The day after a photograph of a drowned Syrian boy went viral, another image of the same child appeared below the headlines in The Toronto Star. I sat at my kitchen table reading the article shaking my head and covering my mouth with my hand.

As an educator I often wonder what students remember once they have left my classroom. It is my hope that when they leave they take with them critical thinking skills, the ability to engage in difficult conversations, and a deeper understanding of how we are all connected - in the past, present, and future. Through all of my various attempts to learn from my students what they are getting out of their Facing History and Ourselves class, I have found that the best way to find out what students are learning is to ask them.

Each year, at the end of our grade 11 elective Facing History and Ourselves course, Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, we take the time to reflect on our learning and ourselves. This year a group of students from my classroom chose to participate in a reflective interview process in lieu of their final journal entry assignment, and agreed to share their reflections.

Below, as inspired by the popular blog Humans of New York and the Facing History project, Humans of the Woodlands, you'll have the chance to glimpse into the classroom learning and life of a few of my Facing History and Ourselves students.

Bullying. Ostracism. Peer pressure. Exclusion. Most teachers have faced these destructive forces at one point or another and struggled with how to address these issues in the classroom. This is how Facing History and Ourselves helped prepare me for confronting these issues in my classroom.

Early in my teaching career I came across Voltaire's aphorism, which states, “perfect is the enemy of good.”^[1] As my fifth year as a middle school teacher, and my first year as a Facing History teacher comes to a close, I developed a new appreciation for this message.

Ten months ago, shortly after participating in the Facing History and Ourselves: Holocaust and Human Behaviour seminar, I wrote a blog post detailing my plans for my first year as a Facing History and Ourselves teacher. I strongly believe in the power that the Facing History and Ourselves curriculum offers students, and I wanted to make sure I lived up to what it meant to be a Facing History teacher. During the year, I found myself chasing the “perfect” lessons, which I hoped would chain together to create the “perfect” unit, and the “perfect” year. Here is what I have learned since then.

In 2013, Waterdown District High School teacher Robert Flosman applied for and won a Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grant to create a Museum of History in his classroom as a way to engage students deeply and differently in the study of history. In November 2014, he wrote a post for this blog describing his museum. One year later, Rob has more to tell us about the museum Facing History and Ourselves’ grant made possible.

At the release of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s final report, the call to educate all Canadians about the treatment and legacy of Residential Schools was loud and clear.

Facing History high school teacher Cheryl Payne-Stevens embarked on this important (and daunting!) task with her students and shared her experience with us:

Making Breakthroughs: Using Spoken Word Poetry to Teach History

An innovative new collaboration took place last spring connecting classrooms and teaching students literacy and performance skills through the study of history and spoken word poetry. “Stand Up, Speak Out,” a four-week program designed by Facing History and Ourselves, brought professional spoken word artists into Grade 11 classrooms as part of a unit of study that explores the history of genocide and issues of identity, tolerance, and community.

Spoken word artist Matthew Jones, stage name Testament, speaking with Facing History students in Canada. Photo Credit: Nick Kozak

