Teaching Tolerance in a Multicultural Urban Middle School
My students need 30 copies of "Maus" by Art Spiegelman in order to learn the history of the Holocaust and what happens when hatred and intolerance are carried out to the extreme.
Respect for diversity and tolerance for differences underlies everything we try to teach in order to create a peaceful climate in our school. As the School Counselor in a multicultural urban middle school, grades 6-8, I have focused on teaching tolerance and preventing bullying. Last year, we took our 7th & 8th graders to our local Holocaust Museum, and this year we are taking a new group of 7th graders. Having a classroom set of the book Maus would reinforce these lessons in a way that middle school students would really relate to. Spiegelman tells the story of his father, a Holocaust survivor, in comic book style, using mice in the role of the Jews and cats in the role of the Nazis. My own children read this book in middle school and it had a lasting effect on them. I would like for the students at my school to be affected by its message as well.
About half of our students are immigrants, many of whom are refugees from war-torn countries. Often their families come here to escape hatred and intolerance, and still, prejudices are often at the root of disputes between students.
The book Maus, by Art Spiegelman, is a perfect choice to teach middle school students the lessons of the Holocaust. It is the story of a Holocaust survivor told in comic book form, with mice in the role of Jews and cats in the role of Nazis.
Your help in providing a set of 30 copies of Maus will help teach a social studies lesson with a powerful tool to teach the lesson of what can happen when intolerance is taken to the extreme. It can contribute to peace in our school, our community, and the world.
Nearly all students from low‑income households
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