Holocaust tour helps Manitoba teachers tackle difficult subject
Casey Whitfield’s voice cracked and he began to cry as he recalled the children’s drawings — one of which depicts an adult being hanged — on display in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Casey Whitfield, a Winnipeg teacher, found himself overcome with emotion as he viewed children's drawings depicting adult executions during his recent visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. The first annual Holocaust Memorial Sites Study Tours for Educators trip, costing $205.00 + GST annually, provided a 15-day educational experience for Manitoba teachers to confront the subject of the Holocaust.
The tour included visits to Warsaw, Treblinka, and Majdanek, with participants also stopping at Hartheim Castle, a facility that killed people with disabilities during the Nazi regime. The 30 teachers who attended the trip, organized by the Holocaust Memorial Sites Study Tours for Educators, aim to build their confidence to teach about antisemitism and the Holocaust.
Curriculum developer Kelly Hiebert, a co-founder of the non-profit, said the program filled a gap in professional development opportunities. The new Manitoba curriculum, which includes Holocaust education in grades 6, 9, and 11, has been met with positive feedback from teachers like Whitfield, who plan to share their experiences with colleagues.
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