An Ardrossan Junior High teacher has been awarded a prestigious scholarship.
Rita Purdy, who teaches social studies at the school, was one of 24 Canadian teachers to take part in a two-week trip to Jerusalem. The trip was sponsored by the Canadian Society of Yad Vashem (CSYV) and included multiple seminars and workshops to improve strategies for teaching about the Holocaust.
Purdy is grateful to have been able to spend the summer in Israel.
“It was an incredible learning experience,” said Purdy. “Now I get to share that learning experience with students in the classroom, here at home.”
“When I applied for the scholarship I was really hoping to learn all I possibly could about the Holocaust.”
The group spent time with some of the foremost experts on the Holocaust and had the chance to speak with Eva Lang, a Holocaust survivor.
Purdy says talking to somebody who went through the Holocaust was a special moment.
“So often we teach the Holocaust by focusing on the perpetrators and telling stories from people other than the survivors,” said Purdy. “When you read about survivors’ experiences and hear their voices, the impact is palpable and better facilitates understanding because it fosters empathy.”
The plan for Purdy is to bring what she learned into the Ardrossan school. There is a hope that she can eventually establish a class on the topic.
“I hope to be able to use the experience to enhance my lesson,” said Purdy. “I would like to create a Holocaust education class at Ardrossan in the next school year… so I hope kids will sign up for that.”
All in all, Purdy thinks the amount of learning was the most valuable thing to come out of the scholarship.
“Learning the unique perspective from Yad Vashem was very interesting,” said Purdy. “We need to re-humanize the victims because the whole process came about from actively de-humanizing a specific group of people and I think that has contemporary links to society today.”
“The idea that it was a long time ago and that if we don’t learn from history you’re doomed to repeat so I think it’s important to keep these ideas at the forefront of our minds.”
CSYV will work closely with Purdy over the next two years to develop lesson plans that integrate art, music, and narratives that tell the stories of survivors before, during, and after the Holocaust.