Reflect on the Holocaust. What do you think about people who say it didn't happen?

     The Holocaust, The annihilation of six million Jews, and countless others. The reason behind it seemed and is pointless. Just because the Nazi blamed them for Germany’s loss in World War I, and the sorry state of Germany during that time period. When I read the Holocaust, I was in shock. It puzzles me as to why they killed so many women, men, and children, almost everybody, who were not part of the “superior” German race. Till this day, even though the Holocaust has passed, it will never be forgotten

     When I read what happened, it brought out anger. I was so outraged at what happened. People were used for medical experiments, and labor. The rest of them were killed. I take a look and questions such as, “Why did Adolf Hitler decided to kill so many people?” “What was his purpose?” “Was Adolf Hitler jealous of the Jews?” The most unusual thing is that once he was in power, he eliminated all opposition and launched a ruthless program of world domination and eradication of the Jews, corresponding the very same ideas that were presented in his book, “Mein Kampf.” His "1,000 Year Reich” which barely lasted 12 years and he died a broken and defeated man.

     In the end, besides facing up to what he did, Adolf Hitler took the coward’s way out; He killed himself with cyanide. Here is what I think of those who deny that the Holocaust ever happened: Why do you believe that the Holocaust did not exist? Why do you think that it is just a fairy tale? A myth? A hocus-pocus magic trick? To me, you will one day remember those words, when your eyes are open to what actually happened. Only then, you can see through the eyes of the survivors. What type of person, or who, would ever deny that the Holocaust did not exist? I will give you an example.

     Look at Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iran leader that shocked the world when he called the Holocaust “myth” What does he think? That six million people was killed by the sun? If six million people were killed by the sun, I already know that we would not exist, and no one would be outside. I’m sorry Mr. Ahmadinejad, but evidence points otherwise. The Holocaust is not a “myth”. With documented cases; Survivors still are living till this day to explain a horror so unimaginable, that even Stephen King cannot write a novel about it. How and why do you think that the Holocaust was “Make-Believe”? I sit there and wonder about those who believe that the Holocaust did not exist.

     When you have people who deny the Holocaust, they deny a part of human history. You just cannot take an eraser, and erase all of the bad events in world history; and you definitely cannot erase the Holocaust. It is a world event that will always and forever leave a footprint in history. To those who survived through the Holocaust, it is a miracle that you are still alive today, to tell us of the worst human atrocity during the time period.

Write a reflection on your reaction to the several articles in "Understanding Prejudices" Do you understand how prejudice happens?

     Prejudice happens everywhere. Whether it is by race, origin, sex, or religion, and even through marital status and religion. Prejudice happens everywhere. Even in America prejudice happens. Many people say that when the Civil Rights Era ended, so did prejudice. They believed that everything is okay. Also, they believe that even when we had laws passed, protecting us from discrimination and prejudice, that it was all over. But in reality, it still exists.

     When I read the article on understanding prejudice, I learned that prejudice can happen in any way, shape, and form. I have learned is that prejudice happens in all walks of life. I have learned that prejudice can also happen unintentional and intentionally. Intentional prejudice happens later in life, based on that person’s beliefs, or events that has happened to them early in life. Unintentional prejudice happens when it occurs early in life, such as in childhood, due to influence by older people, or authority.

     There were several things that I have also learned about prejudice, but this fact is what has occurred to me the most. When we experience prejudice, we must learn how to deal with it. We also must learn how to accept other people, not based on their outer appearance, or religions, or any of the protected statuses. We must learn how to view them as one person, who is equal.

What are the most important concepts you got out of reading the article "Understanding the Self" (Hamachek) and the sections on Self concept and self-esteem in Transformation: Creating Context, Part I?

     When I read the article on the most important concepts, such as “Understanding The Self, and Transformation, it was an opener for me. The four important concepts that I have obtained from reading both of these articles is Self-Concept, also known as the “Private Self”, Self- Presentation, how I present myself to others, and the most important concept of all is the problem of meaning—that comes with the question of what is life all about, and how we are able to make something out of ourselves in life, and reinventing ourselves.

     The first important concept that is important is Self-Concept. The reason why is because of the fact that how a person describes, or view themselves as a type of person. Some people may view themselves as a friendly, outgoing person, while another person may view themselves as a mean person. The reason why Self-Concept is important is because as a future educator, I must have a positive self-concept.

     The second is Self-Presentation. The reason why \this concept is important because of the fact on how we present ourselves and to the world is very important. The reason why I made this statement is because people want to present themselves as a person that other people would like. Meaning, that they want people to see only what they want them to see. I believe that Self-Presentation is an important concept because we need to show people who we really are in life.

     The third is the Problem of Meaning. The reason why this concept is important is because of the fact that after some time, people start to question all about life, such as, “Why am I here?”, “What is the true meaning of life?” Many people would like to know what life is all about and the true meaning of it in general.

