Selden Smith has been on a journey to explore the lessons from the Holocaust and bring that scholarship to teachers in South Carolina for nearly two decades. But when he started his career as a history professor in 1960, the Holocaust as a subject of study didn't factor into his teaching.

"As a historian, I was probably somewhat late in getting into the subject matter of the Holocaust-not until 1980 or 1981. I knew some modern European history, but the Holocaust as an identifiable body of historical material that had its own identity and dynamic-I wasn't aware of that. When I went through graduate school, nobody talked about the Holocaust," he says. Up until his retirement in 1997, Smith taught at Colombia College a women's college affiliated with the Methodist church.

A Change in His Teaching
In the early 80's Smith decided to offer a course in the Holocaust. That decision prompted him to seek out Survivors in the Columbia area. "I met half a dozen couples who were Survivors of the Holocaust. They literally enriched my life, giving me a personal link to the Holocaust." He began inviting the Survivors into his classes.

In 1989, the South Carolina State legislature appointed Smith to the newly established South Carolina Council on the Holocaust. From the beginning, it was clear the Council should connect to classroom teachers. Collecting oral histories from Holocaust Survivors and Liberators was one of their first projects, resulting in a 215-page book for classroom use called South Carolina Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust.

Facing History Partnership
In 1994 the Council began using some of its funds to support a graduate workshop for public school teachers. And so began a 13-year partnership with Facing History and Ourselves and Mary Johnson, Senior Historian from Facing History, who has been the lead facilitator. Columbia College also subsidizes the seminar, which brings together 25-30 teachers for a residential week-long experience.

"That was a happy arrangement from the beginning-using Facing History materials and taking advantage of the skills and charm that Mary Johnson has in the classroom," Smith recalls. Smith, who is chair of the Council, estimates that over 300 teachers have participated in the graduate workshops since 1994.

Teaching Good Citizenship
Smith says Facing History's approach is similar to his own. "We must have the involvement of the student if we're going to get anywhere."

He also thinks Facing History is especially effective teaching good citizenship. The approach asks students to consider, "Do we have in our contemporary society some problems where the study of the Holocaust would make it somewhat easier for somebody to decide, ‘What should we do? How should we relate to this social problem that exists in or own society today-50 years later, 60 years later?'"

Connecting History to Today's Issues
Smith reflects on the study of the Holocaust and how it has evolved as time goes by. "The Holocaust has a changing dynamic to it. Survivors and Liberators, like old college professsors, don't live forever. . .Holocaust Studies will obviously change when Survivors are gone. . .The pedagogy associated with Holocaust studies will change also."

"I think Facing History is on the cutting edge of change. How do you move from the subject of the Holocaust to the subject of immigration? How do you move from the Holocaust to the study of contemporary American prejudice and racism? Facing History makes that transition in a very comprehensive and competent way with new materials and pedagogy. Facing History will help us meet the future with reason and hope."