{"id":4937,"date":"2017-12-24T01:00:23","date_gmt":"2017-12-24T06:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dontow.com\/?p=4937"},"modified":"2017-12-24T22:01:28","modified_gmt":"2017-12-25T03:01:28","slug":"a-teachers-reflection-2017-peace-and-reconciliation-asia-study-tour-by-lisa-wiater-english-teacher-at-ridgewood-high-school-ridgewood-nj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/2017\/12\/a-teachers-reflection-2017-peace-and-reconciliation-asia-study-tour-by-lisa-wiater-english-teacher-at-ridgewood-high-school-ridgewood-nj\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;A Teacher\u2019s Reflection:  2017 Peace and Reconciliation Asia Study Tour&#8221; by Lisa Wiater, English Teacher at Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ*"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The 2017 Peace and Reconciliation Asia Study Tour [1] was a two-week immersion program created to learn about WWII history in Asia.\u00a0 It allowed me to gain knowledge that I could have never obtained by reading a book. \u00a0As a public high school teacher, I firmly believe that study tours are an invaluable way to educate teachers, for the knowledge that is gained is spread to family, friends, colleagues, and of course, students. <!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Additionally, as the daughter of a World War II veteran who fought in the Pacific Theater, it meant a great deal to go on this trip. \u00a0My home contains many photographs and pieces of memorabilia from my father and many uncles who all fought in the War. \u00a0Visiting the World War II museum, the <em>Museum of the War of Chinese People\u2019s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression,<\/em> was quite moving for me. \u00a0It contained many war scene reenactments, including details regarding the savagery that took place. \u00a0Interestingly, one of the newspapers on display contained the front page story from a newspaper in Springfield, Massachusetts, a town very near to where I was raised.<\/p>\n<p>Even though I had learned about World War II in school, I knew very little about the Nanking Massacre, slave labor, sex slaves, and biological and chemical warfare. Now, due to this study tour, I believe I know more than the average person.<\/p>\n<p>The visits to the various museums and historical sites, including Unit 731, the Nanjing Massacre Memorial Hall, as well as the War and Women\u2019s Human Rights Museum in Seoul, South Korea, left an unforgettable impression regarding the atrocities perpetrated at that time. Further, spending time with scholars who have dedicated their lives to studying, in some cases, the worst in humanity, is inspiring. \u00a0The trips to the many cities in China, as well as the visit to South Korea allowed me to not only learn about the various histories, but to experience some of their modern day cultures.<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, after meeting with curators, researchers, authors and survivors, I was once again reminded that regardless of the historical event, all of history is a human story. I found it humbling to hear the stories of survivors who courageously agreed to recount their most harrowing times, all so that we could learn from them. \u00a0\u00a0At the Nanking Museum, we heard the first-hand account of a survivor, Yi-Ying Ai, 89 years old. \u00a0I audio recorded her story, which was translated into English by a young college student. \u00a0Beyond reading testimonies, I believe it is important to hear the emotions that are so raw and honest, because even if one does not understand the language, one cannot mistake the sorrow and heartache that is heard. \u00a0One action that will not be heard on the recording, however, will be the tears that fell repeatedly during her testimony. \u00a0The survivor would speak and then pause, allowing the translator to tell her story. \u00a0I always watched the survivor\u2019s actions. \u00a0While everyone was looking and listening to the translator, the survivor was wiping tears from her eye.\u00a0 This happened numerous times. \u00a0She was telling us a story that happened 80 years ago, and yet she remembered it like it was yesterday; she was reliving all the pain right before our eyes. \u00a0As she recounted her story to us, she shared something her mother told her, \u201cDo not be terrified of the corpses. You should only be terrified of live persons.\u201d \u00a0How sad and yet, how profound.<\/p>\n<p>As a public school teacher, I believe it is important for students to be exposed to the impact of people\u2019s actions; this includes the perpetrators and victims, but also the upstanders\u2013those who make a positive difference through their involvement. History seems to focus on those who commit heinous acts, but students should also learn about individuals such as John Rabe, Minnie Vautrin and John Magee. \u00a0I was not aware of these people, or their courage, prior to this trip. \u00a0These people risked their own lives to help innocent victims during the Nanking Massacre. \u00a0\u00a0By teaching students about moral courage, we are all reminded that one person can make a difference. \u00a0This is an important lesson that needs to be taught and reinforced.