Daniel Shaner Discusses Empathy and the Holocaust
Daniel Shaner describes the overwhelming affect the Tree of Life massacre had on his reasoning for his teachings on the Holocaust and empathy in his article for Education Dive. Shaner has decided that empathy is the route his class must take, in order to be prepared for a future that may seem bleak and concerning, but can be filled with strength and hope instead.
October 27, 2018 was a wake-up call, but perhaps it should not have been. The Holocaust did not become relevant that day. Ideally, we were already prepared and teaching the Holocaust. No one could have predicted what happened that day, but, by understanding the lessons of the Holocaust—that hate can only be stopped by people standing against it, that each of us has the power to make a difference, and that we all have a duty to each other—we are better prepared to survive the perils of the modern world, and so are our students.
-Daniel Shaner