Navigating Critical Conversations about Honest, Accurate History

OEA member host Leonne Bannister kicks off season three with community partner Amanda Coven, former middle-school math teacher and current Director of Education at the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. Leonne and Amanda discuss navigating critical conversations about honest, accurate history with a focus on Senate bill 664: Holocaust Education which passed in 2019. It is currently a K-12 mandate with full integration into grade-level standards in social sciences scheduled for 2026.

Amanda explains that SB664 is not just about the Holocaust, because If we want to prevent mass violence, we need to understand how violence unfolds in a variety of different places and situations. Additionally, the skills necessary to navigate critical conversations about history are transferable to all kinds of other difficult conversations. Amanda and Leonne discuss what the mandate looks like in practice and provide tips for teachers, including using trauma-informed measures before teaching any difficult history, being honest and open with students about our own difficulties discussing these topics, reassuring students that we will check in with them, using your school counselor, and including processing time at the beginning and end of lessons.

Amanda also provides information on how educators can get support from her and the Museum. Finally, Amanda explains the difficulties of current Jewish American students in their schools and their struggle to feel safe.

 

Resources:

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education

Amanda Coven email address: acoven@ojmche.org 

National Museum of American Jewish History

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