IWitness (and survivor Roman Kent) has had a profound effect on the entire eighth grade class at Saraland Middle School in Alabama, says teacher Donna Hughes.

Hughes teaches eighth grade language arts and seventh grade journalism, and learned about IWitness at an Echoes and Reflections workshop. She has since incorporated testimony into her Holocaust curriculum in order to supplement her students’ reading and provide them access to real survivors, she said.

Hughes said learning about the Holocaust from multiple sources also corroborates the events, which will be especially important if her students ever come across Holocaust deniers.

“Hearing and seeing the emotion in the survivors' testimonies also helps my students understand that events from almost 70 years ago still impact people today. It shows the relevance of learning about the past,” Hughes said.

But Hughes’ students aren’t the only ones who watch testimony in IWitness. The entire eighth grade class at Saraland Middle completed the Roman Kent Information Quest, in which Kent describes how his family dog, Lala, followed the family to the Lodz ghetto to be with them after they were forced to leave their home. The students enjoyed being able to work at their own pace and all levels of students found the activity accessible.

“When I brought up a class's quests on our projector, it was interesting how many students begged for me to show theirs, even our most reluctant readers,” Hughes said. “Students were proud of their work and were eager for others to see it.”

One student wrote the following response to the activity, Hughes shared: “Although it is a very depressing story, it teaches to always have hope. Daily [Kent] was faced with harsh conditions but he never gave up. Constant deaths, his family being taken away, and many more conflicts happened to him at such a young age, yet I think it is a very inspiring story/message. His story should be taught everywhere because not only is it an important piece of history, but a motivation to keep pushing on.”

Another student wrote, “Even when times seem like they can't get any harder, there is always love. Love always trumps hate. Love always prevails. Love is more powerful than force or anything else. His dog wasn't held back by the guns or barbed wire and always found his way back to his family.” 

While IWitness reinforces nonfiction English language arts standards, improves her students’ listening and note taking skills and provides sources for them to cite in research papers, it also shows the “human element of the Holocaust,” Hughes said. Although they have difficulty grasping the idea of six million Jews killed, they understand the story of Roman Kent and his dog Lala.

“Students are incensed by the injustice of the Holocaust, and I use this as a springboard for why we must stop intolerance today,” Hughes said. “Learning about the suffering of others has also helped my students learn about perseverance and courage.”