Just a Quick Quiz!

Hello, everybody!

We have started reading "Night" and we are anxious to actually talk about it! We believe that it is our moral duty to find out about what happened and not let people forget! It may seem like talking about things will not change them but it will surely keep everything alive! Let us not forget and never allow such terrible things to happen again!

So, here comes the quiz!

1. What is Elie Wiesel's country of origin?
2. Which concentration camp were Elie and his family taken to?
3. Apart from Elie which characters appear more frequently in the book?
4. Where does Elie last see his mother and sisters?
5. Why did Wiesel write "Night"?
6. There were publishers who were reluctant to accept "Night". Why do you think this happened?

Feel free to answer any of these questions!

Holocaust Studies - Ms. McDonald

Hello, Targu Lapus!!!  :)

By way of introduction ...

I teach English at Petru Rares Highschool in Targu Lapus, a small town in the north-west of Romania, in the county of Maramures. I met Amy in June when she came to our town in her quest to find Max Steinmetz's roots. I was impressed by Max's story but I was also impressed by Amy's determination not only to write about it but also to retrace the difficult road Max was forced to take. I truly believe that we need to know about everything that happened in our history and especially about those moments when humanity was on the verge of disappearing. In my opinion, the Holocaust is one of those moments and it is our duty to never let this happen again!
Since Amy and I connected so quickly, we started talking about a future collaboration that was meant to bring our students together in a project that was basically a book study. It is my belief that our students will benefit from doing this project on so many levels and we are all very anxious to start it.

An Introduction to This Blog and Myself

I teach AP US History and Holocaust Studies at Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama.  In addition to teaching, I have spent approximately the last two years writing a book about Holocaust survivor, Max Steinmetz.  To make a long story very short, this past summer I received a grant from Fund for Teachers and had the opportunity to visit Max's hometown of Targu Lapus, Romania.  Not only was this trip invaluable for purposes of writing the book, it was an incredible experience where I met many wonderful people.  It is because of meeting these people, also teachers, that this blog evolved. 

Before leaving Romania, I had a conversation with Florina Ciupe, teacher of English at Petru Rares High School in Targu Lapus, Romania.  We talked about the possibility of our classes doing a project together during the next school year.  That school year is now here, and we are ready to embark on connecting my classroom in Birmingham, AL with her classroom in Targu Lapus, Romania.  The project is almost finalized, but we will be working together on a book study on some aspect of the Holocaust.  It is my goal that we will all learn from each other.  It is also my goal that Max Steinmetz, who never returned to his hometown in Romania, will be touched and amazed by these connections. 

I needed to learn how to create a blog.  How am I doing so far?