TWYH - pg. 36-61

Abstract:
This section of the book starts out with Erin wanting to take her students to go see Schindler's List because there was recent controversy about the movie. In a nearby town, some students laughed at a part of the movie when there were Holocaust survivors in the audience. Erin had a discussion about it with her students and when she saw it was playing in her town, she thought she'd bring her students to go see it. She finally got the money to bring them, but the trip wasn't how Erin had pictured it. People at the theater and restaurant they went to after the movie stared at her students, some clutched their purses and jewelry, and some students got their pockets checked after buying candy. Because of how Erin's students were treated, an article in the local paper was written and Erin got death threats from people in the community. This section of TWYH ends with Erin getting to meet Steven Spielburg because he wants to make a movie about her and her students.

Reflection:
I could not imagine going through what Erin went through in this section of the book. I felt so bad for her, she just wanted her students to be able to watch a movie that was about the Holocaust, a lesson that they just went over in class. The movie also related to recent news, so it definitely made sense that she would want her students to see it. I would have done the same thing if I were her. Erin had good intentions, but it backfired on her. Fortunately, her students were used to being stared at and treated differently, so there weren't any major problems. I could feel Erin's pain because she brought her students into her community. It was her idea. But her students had enough respect for her that they behaved and didn't say anything back, when they had the right to be upset.

One of my favorite parts was when Erin's students forced her to tell them what kind of threats she received at home. I thought it was cute how they wanted to know exactly what was said and how they wanted to stand up for her. I could tell when I was reading it that it made Erin feel good about her class and that she made the right decision about becoming a teacher. All teachers have the moments where they think "Why did I choose this profession?" and all teachers have the moments when they know exactly why they decided to become a teacher.