TEACHERS EDUCATED ON GENOCIDE AT 87TH ANNUAL NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE SOCIAL STUDIES CONFERENCE

armradio.am
05.12.2007 12:35

In an effort to promote genocide education and awareness, ANCA Eastern
Region Executive Director Karine Birazian, Anastasia Skoupas, a member
of the Pontian Greek Society of Chicago, and Ron Levitsky an educator
at Sunset Ridge School in Northfield, IL presented at the 87th Annual
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference which took
place November 29th to December 2nd at the San Diego Convention Center
in San Diego, California.

The lecture entitled Death, Despair, and Denial: The Armenian
and Pontian Greek Genocides attracted educators from all over the
United States including Illinois, Virginia, Tennessee, and South
Carolina. For 60 minutes, Birazian and Skoupas discussed the Armenian
and Pontian Greek Genocides, incorporating these teachings into lesson
plans. Touching upon the history as well as the current struggles
with denial and underlying politics, the lecture proved to be quite
valuable for those in attendance. Levitsky, who was also present at
the workshop, discussed with teachers various resources available
for teaching this subject including those from The Choices Program,
Facing History and Ourselves, and the Genocide Education Project.

"It was such a great experience to present at this years NCSS
conference," commented Birazian. "Given the recent increase
of interest and awareness of this horrific topic, educators are
incorporating this information in their classrooms and working to make
a difference." Birazian, who is also part of the Genocide Education
Network of Illinois, an organization developed in conjunction with
a mandate in Illinois on the teaching of genocide, has been active
in educating teachers and students about the Armenian genocide and
ending the cycle of genocide for nearly a decade.

The morning of the lecture, in the "Our Region" section of the daily
San Diego Union Tribune newspaper, an article entitled Educators
Across the Country are Increasingly Addressing Genocide commented:
"Genocide is a hot topic in local classrooms. Educators nationwide
are giving it more attention, as evidenced by the schedule for this
weekend’s annual conference of the National Council for the Social
Studies in downtown San Diego." The article went on to discuss the
various workshops specific to genocide education, including the one
presented by Birazian and Skoupas, as well as quoting Sara Cohan,
education director for the Genocide Education Project.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress