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Kirsten Aarestad
Museum Teacher Fellowship Year: 2006
Current Teaching Location: Vantage Point High School, Language Arts and Social Studies. Adams Twelve School District.
Courses Taught on the Holocaust: Two separate nine week Holocaust courses; 20th Century Genocide course; Holocaust Literature. All grades are combined; 9-12th grades in all classes.
What do I hope students come away with? There are countless things I hope my students take with them as they finish their quarters with me. I want them to gain accurate knowledge of the Holocaust’s time period as well as the lessons of valuing life, the importance of speaking out, recognizing democratic ideals and abuses of power, and the rights and responsiblities of citizens. I want them to read critically both non-fiction and fiction and evaluate the effects of destroying individuals’ basic human rights, examine the roots and examples of wide-spread injustice. I want students to empathize, ask questions, and think for themselves. I hope students will recognize the power of humanity to destroy, but also to survive and rebuild.
Began teaching: 1995 (edit)