Online support brings Facing History to Jakarta International School

"Facing History makes students ask themselves hard questions so that when faced with ethical and moral situations they will have the tools to make the right decision over that which could cause pain or harm to their fellow human being." Zane Dickey

Zane Dickey has been teaching a Facing History course at the Jakarta International School (JIS) in Indonesia for three years. In this email interview, he describes the course and its impact on his students. Zane took the online seminar Holocaust and Human Behavior and receives long distance follow-up support from Facing History program staff.

FACING HISTORY: You're originally from the U.S. How did you end up teaching in Jakarta?
Zane Dickey: I came to Indonesia with my wife because she had been offered her dream job with a six-month contract. My wife and I arrived with very little knowledge of the country and we now find ourselves speaking Indonesian and have two children. The original plan of staying for six months has now become five years. I too have found my dream job teaching at JIS for the past four years, the past three teaching 8th grade World Studies. Prior to JIS I was like a dog moving about trying to find that "right" place to settle.

FH: Why did you become a teacher?
ZD: I became a teacher because it felt "right". It is the only job after the Peace Corps in which I find I am giving back and making positive change. It is a job that actually pays me to become a deeper, more critical thinker and a better human being.

FH: Tell us a little about your school.
ZD: My school is beautiful and multi-cultural with a student body comprised of over 60 nationalities and a teaching staff consisting of 50 nationalities. My students are creative global citizens who are generally well traveled and have had a variety of exposures to different countries, cultures, languages and schools. Approximately 70% speak a language other than English with their parents. There is a large Asian population - 20% Korean, 15% Indonesian, Malay, Indian, and Japanese.... a nice mix of cultures. Each of my classes provides multiple perspectives and experiences, which makes the sharing of ideas and learning deeply interesting.

FH: Please describe your Facing History course.
ZD: The Facing History course was actually started before my arrival over eight years ago. It combines both World Studies and English classes together so that two teachers are teaching each class at the same time. This course follows three units (geography, cultural identity, and conflict resolution) so the students have a solid footing before they began the unit.

In the course we hope to accomplish a sense that the students will think about their role in the world and how each individual can make a difference. We hope to empower students so that they can better deal with disempowering situations.

The course is divided into four themes, The Rise of the Nazis and the political, social and economic climate prevalent in Germany following the end of World War I; how the Nazi regime gained power through systemic small steps; the Holocaust and an examination of the Final Solution through the characterization of participants: rescuers, victims, perpetrators and bystanders; and the legacy the Holocaust has left behind and reflection on students individual responsibility to it and potentially similar situations.

FH: Why do you think Facing History is valuable for your students?
ZD: Students begin to look beyond themselves, from the concept of me to them, from the notion of them to us, and finally to we - the class, the community, the world. They realize that "They" are really "Me" and we all belong to each other. They learn what empathy is and learn to look at the world around them more critically. They learn that what happened in the past can happen again and that they are the ones who are empowered and have a voice, a duty, to take action and make positive and lasting change.

It helps students to reflect on their values and ethics and what is really important. It nudges them to ask themselves that critical question: who am I really? It makes students ask themselves hard questions so that when faced with ethical and moral situations they will have the tools to make the right decision over that which could cause pain or harm to their fellow man.

I think the greatest impact on students is when they look on those evil people who committed such atrocities and then look inside themselves and realize that those evil people are not very different from themselves.... people just living out their daily lives, taking orders, and never questioning or critically thinking about their actions or the actions of those around them and wondering why didn't anyone do anything? I remember a student who became very distressed after he realized that he would have followed a similar path of committing unethical and moral acts if put in a similar situation in the same time period. It was this deeper authentic learning experience that really helped him become more critical of his own actions, thoughts, and discovery of his own life path.

FH: What have been your greatest successes? Your most powerful lesson?
ZD: I try to teach my students to empathize so it seems only fair that I empathize with them. I remember one lesson in which my colleague and I used a real bullying issue on campus involving a popular student in our school. The popular student was the perpetrator and rightfully expelled but the students were blaming the bystander instead. We used this real world issue to help the students put things into perspective, which resulted in a very powerful exercise for everyone - especially for my colleague and me. I would like to think that each lesson is powerful in some way for at least one student. That is my secret hope.

FH: Has Facing History changed in any way how think about yourself as a teacher?
ZD: I realize that if I were alive during this time period I would have been targeted - a marked man possibly. It makes me realize the importance of my vocation and the significance, value, power, and influence I have on others. I recall an important statement in a video shown during the Facing History Unit: A child is an empty vessel. You can either fill him with good or evil. I want to provide my students with an abundance of good that overflows so that they may spread it to everyone they meet.