Teaching U.S. students about the Holocaust can be very challenging due to the complexity of the subject matter and the difficulty for today’s youth to fully comprehend the massive scope of tragic events that took place in Europe almost a century ago.

To support educators who want to teach about the Holocaust in K-12 classrooms, the Virginia Holocaust Museum (VHM) established The Alexander Lebenstein Teacher Education Institute (TEI) in 2002. 

“We want to ensure that historically accurate information is taught about the Holocaust, using best practices for approaching a difficult topic combined with historical resources and the personal stories of Survivors,” said Megan Ferenczy, Director of Education at the VHM. “We want educators to feel confident in their teaching about the Holocaust.” 

The TEI program, “From Context to Classroom,” is currently offered during the summer and is divided into two parts, each lasting 2.5 days.

• Part I provides an overview including concepts of genocide the history of antisemitism, the rise of Hitler, Nazi-occupied Europe and ghettoization, and Jewish responses to Nazi persecution, and oral history and archives at the VHM, among other topics. Participants have an opportunity to hear testimony and learn from a Holocaust Survivor.

• Part II offers a deeper dive into the subject matter with sessions about the harsh laws and restrictions imposed upon Jewish people during the Nazi regime, issues with collaboration and complicity during the Holocaust, and eugenics in the U.S. The course also explores other victims of the Holocaust, including political opponents, men accused of homosexuality and Afro-Germans. A visit from a local Holocaust Survivor is included in the agenda. 

In 2015, the VHM began collaborating with Dr. Melissa Kravetz at  Longwood University to create the current TEI course curriculum designed to equip educators – primarily in middle and high schools – with the tools and resources to teach this important history with depth and sensitivity. 

Since that time, Longwood University’s Professional Studies Office utilizes the TEI description for Renewal Options in the Virginia Licensure Renewal Manual to suggest appropriate professional development points for teachers. 

All participants earning those points are advised to work with their educational employing agency to verify and classify each course offered.

Prior to the start of Part I, Dr. Kravetz requires participants to read “War and Genocide” by Doris Bergen. “They write a paper on how the book impacted or changed their perspective and impressions about the Holocaust,” she said. 

She noted that teachers in the TEI program provide instruction in a variety of subjects such as English, history and social studies. “Teachers get a very in-depth perspective of the Holocaust in these three-day sessions,” said Dr. Kravetz. “Also, they are introduced to text and digital resources at the museum and resources at other Holocaust institutions, and they can engage with a Holocaust Survivor. It’s a very immersive experience and I love working with these K-12 teachers in the summer.”

Ferenczy shared that approximately 2,000 teachers have gone through the TEI programs. “We’ve had teachers from Virginia, of course, but also from California, Maryland, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wisconsin,” she said. The VHM offers $500 travel scholarships to help cover travel, lodging and meals for teachers traveling more than 50 miles to Richmond.

Ferenczy has received numerous expressions of appreciation from teachers who have completed TEI programs at the Virginia Holocaust Museum. Here’s a small sampling of the comments:

“TEI I and II are absolutely two of the best professional development programs I have ever attended. I learned so much from each and every session, much of which I have incorporated into my lessons and activities. It is invaluable to participate in a program that adequately and seamlessly blends topic content and methods of teaching, regardless of grade level or content area. This is critical now more than ever as we teach each new generation about the Holocaust.” 

Kendall Barlow, who teaches 7th and 8th grade history at Atlantic Shores Christian School in Chesapeake, Va. 

“Attending the TEI program last summer at the Virginia Holocaust Museum was a deeply rewarding and moving experience. The session with survivor Halina Zimm left a lasting impact, and the timeline activity has become a powerful tool in my classroom, helping students connect with and revere the history of the Holocaust. I also value the meaningful connections I made with fellow educators across the state, many of whom I continue to collaborate with today. I valued my experience so much that I brought my United States History students on a field trip to the museum and plan to continue this enriching tradition.”

Amanda Sadler, a U.S. history teacher at Brunswick Academy Upper School in Lawrenceville, Va.

 

For more information about TEI programs at the VHM, visit https://www.vaholocaust.org/about-tei/.

 

The Virginia Holocaust Museum, located at 2000 E. Cary Street, preserves and documents the Holocaust in exhibits and its archival collections. Through the permanent exhibits, educational programming and outreach, the museum employs the history of the Holocaust and other genocides to educate and inspire future generations of Virginians to fight