FROM NANCY SANDERS
English School Teacher From McHenry Junior High School, McHenry, IL.

TO SIDNEY FINKEL

Dear Sidney,

When I first heard you tell your story and decided my 8th grade students must hear you, I couldn't have imagined how wide and profound your influence on them would be. You saw how they sat on the learning center floor for over an hour, not squirming, not asking to go get a drink, but mesmerized, watching your face, anxious for each word. Any teacher knows how rare such behavior is.

Seeing even our most restless students being attentive wasn't our only surprise. Some of the most probing questions were asked by students we think of as troubled with little interest in school. In you, they saw someone who had made it through terrible circumstances and stood before them a happy, successful man. Many of them refer to you as a hero.

We teachers learned a lot about our students from observing who asked what questions. Because you did not hesitate to respond to any comment, they were totally comfortable with you. You are so genuine, even telling them when you'd have to think about the questions for a moment, or letting them know when they'd given you an insight that hadn't crossed your mind before. The authenticity they experienced with you doesn't happen often between children and adults.

When we returned to class, students were asked to write a letter to you or write some personal response to what they'd heard. Without exception, students began writing immediately and wrote for at least 30 minutes. Their remarks were heartfelt, innocently sincere, and personal. Some had seen it as a new kind of understanding of history and its complexities, but most spoke of some relevance the experience had for their own lives. Some vowed to make sure this never happens again. Others took courage and strength from you. All were very sincere about the way you had touched them.

You presence stayed with them all year. First, you put a face on the Holocaust. Periodically I'd hear something like, "Mrs. Sanders, I saw a film on the Holocaust on T.V. and I think I saw Sidney!" They related the Holocaust lessons to other historical events and current events, making connections that showed true understanding of your message. Things happening to characters in books often brought references to you. They could not let examples of unjustices pass without remarking that such things must not be allowed to escalate.

But to me the most valuable result of your relationship with my students was how it has opened them up to me so early in the year. As in the candid letters to you that detailed their own personal pains, such as the death of a father, they have been willing to talk about their sorrows and receive empathy they greatly need. They say you told them that to feel joy fully you have to feel pain, too. They say they have learned it's not good to hold things in, that Mr. Finkel said when you need help you must reach out for it. This they are learning to do, and this is your greatest gift to them and me.

As you read their letters, I know you will feel wonderful and have renewed strength to continue your important work with people. I admire your courage and generosity.

Affectionately,

Nancy
Nancy