Joe Janovjak
You never know what might come flying in your direction in Joe’s class. On one occasion it was a wiffle ball as students discussed their responses to Warriors Don’t Cry during their study of the history of the integration of Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas with Facing History and Ourselves’ Choices in Little Rock unit. Joe uses this wonderful technique to keep his students focused and ready for discussion. It gave the less vocal students the opportunity to speak as well; all of the students in his classroom had something to say about their reading.
Joe has been teaching Facing History for three years in ways that connect to his 7th and 8th grade students at Clay Elementary School on the far south side of Chicago. Students studying the Holocaust in his class did a journal project where they shared not only the responses that they had to what they were learning, but also making “ourselves” connections through poetry writing. Students explored the meaning of family, the struggles of growing up, and their relationships to their peers. The students selected one of their entries to become a part of the classroom journal- a bound book where students can connect to history and each other. Joe invited Ava Kadishon Schieber, a hidden child who lives in Chicago, to speak to his students, about her experiences before, during, and after the war, and to share her poetry as well.
In the midst of grad school and all of the coaching that Joe does, he is also a member of the Facing History teacher leadership team who are dedicated to thinking about ways that Facing History can work with teachers and to provide feedback about resources. Joe’s busy life has many interruptions, but when an announcement interrupted his classroom discussion, students yelled out that it was time to get back to work!
