This year a number of items have come to light about my family heritage that have caused me to consider what it is that we are actually accomplishing as we evolve into global learners.
My aunt who is now 86 (and a living testament to eat right and exercise!) is visiting from Germany. She brought with her documents that haven't been shared before but that she wanted us to see. The first set of documents pertain to the Italian side of our family. They include our family tree on my grandmothers side: the Martinis. The original Martini crest dates back to the early 1400's and surprisingly is still in existence. It hangs in the home of a cousin in Berlin and on it is our family motto which roughly translates as: Loyal, Steadfast, Knowledge. I find this fitting given that we are a dynasty of teachers.
The second set of documents I found disturbing. They pertained to the German side of my family and were created in 1942. The documents are also a kind of family tree. They proved to the Nazis that our heritage was aryan. They were a curious item to hold in one's hands. The first two pages explain the "rules" - how it would be determined whether or not one's family was truly aryan. The rules were lengthy and detailed. Next came pages and pages of family history. Each person was listed on a separate page with name, date and place of birth. The record traced my grandfather's family back to the 1700's where it suddenly stopped. Each person was listed on a separate page and each page had been stamped by a clerk. Each stamp shows clearly the eagle and the swastika. The family had met with approval. They had been allowed to survive.
I tried to imagine what it would have been like for my great-grandfather to fill in the pages, bring them to the Nazi officials and nervously await approval. I wondered why it stopped in the 1700's. Was that as far back as could be determined or was there questionable lineage that might put the family at risk? Did my great-grandfather choose to exclude anyone? What was it like to have the entire family's future lie in a clerk's hands? I wondered what happened the moment someone was told their family was not aryan or aryan enough. What did the people waiting their turn, the clerks, the observers do at that moment?
This is particularly disturbing as another piece of the family puzzle came to light this year as well. We learned that my father's family were gypsies from Poland. Before my grandfather and his brothers had immigrated to Canada as homesteaders, they had been itinerant carpenters, colourful wagons and all. My grandfather and his brothers had been fortunate enough to leave Poland for Canada in the 1920's and had thus avoided the disaster of the Nazi invasion. Most Polish gypies did not survive the war. They were either brutally murdered on the spot by death squads or sent to the gas chambers. In fact we discovered that roughly 500 Siwaks had died in the gas chambers.
This is indeed a curious heritage to have and it doesn't sit well. But what does it mean? I'm not quite certain yet, but it has caused me to reflect on my responsibilities as an educator and to think about what is happening at this time in history as we connect our classrooms to world.
It does confirm for me that as we reshape our practice we're doing more than simply learning how to use cool tools; we're doing more than blogging, or designing apps or skyping. We're building bridges of understanding. We're tweeting our way into community. Already my students feel connected to the world in a way that wasn't possible before. They "know" Australia because they know Ian. They know Finland and New York City because of Esa and Cynthia. Through our app project we are constructing new ways of interacting, ones that don't involve fear and hatred, one's that are based on respect and understanding. Our work is important.
It makes me wonder .. why aren't all schools, teachers and administrators jumping on board?
Why on earth is anyone holding back from this remarkable moment in time?
My aunt who is now 86 (and a living testament to eat right and exercise!) is visiting from Germany. She brought with her documents that haven't been shared before but that she wanted us to see. The first set of documents pertain to the Italian side of our family. They include our family tree on my grandmothers side: the Martinis. The original Martini crest dates back to the early 1400's and surprisingly is still in existence. It hangs in the home of a cousin in Berlin and on it is our family motto which roughly translates as: Loyal, Steadfast, Knowledge. I find this fitting given that we are a dynasty of teachers.
The second set of documents I found disturbing. They pertained to the German side of my family and were created in 1942. The documents are also a kind of family tree. They proved to the Nazis that our heritage was aryan. They were a curious item to hold in one's hands. The first two pages explain the "rules" - how it would be determined whether or not one's family was truly aryan. The rules were lengthy and detailed. Next came pages and pages of family history. Each person was listed on a separate page with name, date and place of birth. The record traced my grandfather's family back to the 1700's where it suddenly stopped. Each person was listed on a separate page and each page had been stamped by a clerk. Each stamp shows clearly the eagle and the swastika. The family had met with approval. They had been allowed to survive.
I tried to imagine what it would have been like for my great-grandfather to fill in the pages, bring them to the Nazi officials and nervously await approval. I wondered why it stopped in the 1700's. Was that as far back as could be determined or was there questionable lineage that might put the family at risk? Did my great-grandfather choose to exclude anyone? What was it like to have the entire family's future lie in a clerk's hands? I wondered what happened the moment someone was told their family was not aryan or aryan enough. What did the people waiting their turn, the clerks, the observers do at that moment?
This is particularly disturbing as another piece of the family puzzle came to light this year as well. We learned that my father's family were gypsies from Poland. Before my grandfather and his brothers had immigrated to Canada as homesteaders, they had been itinerant carpenters, colourful wagons and all. My grandfather and his brothers had been fortunate enough to leave Poland for Canada in the 1920's and had thus avoided the disaster of the Nazi invasion. Most Polish gypies did not survive the war. They were either brutally murdered on the spot by death squads or sent to the gas chambers. In fact we discovered that roughly 500 Siwaks had died in the gas chambers.
This is indeed a curious heritage to have and it doesn't sit well. But what does it mean? I'm not quite certain yet, but it has caused me to reflect on my responsibilities as an educator and to think about what is happening at this time in history as we connect our classrooms to world.
It does confirm for me that as we reshape our practice we're doing more than simply learning how to use cool tools; we're doing more than blogging, or designing apps or skyping. We're building bridges of understanding. We're tweeting our way into community. Already my students feel connected to the world in a way that wasn't possible before. They "know" Australia because they know Ian. They know Finland and New York City because of Esa and Cynthia. Through our app project we are constructing new ways of interacting, ones that don't involve fear and hatred, one's that are based on respect and understanding. Our work is important.
It makes me wonder .. why aren't all schools, teachers and administrators jumping on board?
Why on earth is anyone holding back from this remarkable moment in time?
Because it is hard to quantify and everything needs to have a number to determine the money allocated... when, in reality, the world is our Educator, the "teachers" provide the connections and guidance... but it doesn't fit into the numbers game... and it would probably make all the high-paid, decision/policy makers unnecessary!
ReplyDeleteWow! That is crazy! I have names of my German Side... and it is also with trepidation and mixed feelings that I will try to find out more... obviously, my family were Aryan enough as well... I will have to contact my Father who I have not spoken to since I was 12 (and he lives in Hamilton!)... anyway a fun(?) and scary Summer project!
ReplyDeleteAnother twist to the story, and one we may never know the full scope of: Brumberg is a Jewish name, and there were Brumbergs who perished in Auschwitz as well. I remember our mother remarking that many of her family idioms sounded Yiddish, and that she was teased about this as a child. I wonder if they were, in fact, Aryan enough, or just good document forgers.
ReplyDelete