“Spoken word developed as a platform for social commentary, social justice issues, and advocacy – giving people a voice to be heard in a forum where words rule,” said Jasmine Wong, Facing History program associate in  Toronto, who helped develop the resources and teaching strategies for the unit. “Like any art, spoken word has the power to move us, to stretch our ideas, and to create change.” Over the course of the project, four artists visited Grade 11 “Genocide and Crimes Against Humanities” classrooms at four different schools from Toronto to Hamilton. During the visits, the artists discussed the history of spoken word and shared techniques for writing and performing poetry. They prompted students to write and speak about the community and global issues that matter to them, and reviewed the students’ written and performed work with the class. “This was a natural fit into our curriculum,” said Rob Flosman, one of four teachers participating in the project. Flosman, who is the assistant head of history at Waterdown District High School in Hamilton, has worked with Facing History for the past three years. “We prepared for the project by reflecting on the types of questions we consider all semester: ‘What creates hate?’ ‘What creates injustice in society?’ We looked at national and global moments from history as well as current events through media clips,” he said. “It’s been incredible to watch my kids come alive – they’re just on fire.” “When I first heard about it, I wasn’t that excited. It sounded like just another project, and I’m not too much into hip hop or anything,” said Waterdown District High School student Reilly McCleary, 16. “But in that first session, the visiting artist asked us to think about the things that bug us – politically, socially, economically. Things started coming into my head. It’s really hard in high school to try to communicate these bigger picture ideas out to other students. This has really been a perfect way for me to communicate these world views that are otherwise hard to talk about.” McCleary, whose brother is a soldier, wrote a piece called “Ignorance” as part of the project. “It’s about how ignorance creates conflict, is a catalyst for conflict,” he said. “As a high school student, it’s very hard to get out and speak out,” he said. “This was a gateway to letting yourself be heard.” “To be able to relate to history, you need to be able to see your place in that history,” said Matthew Jones, one of the professional spoken word artists involved in the project. Jones, who goes by the stage name Testament, regularly works with educators and classrooms throughout Canada. “Oftentimes, the voice of young people is a voice that isn’t heard or isn’t validated, which I know is one of the worst feelings in the world,” he said. “Kids have things to say. They’re concerned about the way society judges people and labels them. They’re aware of their self-image, of name calling, of bullying. These issues are just so relevant to them. The ability to express yourself regardless of  what you’re expressing is something that needs to be shaped and utilized. If we suffer in silence, we bottle things down.”

[caption id="attachment_2524" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Students at Riverdale Collegiate in Toronto with spoken word artist Lishai Peel. Photo credit Nick Kozak[/caption]

As part of the project, the students from the different schools involved used digital media to connect with each other, share their work, and explore content and primary source materials that inspire them. “I have always wanted to make a difference in the world, but I never knew how,” Toronto student Aisha P. posted on the project Facebook group. “Now, since I’ve learned a little bit more about the world, I feel like I can go out and maybe help make a difference, however small it may be.” For the final assignment, each student will create a spoken word piece and will perform it in front of their peers, educators, and the visiting artist. To celebrate the project’s culmination, representatives from each school will perform alongside the professional artists at a free event, open to the public. Also called “Stand Up, Speak Out,” the event takes place April 24 at the Royal Ontario Museum’s Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre at 7:30 p.m. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Bring it to your classroom: Five Facing History Resources That Use Poetry to Build Skills Facing History's Julia Rappaport wrote this article. For questions or tips on how you're using Facing History in your classroom, email her at Julia_Rappaport@facing.org. April is National Poetry Month. Which poems will you share with your students? We'd love to hear from you! Tweet your answer to  @facinghistory . "I am from a day where the colour of my skin, the ethnicity I have doesn't matter because I am a human" - Aisha P.  Ancestors     "Knowing the past is knowing your future: From the history within your ancestry; Knowing details within your moral compass; With the crimes against humanity." - Jason R. Identity Poem "We need to pierce our darkness with our light Make it fear our conscience’s might" - Rajaat G.  Dark Passenger

Earlier in May, Facing History and Ourselves announced the 2015 winners of our annual Margot Stern Strom Innovation Grants. Facing History selected nine projects, all of which focus on collaborative learning, and were selected from a pool of international applications for their potential to inspire students to make a difference.

When I first looked at exploring human rights issues in my grade nine English class, I struggled with finding the right medium to help my students to dig deeply. The idea behind using slam poetry came from my student teacher, Andrew. Andrew believed that the personal stories of those directly affected by things like unfair laws, tragedies, and war would most help students understand human rights and why they are integral to our world.

Over the years I have had many conversations with colleagues about how the Facing History and Ourselves’ Scope and Sequence—the framework for investigating atrocities in history—works in our classrooms. One of the topics that is brought up often is the last phase, Choosing to Participate.