Introduction

Facing History and Ourselves is a must for all seniors to take. I do think it should be open to other grades to take but at the same time, seniors are at a more mature level in their lives and they can truly value, appreciate, and grow from the content of the course more so than kids from other grades. Facing History and Ourselves is a truly phenomenal class that has only been taught at Westborough High School for three short years by Mr. Gallagher. In it you will learn about so many different things regarding history and how exactly some of the most horrific events in history occurred. You will learn a lot about yourself as an individual in this course, as well. You will gain respect for others as well as yourself. The majority of the semester is spent watching films and documentaries about prominent events in world history. These films and documentaries are very engaging and informative. You can also expect to do some group work, where every member’s opinion is always valued, as well as posting a few blog entries in response to classroom activities. Some main topics of focus include the world in terms of me, you, and us as well as the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide, and the racism in the United States between the whites and the African Americans. I chose to take the course because I heard fabulous reviews about it and because I am Armenian so I wanted to learn more about my people. I also just find such topics to be interesting. This course made me look at my peers in a different light. It helped me realize that every single person in the school is fighting their own battle so it is imperative that we stay kind to others.

Traditional Jewish death camp uniform during the Holocaust.



Essay

I learned about Facing History and Ourselves when I was a sophomore. My older brother was a senior and he himself had signed up for the class. It was the night of open house during the 08/09 school year. My dad went to go meet my brother’s teachers and my mom went to go meet mine. Afterwards, we all gathered in the family room and talked to each other about the night. We spoke about all of the different classes and the teachers’ expectations when the topic of Facing History and Ourselves came up. My dad was really impressed with what Mr. Gallagher was going to be teaching his students in the course and he even mentioned that Mr. Gallagher would be teaching about the Armenian Genocide as part of the course. As a young American-Armenian girl, this meant the world to me. I had never been in a classroom setting where I had learned about the genocide of my ancestors. I had learned plenty on my own time but to know that there was a teacher in this school that would further educate me and possibly just be introducing the subject to my classmates meant a lot to me. At that point, I knew I had to take the course my senior year.



My inspiration for taking the course. A map and timeline of the Armenian Genocide.

Two years later, during the second semester of my senior year, I walked into Mr. Gallagher’s room to begin my personal Facing History and Ourselves journey. I was not really sure about what to expect but I had heard many amazing reviews about the class from my peers. Mr. Gallagher started off the course with the "ourselves" part of Facing History and Ourselves. One of our first activities is also probably one of the activities that had the greatest impact on me during the entire semester. We read a short story aloud titled "The Bear That Wasn’t". In this story, there was a bear that went around from business to business trying to get a job. He could not get a job because at every major company that he went to, the people there tried to convince him that he was not a bear but actually a man in a coat that desperately needed to shave. Unfortunately, the bear heard that one statement so many times that he began to believe that it was true. He started acting less like a bear and more like a man in a coat that desperately needed to shave. This made the bear extremely unhappy and confused. This story showed me that it is important to disregard the opinions of others about you. People need to stay true to themselves and their beliefs and never fall for those of others. After all, if you don’t stand for anything, you’ll fall for everything. It is important to be your own person with your own opinions and it is also very important to have self confidence. Personally, this meant a lot to me because I have been bullied in the past. People would spread rumors about me and label me as certain things based on those rumors. Just like the bear, I began to believe those rumors a little and it really made me feel pretty rotten. I overcame those days though. I know someone else’s opinion about me really does not and should not matter. I know who I am and I am very proud of the life I lead.



The bear is being convinced he is a man in a coat that needs to shave rather than an actual bear.

A second activity in the Facing History and Ourselves course that I found most rewarding was when we viewed the movie, The Uprising. This film showed what life was like during the Holocaust at a Jew’s perspective. It showed how the Jewish people banded together and used their heads to fight back against the German Nazis. I thought this film was particularly fascinating because when I think about the Holocaust, I really did not think much about the Jewish side of things prior to taking this course. All I really focused on was the fact that the Nazis were killing the Jews and the Jews were completely defenseless. It never really crossed my mind that the Jews actually fought back, which may sound silly, but they did. Given their circumstances, they were still able to obtain firearms and explosives. They came up with intricate plots in order to eliminate the Nazis. They definitely fought fire with fire and it really blew my mind. I gained even more respect for the Jewish people after viewing The Uprising because it truly shows their strength, courage, and determination as a race.

Movie cover for The Uprising.

A third classroom activity that I found to be most rewarding this semester was when we watched A Class Divided. This experiment was conducted by Mrs. Ellis, an American grade school teacher many years ago. During the time of her teachings, there was an abundance of racism in America between the African Americans and the whites. Mrs. Ellis thought it would be best to teach these kids firsthand that racism is not the answer in any situation by creating an activity that would help them grasp it easier. One day in the week she said the children with blue eyes were the superior people in the class. They got extra play time at recess, could lead the classroom line, and got more of Mrs. Ellis’s attention. As a result, the brown eyed children were looked down upon greatly. The next day, Mrs. Ellis switched it up and said the brown eyed children would be the superior children and the blue eyed kids were then looked down upon. Some of the children reacted very angrily during this exercise which really got them to understand how serious racism was. Mrs. Ellis is a true inspiration.



Mrs. Ellis conducting a similar activity with adults.

Overall, I am extremely satisfied with my choice of taking the Facing History and Ourselves course this year. It taught me so much about how hatred towards other individuals can really grow out of control and change the whole dynamic of the world in some situations. I was able to grow as an individual through this course because I was able to gain a bit more self confidence. Mr. Gallagher taught me to be proud of myself. He also said the most important thing a person can own is their name. I will forever cherish my Armenian roots and be proud of the name that I was given at birth. Anybody can make a difference in the world. Anyone can either help or hurt another individual or group of people through their words or actions. History is truly a cause of people’s actions, good or bad.

Works Cited

Works Cited

A Class Divided. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

Armenian Genocide Timeline.Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

The Bear That Wasn’t. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

Holocaust Timeline. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.

The Uprising. Google Images. Image. 18 May 2011.