Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it

There is much to learn in school books. But who decides what stories are to be told? Those questions arise amid news that the state of Wisconsin may require school districts statewide to teach about the Holocaust. My first thought is “Are we not teaching our students that millions of fellow human beings were murdered by a mad dictator because of their heritage, their religion or the color of their skin?” The Wisconsin Assembly has overwhelmingly passed a bill that requires instruction on the Holocaust and other genocides. It requires all school districts, including private and charter schools, teach about the Holocaust at least once in both middle and high school. It seems strange that we haven’t taught our  young people about the Holocaust, or at least been required to do so. Why did it take so long? Wisconsin is not alone. Currently only 11 states require their schools to provide instruction about the Holocaust. Yet recent polling finds 22% of Millennials have never heard of the Holocaust. The bill passed by the Assembly now goes to the Senate, as this legislative session winds down. Let’s hope they can make teaching about past atrocities a priority.