BOLMAN.HISTORY
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The Survivor Circles 2018:

Original Testimony:

students interview erna laufer
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What is a "Survivor Circle"?
​
The idea for "Survivor's Circle" was inspired by my experience as a college student travelling on an educational trip to Israel.  While we spent days sightseeing, eating out, volunteering and enjoying our winter break, it was one night on our Betar-ZOA trip that would paint a very definitive impression on my memory.  That evening my trip participants and I were divided into several groups.  We sat in circles with terror survivors and listened to their stories.  There was an intimacy in our conversation as they told us of their harrowing experiences, the people they lost and their story.  Ultimately, it is one of the few vivid memories I have from this trip.  This night was at the forefront of my mind as I contemplated what an authentic experiential learning experience would be for my students.  

It was not hard to create "Survivor Circles". 

The essence of the Survivor Circles was simple.  So many times Jewish students in day schools are able to encounter the stories of survivors.  Often these meetings are the entire grade or high school listening to one speaker who speaks for thirty minutes, answers five questions, and then leaves.  I wanted to push the boundaries on what it meant to meet a survivor.

The formula was simple:  one survivor, three to four students, ninety minutes, and a camera.  What unfolded was one of the most profound experiences I had as an educator and beyond what I had imagined for this day.  An intimate conversation between students and the survivor.
 
follow my instagram story documenting this day
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Teacher Reflection: 
There was a lot of work that went into creating the Survivor Circles.  For days I was on the phone every evening calling multiple survivors and requesting the pleasure of their attendance at our Survivor Circles event.  I had thought that this job would be difficult but at every turn, every survivor I spoke to was eager to be in attendance.  They wanted to tell their stories.  Many had spoken at local public schools but had never had the chance to speak with Jewish students in the Jewish day school setting.  So, as long as their schedules allowed for it, they were happy to be in attendance.  In fact, one of the survivors I spoke to on the phone was so excited by the opportunity to speak to our students but couldn't make the Survivor Circles day that she asked for a special day to come in and speak to our students.  Survivors want to tell their stories.  So invite them to your classrooms.  

In my experience teaching, I have come to one overwhelming realization:  that in order to maximize student outcome, the amount of thoughtful teacher preparation behind the scenes determines the success.  So I called the survivors.  Set the date.  Roped in the documentary filmmaker who would prepare the cameras, bring students from the Cleveland Public School he was working with.  Set up the chairs.  Wrote thank you notes.  Prepped the students by helping them write questions.  Bought refreshments.  Set up the room.  I did everything I thought possible to make this event the best.  

And then came the day.  Everyone fulfilled their roles and before I knew it the cameras had started rolling and the students commenced their interviews.  What I soon realized was that this event was even more remarkable than I had ever imagined it would be.  Watching the Survivor Circles in action was one of the momentous occasions of my career.  I witnessed the depth of conversation between students and survivors.  The discussions went on and on through the ninety-minute period without hiccup.  Everyone was attentive.  As we wound down the event, the survivors reacted by sharing how incredibly moved they were by the experience.  The students had the same feeling.  The energy in that room was dynamic and I was proud of what we had accomplished. 

Social Studies credits:

US History
Government
World History
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ELECTIVES

