Facing History & Ourselves has been one of the most beneficial classes that I have taken in High School. The course itself is only enhanced by the classroom presence of Mr. Gregory Gallagher. Not only do you learn a History, but the curriculum at its very core is designed to teach you to be a better person through and through. The lessons which I have learned in the last 5 months are ones which will stay with me for the rest of my life, which is more than I can say for the rest of my classes.
During one of the first classes of facing history, we were instructed to read a short children’s story, called the bear story. That night for homework we had to sign onto BlogSpot, and write about what we thought of the story. After going through and reading what everyone else had said I didn’t exactly agree with what everyone else had said. (That and I love to play devils advocate =D) So I went on writing my blog about how I viewed the story. I basically said that it was only a kid’s book and that I didn’t know where anyone else was coming from. I signed off of my computer and went along with my day, and did not think much of it. The next day in class I was shocked when Mr. Gallagher actually asked the class about what they thought of my blog. Discovering that none of them had actually read what I said, Mr. Gallagher decided to print out what I had written on the blog and read it aloud to the class. At first I was slightly taken back from being singled out. After he read it aloud the comments from my classmates started to flood in. At first they were well natured rebuttals, but after a while I felt like the comments became more and more personal, and became almost vicious. At one point someone in the class actually indirectly called me ignorant for thinking what I did which is ironic. This interaction at the beginning of the year was very important. It taught me that if you believe in something, to not fold under peer pressure, even when it seems like the whole world Is against you it is important to stick to your guns and not conform to everyone else’s ideas.
In The facing history and ourselves we had guest speakers who also helped to enrich the curriculum. Father Bohesian’s presence in the classroom really help to enhance and reinforce the curriculum that we we learning at the time. His story about him growing up, and hearing him talk about the Armenian Genocide really helped the material to hit home. Guest speakers are an aspect of the course which makes it very unique, and a part which helped me to look at events in a different way, compared to just reading them out of a text book.
The most impressive aspect of this course is the use of film to teach. Here at Westborough High School, the Holocaust is not a large part of what is taught. What little information which we are exposed to is all through text. It is one thing to read about the holocaust, it is another to see the dead limp bodies of thousands upon thousands of emaciated Jewish people who were starved to death while living in their own excrement. The films which we watch in Facing History paint such a vivid and sometimes gruesome picture that it is impossible to ignore. This experience is something unlike any other at Westborough High School.
By focusing on history I was able to not only learn about the tragedy of the Holocaust and several other genocides, but I was able to learn life lessons about being a better person. In class I feel as though I have learned two very important lessons. The first lesson being to never be a bystander. Mr. Gallagher has imprinted in my mind to never just stand around and watch something happen. Do not let things which you think are morally wrong to continue without trying to stand up for what you believe in, may it be a bully in the halls of my high school, or a society of people willingly going along with genocide. This is one of the most important lessons that this class, and only this class can teach you. By not being a bystander you can prevent terrible things from happening, from the child being bullied killing himself, to the Nazis extermination ten million Jewish people, or even the murder of thousands of Armenian people after World War One, living in modern day turkey. While some people may think, “I can’t make a difference, what can one person do?” I know from the bottom of my heart that I can. The second lesson which I learned during this class is just as important, and that is to have the facts. Mr. Gallagher taught me that in order to argue an opinion, I need to have the facts. “There is a difference between fact and opinion, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but there is a difference”. The most important part of this lesson which I have learned is to not be ignorant, ignorance breeds more ignorance and that is how terrible and evil things like the holocaust can happen. An important part of this is to stop something like that from ever happening again.
Overall, the Facing History and Ourselves class has been one of the most rewarding classes which I have had the privilege to take in my high school career. The many lessons which I have learned in this class will stick with me for years to come. I almost did not take this class but I am so happy that I did. I have learned more in the past five months about being a good person than I have learned in my last four years of high school. Thank you Mr. Gallagher for giving me the opportunity to partake in such an amazing class.