Firsthand Experiences

One thing I found interesting about the book Confessions of a Closet Catholic was that it discusses how Justine’s family was in the Holocaust. From the ages of five to nine, I lived in Austria. During my time living there, my family and I traveled to various countries. Of all the museums and historical places I went to, the one that impacted me greatly was seeing Auschwitz concentration camp. At the time, I did not know the details about what had happened or why it had happened but the moment I saw the place, I got chills. While we was there, tour guides gave us information and showed us every part of the camp. This was such a valuable experience for me. I was able to see firsthand something that I will always remember. I still to this day remember the smell, sounds and sights of the concentration camps. Knowing how this affected me, I think it is extremely important to incorporate first hand activities into children learning. As a future teacher I hope to take my students places that they will forever remember and that will impact their lives. I feel that seeing things and being in the moment and experiencing it is what children will learn the most from.