Holocaust 
Civil Rights

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  • Home
    • About
  • US History
    • US HISTORY 1 >
      • Unit 1: 1491 - 1607
      • Unit 2: 1607 - 1754 >
        • Colonial Regions
        • Puritan Life
        • Thirteen Colonies
        • Metacom's War
        • Pueblo Revolt
        • Great Awakening
        • Mercantilism
        • Slave Trade
      • Unit 3: 1754 - 1800
      • Unit 4: 1800 - 1848
      • Unit 5: 1844 - 1877 >
        • Mexican-American War
        • Know Nothing Party
        • The West
      • Final Test - US1
    • US HISTORY 2
    • APUSH >
      • APUSH Exam Info
      • Thesis Statements
      • Chapter Outlines
      • Primary Source Guide
      • Short Answer Question
      • Summer Assignment
      • PERIOD 1 (1491-1607)
      • PERIOD 2 (1607-1754) >
        • Jamestown
        • Model of Christian Charity
        • Salem Witch Trials
        • Great Awakening
        • Slavery + The Atlantic World
        • Bacon's Rebellion
        • DBQ Assignments
      • PERIOD 3 (1754-1800) >
        • French & Indian War
        • American Revolution
        • Constitution
        • Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
        • Whiskey Rebellion
        • Hamilton v. Jefferson
        • Farewell Address
        • Louisiana Purchase
        • Virtual Seminar
      • PERIOD 4 (1800-1848) >
        • War of 1812
        • Henry Clay
        • Jackson
        • Interactive Museums
        • Social Reformers
      • PERIOD 5 (1844-1877) >
        • Manifest Destiny
        • Civil War & Reconstruction
        • Booker T. vs. WEB
      • PERIOD 6 (1865-1898) >
        • Populism
        • Gilded Age
        • Immigration
        • Industrialization >
          • The Men Who Built America
        • Imperialism >
          • Spanish-American War
        • Progressive Era
      • PERIOD 7 (1890-1945) >
        • World War I
        • Roaring Twenties >
          • Red Scare
          • Prohibition
          • Scopes Monkey Trial
        • Great Depression
        • World War II
      • PERIOD 8 (1945-1980) >
        • Cold War
        • Civil Rights
        • The Johnson Presidency
        • Robert F. Kennedy
        • Warren Court
        • Nixon Presidency
        • Carter Presidency
      • PERIOD 9 (1980-Present) >
        • Reagan Presidency
        • Bush Sr Presidency
        • Clinton Presidency
        • Bush Jr Presidency >
          • September 11
        • War on Terror
        • Obama Presidency
      • Post-Exam Project
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  • Government
    • Build Your Notebook
  • World History
    • WORLD 1 >
      • Geography
      • Maps
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      • World Religions
      • Primary Sources - World Religions
      • World Religions Test
      • Writing Assignment 1: Comparison Essay
      • Writing Assignment 2: Thematic Essay
      • Writing Assignment 3: Document Based Question
    • WORLD 2 >
      • Ancient Greece
      • Ancient China
    • WORLD 3 >
      • Revolutions >
        • French Revolution
        • Haitian Revolution
        • Industrial Revolution >
          • VOCABULARY
        • South Africa >
          • Bolman in SA
        • Nationalism >
          • Turkey
          • WORLD 4 >
            • Arab-Israeli Conflict >
              • United Nations Conference Project
          • VOCABULARY
    • WORLD 4 >
      • World War I
      • Russian Revolution
      • World War II
      • Genocide Project >
        • Human Rights
        • Armenian Genocide
        • Holocaust
        • Holodomor - Ukraine
        • Chile & Pinochet
        • Cambodia & Khmer Rouge
        • Bosnia
        • Rwanda
        • Darfur
        • Kurds in Iraq & Saddam Hussein
        • Taliban & Afghanistan - Women's Rights
        • Child Soldiers in Sierra Leone
        • Burma & the Future
      • Globalization
  • Civil Rights
    • Introduction >
      • Civil Rights Journal
    • NAACP
    • Brown v Board
    • Emmet Till
    • Little Rock Nine
    • Montgomery Boycott
    • Sit-ins
    • Ruby Bridges
    • Letter from Birmingham
    • Children's Crusade
    • Medgar Evers
    • March on Washington
    • Civil Rights Act
    • Freedom Summer
    • Bloody Tuesday
    • MFDP
    • Malcolm X
    • March on Selma
    • James Meredith
    • Voting Rights Act
    • Watts Riots
    • Black Power
    • Black Panthers
    • Loving v Virginia
    • 1968
  • Holocaust
    • Lesson 1
    • Lesson 2
    • Lesson 3
    • Lesson 4
    • Lesson 5
    • Lesson 6
    • Lesson 7
    • Lesson 8
    • Lesson 9
    • Lesson 10
    • Lesson 11
  • Mandela
  • History Thru Film
  • The American Revolution