<\/p>\n<p>To that end, as a result of this study tour, various initiatives will take place at my school, Ridgewood High School, in Ridgewood, New Jersey.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Making a Difference <\/em>Speaker Series: \u00a0This is a Speaker Series that offers high school students the opportunity to hear 5 different individuals speak about their life in the context of a key historical event. \u00a0The general premise is that speakers provide a personal story\u2013not a history presentation, per se\u2013but rather, show how they or their family was impacted by a key event in history. \u00a0As the creator of this program, my goal has been to help students see the personal side of history and how an individual\u2019s decision can impact another. \u00a0Prior to a speaker\u2019s arrival, the teachers\/classes that attend are obligated to be prepared by reading and discussing materials disseminated weeks in advance of the survivor\u2019s testimony. \u00a0Following a speaker, teachers\/classes also hold a whole class discussion. \u00a0I am pleased that Don Tow (President of NJ-ALPHA) and Mr. Chu-Yeh Chang, a survivor of the Nanking Massacre will be two of our speakers. \u00a0Since it is the 80th anniversary of the Nanking Massacre, I believe it is essential that we have a representative from the Massacre speak this year.<\/li>\n<li>Shared folders with colleagues: \u00a0On the trip, I bought numerous books, DVDS, and postcard books. \u00a0I have taken these items, along with any other materials related to the atrocities that occurred in Asia during World War II and created a \u201cGoogle Folder,\u201d to share with other teachers, namely in the Humanities areas. \u00a0This includes, at a minimum, History, English, and Psychology teachers.<\/li>\n<li>Professional Development Presentations\/Collaboration: \u00a0As a result of this trip, I have been discussing various aspects of the tour with my colleagues. \u00a0Additionally, when appropriate, I will also speak at future Social Studies and English department meetings, as well as providing a PowerPoint presentation on the three Upstanders mentioned earlier. \u00a0I may also present to students in various History classes. \u00a0From other presentations I have done, I have learned that students greatly appreciate seeing pictures taken by a teacher, not by someone else. \u00a0Students have stated that it makes the topic more \u201creal\u201d to them. \u00a0Therefore, by not only speaking about my study tour, it will make a greater impact if I also show them some of my numerous photographs.<\/li>\n<li>Documentary by Tamaki Matsuoka, \u201cTorn Memories of Nanjing\u201d: \u00a0The school is considering showing this documentary. \u00a0I believe the showing of this film will once again show students and staff that horrific crimes can be perpetrated by \u201cordinary\u201d people. Further, it will highlight the dedication shown by Ms. Matsuoka of Osaka, Japan, once a school teacher, who now devotes her life to learning and educating others about the Nanking Massacre. \u00a0I am honored to say that I had the opportunity to meet Ms. Matsuoka when she came to Nanjing to speak to us and show her award-winning documentary.<\/li>\n<li>Student trip to China: \u00a0The school is considering a student trip to China where the focus would be on learning about the history related to the Nanking Massacre. \u00a0Mr. Tow has been generous in offering to assist me in this endeavor, should it go forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Whether it is the Nanking Massacre, the Holocaust, the Armenian Genocide or another mass killing, all of these terrible times in history share similar characteristics. Unfortunately, some of these common themes can also be seen in the world today. The 2017 Peace &amp; Reconciliation Asia Study Tour helped me to further solidify these commonalities. It also provided me with the necessary information and materials that can be utilized with my students, colleagues and administration, thus working to ensure that the events that occurred in Asia during World War II will not be forgotten. \u00a0It is vital that we teach about history; it is our only hope for a better future.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>*<\/strong> I thank Lisa Wiater for giving me permission to post her article on my website.<\/p>\n<p>[1] The 2017 Peace and Reconciliation Asia Study Tour was organized by the &#8220;New Jersey Alliance for Learning and Preserving the History of WWII in Asia&#8221; (NJ-ALPHA).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2017 Peace and Reconciliation Asia Study Tour [1] was a two-week immersion program created to learn about WWII history in Asia.\u00a0 It allowed me to gain knowledge that I could have never obtained by reading a book. \u00a0As a public high school teacher, I firmly believe that study tours are an invaluable way to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4937"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4998,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4937\/revisions\/4998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dontow.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}