While reading this chapter, I recollected on the time back in my 6th grade history class when my teacher forced us to read The Diary of A Young Girl by Anne Frank. In case you’ve never read it, it is an actual diary kept by a young Jewish girl named Anne Frank that entailed her experiences while hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation in the Netherlands.
When I was first assigned the reading, I was thoroughly
annoyed that I had to read a novel for my history class in addition to our
regular textbook-centered activities. However, once I dug into this beautiful
text, I was enthralled. I distinctly remember staying up late to keep reading,
telling my family members about each chapter, and having discussions the next
day with my friends about the events we had read. I also remember shedding
actual tears at the end of the diary, which is saying a lot considering I was a
silly little preteen at the time. 
I think what made such a profound impact on me about The Diary of A Young Girl was the fact that it was not fiction; it was someone’s real life and real events. Instead of simply covering the Holocaust according to the textbook, my teacher believed reading this diary would allow us to put ourselves in the shoes of someone who actually lived through the Holocaust. As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a big history-lover. But because of this one novel, I developed a greater appreciation and interest in WW2 and the Holocaust, among other historical events covered in that course. To this day, I still fondly remember Anne Frank’s story and I’m grateful for my teacher’s (you go, Mrs. Butler!) integration of a text outside of the textbook.
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Emily
Emily
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ReplyDeleteEm... This is a great perspective. I too find myself dreading assigned reading. It's so funny when in the end I actually enjoyed the book and overall learned the needed material. I am not big on History, so when a teacher is able to use additional reading as a tool to help me relate to the material and become more engaged and interested then I'm forever grateful. I find things are easier to understand and easier to remember when you are able to relate to the material, which is obviously what your teacher used the additional reading for.
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Hi Emily! First of all, that gif is adorable. Moving on... I'm struck by the last impact of The Diary of Young Girl on you. And it brings up an interesting question regarding student choice, which is an issue several of your classmates have addressed. Despite your teacher requiring you to read the book, it nevertheless proved an important learning experience. I wonder, would you have picked that book on your own? Would other students have picked it? Are there certain texts that we as teachers should, as you say, "force" our students to read? We should discuss this in class, I think.
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