Ep 681: Education in Motion with Zachary Graulich and guest C.J. Burtnick on hmTv

Send us Fan MailEducation in Motion | Ep. 681: C.J. Burtnick — Teaching the Holocaust Through Stories | HMTCDESCRIPTIONAfter sharing lunch with a Holocaust survivor, C.J. Burtnick’s students stand, take an upstander pledge, and explain what they learned. Their words tell her the history has become personal.On Education in Motion, host Zachary Graulich speaks with the New Jersey social studies teacher about transforming a limited literature unit into a broader Holocaust education program built on testimony, primary sources, museum partnerships, and personal histories. They discuss antisemitism at school, online denial and misinformation, and why the Holocaust should not be a student’s first introduction to Jewish life.C.J. also reflects on teaching prewar communities, slowing down with artifacts, and showing that no single book or testimony represents every experience. Her former students still return years later to say the Holocaust unit stayed with them, evidence that careful education can build resilience, empathy, and the courage to become an upstander.Education in Motion on hmTv | Host: Zachary Graulich | Guest: C.J. BurtnickA production of the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County🎧hmtcli.org📺buzzsprout.com/2449781youtube.com/@hmTv-hmtcCHAPTERS0:00 Introduction1:10 Choosing a career in education1:53 Learning across faiths and cultures3:38 From a novel unit to deeper Holocaust education5:58 Teaching through testimony and personal histories8:40 Online misinformation and Holocaust denial11:23 Teaching students to be human12:44 When students become upstanders16:11 Educators remain lifelong learners17:07 Teaching Jewish life before the Holocaust19:42 Slowing down with artifacts23:13 No single story represents every experience25:00 Reassurance about Holocaust education27:52 ClosingHASHTAGS#EducationInMotion #HolocaustEducation #Testimony #MediaLiteracy #HMTCSupport the show