Experiencing WWII Death Camps to Empower Students

A 2022 piece by National Public Radio cited Anne Frank as “the most famous young author of all time,” as her diary, translated into more than 65 languages, is one of the most widely read books in the world. One such reader was Nikia Garland. Now a 24-year veteran teacher at Arsenal Technical High School in Indianapolis, she was once a sixth grader at nearby Farrington Elementary Shool where she picked up the autobiography – never thinking that Anne wouldn’t survive. That surprising conclusion would inform Nikia’s future – rooted in education and social justice.

Today we’re learning from Nikia Garland, a native Indianan who earned both an undergraduate and master’s degree from Indiana University and currently teaches British Literature and AP Language and Composition. She has taught a wide range of secondary and college-level classes in the U.S. and internationally. In addition to being a Fund for Teachers Fellow, Nikia is a Terry Fear Holocaust Educator in Action recipient, a Mark Schonwetter Holocaust Education Foundation grant recipient, a Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellow, and a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow. In all of her free time, she is a chair for the Indiana Teachers of Writing conference,  president-elect for the Indiana affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English – and mother of two sons.

When seeking resources to support her Holocaust unit, Nikia realized that Indiana had a Holocaust Museum, founded by Auschwitz survivor Eva Kor. She ALSO found Fund for Teachers through a Google search and, last summer, used a $5,000 grant to document historical sites in Germany and Poland related to the novels The Book Thief and My Forgiveness, My Justice to expand student comprehension of significant events in world history and inspire them as social justice advocates and global citizens.

We caught up with Nikia two days before International Holocaust Remembrance Day (also commemorated in Indiana as Eva Kor Education Day), to hear about the learning she experienced and why feels it was vital for her students…

After listening, read Nikia's article “A visit to Auschwitz changed how I teach about the Holocaust" published by Chalkbeat Indiana on Friday, January 26th. 

Learn more about Fund for Teachers on our Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn pages and apply for YOUR self-designed fellowship at fundforteachers.org.

Music on podcast: Scott Harris: Clear Progress