Lauren Moyer has been a history teacher at Warde High School in Fairfield for more than a decade. In those years, she has taught lessons on the Holocaust and human rights.
“Every single year, it does not matter what class, our unit on the Holocaust and human rights concepts is where I see the most engagement, growth, and real world application from my students,” said Moyer.
After seeing the enlightenment fostered from these lessons, she jumped at the opportunity to immerse herself in Holocaust education and applied for an Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation fellowship.
She was chosen among 43 fellows representing nine states to spend eight days in Poland traveling and studying at Auschwitz-Birkenau, one of dozens of concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. The camp is now a state museum. The educators were introduced to a variety of archives and collections that the general public does not have access to.
“There is such an incredible and powerful testament to the concept of remembrance for the Holocaust and specifically Auschwitz-Birkenau,” said Moyer, adding that the cohort studied pre-Holocaust Jewish life, toured medieval synagogues, and experienced Jewish culture.
On Jan. 25, during the commemoration of 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Moyer spoke at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Foundation’s Gala Dinner on behalf of Holocaust education as an American teacher.
“The ceremony itself had such a magnitude to the importance of legacy and remembrance while emphasizing the continuation of those who will carry on Holocaust education,” said Moyer.
Through her connections with Holocaust survivors and their loved ones, she learned about the generational effects of genocide, which will give her a more personalized approach to teaching her students.
“By being connected with those different teachers and having the experience of the fellowship, I have more resources than I could have ever dreamt of for bringing history to life in my classroom,” said Moyer. “My sophomore Modern Global Studies course and junior and senior Advanced Placement Psychology classes now have an overarching theme of memory and what we value through the concept of remembrance.”