     The last one is Reinventing Ourselves. The reason why this is an important concept is because of the fact that we must truly transform ourselves, in order to become a brand new person. Not extra new, but a reformed person.

Why is Freud's work on the Theory of Personality considered so important even by those who don't agree with him? What do you think about Freud?

     Sigmund Freud’s Theory of Personality has made very important discoveries in the field of psychology. The work is still important today because he set the stage for research about the human self. Freud believed that we have an id, an ego, and a superego in our personalities. True, he may have been controversial in his day, but some of his works are accepted and widely popular today in the field of psychology. Reading about Freud’s Theory of Personality has helped me to understand psychology a bit more.

     I have learned that an id is self-serving. It does not care about other’s needs. It only cares about its own. For example, an infant. A baby does not understand other people yet. The infant only knows what they want. The id is only the beginning process of a person. Then we have the ego. The ego is there to feed the id what it wants, and is the second process. Than we have the superego. The superego is like the blanket of morals, and values that is placed on us. In a way, it helps both the ego and the id.

     To be honest, Freud was a very good psychologist. Even though most of his ideas were controversial during his time, he has set the stage for the human personality in psychology. And for that, I admire him. To come out with thoughts on the human mind at the time where it was controversial, well, that is a feat in itself.

What strikes you as most important to you as a teacher in reading about Beliefs, Values and Attitudes. What is the most important thing that you have learned?

      Many people have different beliefs, values, and morals. Some people have different ways of expressing themselves. Also, there are just those who people simply cannot be any different than those who differ from them. While reading the article, I have found out several different meanings to values, attitudes, and beliefs.

     Beliefs are the important part of a culture. It is the first important element of that particular group’s thoughts and behaviors. For example, many cultures think that a woman’s place should be at home. That is a culture thought. The behavioral part is when that same culture believes that children should behave properly in public places. It influences their thoughts and beliefs about their culture.

     Values are the second most important part of a culture. The reasons why is because many people have beliefs that they hold dearly to. For example, many people choose not to have relations before marriage, because they believe that it is bad. True, it is culture that can destroy a lot of things, for example, many people believe that if you are not a virgin, you are a bad person. I think that it has gotten to the point where people in some cultures, especially women, are not allowed to do certain things, because of this unusual standard: “Women are pure, so they must have very good values, no blemishes allowed.”

     Attitudes are the last important part of a culture. The reason why is because of the fact that attitude is almost like a belief. It is no difference, except on how people look at it. I look at attitudes through a cultural lens. Many people have different attitudes about different topics, and different cultures. An attitude is a whole different concept, but it is connected to beliefs.

     As a future educator, I believe that reading this article was important because of the fact that you will have students who beliefs, values, and attitudes are different from yours. Plus, as a future educator, you must also learn to work with the students, so that you know that they can succeed in an environment where students are free to express themselves.

Teaching for Inclusion

     When people take a look at diversity, many people make general statements about the classroom. Even though some generalizations may be true, others are based on their beliefs. When reading the article, I realized that teaching for inclusion gave the insight of diversity in a classroom. There are several different areas of diversity in a regular classroom. The teachers may have those who have disabilities, those with different religions, races, genders, and others.

    When teaching in a class, the teacher has to realize that the atmosphere that is established in their classroom is important. As a teacher, you must establish an environment where students of different backgrounds get to voice their different opinions, voices, and expressions. The reason why it is important is because in order for you to be an effective teacher, you must learn how to fully incorporate diversity into the classroom.

     Also, when I read the article, I also gave me an insight on diversity in the classroom, and how to teach for inclusion. May students will come into the classroom with different concerns, issues, and many other problems that may be related to their background, or any other aspect of their lives. As a teacher, an environment must be created where students feel free to have an open discussion on these issues. Therefore, as a teacher, in order to teach for inclusion, you must have the skills, and experience necessary to fully comprehend diversity in a classroom.

Transformation: Awareness and Consciousness

     After reading this article, it gave me a different insight of transformation. When I read the article, I had my original opinions and definitions of what awareness and consciousness was. I have thought that in order to be aware, the person must be aware of their surroundings. When I read the article, awareness is like a storage bin, a place where we keep our plans, the expectations that we have of people and things, and our assumptions, what we think about people or things.

     Also, when I read the article, people can usually become involved, or they can become distracted by their consciousness. When I read the article, it gave me a different insight on what awareness and consciousness is all about. When a person is conscious, they are awake, and active, but they may or may not be aware of the transformation. It is almost like a dream, you are conscious, but may or may not be aware.

     After reading the article, in order to truly transform, you must be able to change into a different kind of consciousness and awareness, in order to get a direct transformation into a new person, one who is in harmony with the world and their surroundings