew Ferreira's Blog
Friday, January 13, 2012
What Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me
What
Facing History and Ourselves Meant to Me
Over
the course of a semester I took the “Facing History and Ourselves”
class taught by Mr. Gallagher. This course I believe is very
important for every student not only in Westborough High School but
every high school to take, because each year the topics that this
class covers I believe are getting lost and people are starting to
forget the topics such as the Holocaust and all its concentration
camps. Which is why I believe that it’s important to keep this
class alive, and running so that all of WHS and other schools can get
to know about these important historical topics. This class really
showed me many things about these past events that I already wasn’t
aware of. Before taking this class I had the general idea of the
holocaust but “Facing History and Ourselves” really showed me
what it was like to be in the situation that those people were in.
As
a student this course really benefited in all good way. Because it
showed me that you shouldn't judge someone by the way that they talk,
move, their skin color etcetera. In no manner should you be judging
someone. When I came into this course I was what you would call a
bystander in a hazing situation, if someone was getting picked on
because of who they were before taking this course I would probably
stand back and just watch thinking to myself “Wow what an ass of a
person.” This of course would be going towards the person doing
committing that act of hazing or whatever the case may be. By taking
“Facing History and Ourselves” it had changed my whole mindset
towards that, and now that I have taken this course I would feel a
lot less reluctant to be walking down the halls and if I ever saw
anything happening like this, I would no doubt in my mind say
something towards that other student. This course not only did it
make me a better student in these ways but it has also made me a
better person in general. Before taking this course I would think in
my head before speaking to someone of different ethnicity, what if me
and this person won't have anything in common and I would reluctantly
approach this person to talk to them. Now I don't have that
resistance going towards someone to talk to them, Facing history
showed me that no matter what ethnicity or nationality or whatever
the person is like their just another person and you shouldn't be
disinclined to approach that person to have a conversation with them
especially if you see that they are getting called name and picked on
by someone else. This course showed me to not be worrisome to put
myself out there and help others when they are in need.
In
conclusion I thought that this whole course of Facing History and
Ourselves should be taken by every student from every high school
across the United States of America, because it keeps these subjects
alive not only the holocaust and nazi germany but also Facing History
had shown me new things that I didn't already know about in the Jim
Crow era and how the blacks were getting treated in our own country.
Which to me is sickening just thinking about that, discrimination
happened in our own “backyards”. I know for certain that every
student that took this class must have hopefully left with a
different mindset to make a difference in the world around them
because that is how I am personally feeling, I am very glad to have
taken this course because now I am no longer a bystander, I feel as
though I have broken free from that.
Works Cited
Google Images - Jim Crow Laws
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAjimcrow.htm&docid=GQUYmBOCNLYnqM&imgurl=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAjimcrow2.jpg&w=496&h=314&ei=lncQT6zXMera0QGZnLS5Aw&zoom=1
Google Images - Resi Kraus
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/luZmK4yArSQ/TpxPCBjTHcI/AAAAAAAAAPY/UMQ_U7ZSfXc/s200/Resi%252BKraus.jpg&w=200&h=179&ei=A3oQT8baLMTu0gGJiaCEAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=437&vpy=191&dur=1824&hovh=143&hovw=160&tx=94&ty=37&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Google Images - Gestapo
http://antithaksin.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/gestapo.jpg%253Fw%253D500&w=300&h=400&ei=J3oQT_uFNcaw0QGmZSHAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1329&vpy=165&dur=472&hovh=142&hovw=109&tx=89&ty=113&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0
Google Images - Swing Kids
http://ecx.imagesamazon.com/images/I/515KSP7D6XL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=QXoQT62Csbm0QGeu4ibAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=302&vpy=175&dur=619&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=145&ty=140&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Google Images - Boy In Striped Pyjamas
http://blogs.whatsontv.co.uk/movietalk/files/2009/03/boy-in-striped-pyjamas1.jpg&w=352&h=500&ei=e3oQT9HuGoO10QGjw-WnAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1083&vpy=158&dur=679&hovh=268&hovw=188&tx=95&ty=150&sig=103601937640928783192&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=110&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAjimcrow.htm&docid=GQUYmBOCNLYnqM&imgurl=http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAjimcrow2.jpg&w=496&h=314&ei=lncQT6zXMera0QGZnLS5Aw&zoom=1
Google Images - Resi Kraus
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/luZmK4yArSQ/TpxPCBjTHcI/AAAAAAAAAPY/UMQ_U7ZSfXc/s200/Resi%252BKraus.jpg&w=200&h=179&ei=A3oQT8baLMTu0gGJiaCEAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=437&vpy=191&dur=1824&hovh=143&hovw=160&tx=94&ty=37&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=143&tbnw=160&start=0&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Google Images - Gestapo
http://antithaksin.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/gestapo.jpg%253Fw%253D500&w=300&h=400&ei=J3oQT_uFNcaw0QGmZSHAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1329&vpy=165&dur=472&hovh=142&hovw=109&tx=89&ty=113&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=142&tbnw=109&start=0&ndsp=37&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0
Google Images - Swing Kids
http://ecx.imagesamazon.com/images/I/515KSP7D6XL._SL500_AA300_.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=QXoQT62Csbm0QGeu4ibAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=302&vpy=175&dur=619&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=145&ty=140&sig=103601937640928783192&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=153&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
Google Images - Boy In Striped Pyjamas
http://blogs.whatsontv.co.uk/movietalk/files/2009/03/boy-in-striped-pyjamas1.jpg&w=352&h=500&ei=e3oQT9HuGoO10QGjw-WnAw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1083&vpy=158&dur=679&hovh=268&hovw=188&tx=95&ty=150&sig=103601937640928783192&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=153&tbnw=110&start=0&ndsp=36&ved=1t:429,r:5,s:0
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