Triad students learn about Holocaust differently
GREENSBORO, N.C. (WGHP) — Inside John Haynes' classroom at the Early College at Guilford, every lesson taught is important, but a particular lesson on resistance during the Holocaust feels personal.
'This is an important topic … The direct eyewitnesses are getting older and passing away,' said Haynes, who teaches AP World History. 'It's going to be up to the new generation to be the witness to what happened in the Holocaust.'
In June 2024, Haynes was one of 36 public school teachers from across North Carolina selected to participate in an intensive weeklong course on the Holocaust in Poland at no cost to them.
The teachers visited numerous sites across Poland over the course of eight days and received 50 to 60 hours of instruction.
So has it helped?
'It has … Events like today are an example of that because this is not allotted for in my scope and sequence of this course,' Haynes said. 'It's something that needs to be carved out. Going to Poland and having that experience that we had last summer that's just motivation for that.'
The trip was led by retired Greensboro Rabbi Fred Guttman with the idea being that educators who better understand the Holocaust will more effectively teach it to their students.
'In every instance that I know of, they [the teachers] are profoundly affected by it as individuals, and they've managed to find a way to incorporate it into the learning,' Guttman said. 'And that is so incredibly significant.'
Guttman has led two summer teacher trips over the past two years with his third coming up in June 2025. Guttman funds the trips to Poland for the teachers through year-round fundraising and generous donations.
'If we do 35 teachers a year, in theory, we would be educating at the end of those three years through the teachers, 20,000 to 25,000 students,' Guttman said. 'And it just grows every year.'
The education shines a light on a dark time in history and focuses not only on the murders of six million Jews and millions of others during the Holocaust but also on the stories of those brave enough to stand up to evil.
'I often tell them that at some point, you as a human … need to start thinking, 'What would I do if a situation like this arises again? How will I respond?'' Haynes said. 'Maybe … not take for granted what they do have and understand that it can be lost quickly.'
The North Carolina General Assembly passed the Gizella Abramson Holocaust Education Act in November 2021 mandating Holocaust education in public middle and high schools.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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