LA CROSSE, Wis. (WXOW) - Holocaust educator Darryle Clott began by teaching classes about the Holocaust at La Crescent High School. Now she works to educate teachers about the Holocaust so they can teach it to their students.
In 1969, Clott said she took a German history class for her Master's Degree. It was the first time she had heard about the Holocaust.
"I was absolutely horrified that anything like this could have happened in modern times," said Clott. "I vowed to myself that I would eventually teach the Holocaust."
She began teaching at Longfellow Middle School before moving to La Crescent High School. Clott said she put together a little mini-unit to test the waters and see what it was going to be like for the students.
"It was overwhelming. We taught it to two out of my five English classes and the kids in my other three classes were coming in demanding to learn about the Holocaust because kids were talking," said Clott.
After this she began really educating and training herself to have the ability to educate students about the Holocaust. She then was chosen to be a fellow at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. which is where she said she got extensive training.
"When I started with that little two week unit at La Crescent, by the time I retired from there, I was teaching a three month Holocaust Unit. Then I was invited to go to Viterbo to teach the history of the Holocaust which I did for 13 years," said Clott.
She now runs a Holocaust Educator Workshop every year at Viterbo and brings in Holocaust survivors to share their stories.
"I think it's so important to teach the Holocaust because you can use the lessons of the Holocaust to teach students what happens when people fail to accept other people's differences. When they are bystanders," said Clott.
"I would try to teach my students that if they would see an injustice occur, they need to try to stop it. They could stand and watch some poor kid being bullied and they thought they were just fine if they stood there and watched it. No!" said Clott.
Just this past week, Gov. Tony Evers signed a bill to require Holocaust education at least once during middle school and once during high school. While Clott said she is all for it, money needs to go with it for in-services and workshops for teachers to learn how to teach the Holocaust.
"Teaching it incorrectly is worse than not teaching it at all," said Clott. "What's really important is to use age appropriate materials. You don't want to teach the Holocaust just to shock people. It has to be done correctly."
Which is why Clott holds workshops for teachers on teaching the Holocaust to students. She said after a Holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, visited La Crosse and met with educators, she was surprised to learn that he was totally against mandating the education of the Holocaust.
She said that they were all surprised to hear that but Wiesel went on to explain that if a teacher could visit Auschwitz, a Holocaust camp in Poland, without 'fire in their belly, then they shouldn't be teaching it.' Clott said he was talking about the passion for it and how important it is when teaching it.
If teachers are interested in educating themselves about the Holocaust and how to teach it to students, they will have another workshop next year from March 31-April 1. Educators can sign up on the Viterbo University website.
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April 30, 2021 at 03:45AM
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Local Holocaust educator advocates for correct education of students across the state - WXOW.com
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