This summer, Mr. Andrew Voss participated in an eight-day Holocaust Education trip to Poland. The experience was both deeply personal and professionally impactful, providing powerful lessons he plans to carry into his classroom and share with his students.
One of the most profound moments for Mr. Voss came during his visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he saw an exhibit of human hair taken from victims. “They have a large room in one of the barracks that displays tons of human hair that was found on site in one of the storage buildings,” he shared. “It by itself is overwhelming to view, but in a small display to the side of the room is a display of children's braids. I was instantly envisioning my daughter and students and was overcome by emotion at the thought of their lives being cut short in such a cruel and dehumanizing way. The fact that so many futures were cut short is devastating. It took me around 20 minutes to even compose myself after this experience.”
Mr. Voss is committed to using what he learned to deepen Holocaust education in his classroom. He plans to focus more on personal stories and narratives, helping students see the Holocaust through individual experiences rather than only broad historical accounts. “I want my students to have an understanding that there wasn’t just a singular explanation of what the experience was like,” he explained. “It was very different for every victim. I also want them to understand that small acts of resistance were done daily to ensure that the Nazi plan would not be successful — and because of those, we have survivors who made it to North Carolina.”
He also reflected on the importance of this type of learning for educators and students today. “Understanding different cultures helps break the cycle of hate. Human nature makes us skeptical and fearful of things we don’t recognize or understand. Helping to humanize those that are perceived as different from us will help reduce the prevalence of fear and prejudice in the world. When we learn to look for the humanity and similarities we all share, it becomes very difficult for events like the Holocaust to ever be able to take place again.”
By sharing his experience, Mr. Voss hopes to inspire empathy, understanding, and critical reflection among his students — lessons that extend far beyond the classroom.
We are proud of Mr. Voss for representing our district through this unique opportunity and for bringing back such meaningful lessons to share with his students.
Fox8's Katie Nordeen traveled with the group to document the learning. Watch the special here.
https://myfox8.com/video/teaching-the-holocaust-special/11099959/