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School trip to Auschwitz - opimnions

161 replies

forsale · 19/09/2007 15:19

dd has brought a letter home from school re: a visit to Krakow with a view to visiting Auschwitz - Does anyone have experience of this?

OP posts:
southeatsastras · 19/09/2007 23:03

i'm going to parp myself on this thread

PippiLangstrump · 19/09/2007 23:04

when I was at uni, in london, when a teacher mentioned the jews during the second world war a girl whispered 'why? what happened to the jews?' I was so shoked. I honestly thought that no one was unaware of this terrible bit of history.

sorry but in order to avoid this I'd risk my DC or any other to have a few nightmares.

SpeccieSeccie · 19/09/2007 23:04

ELF - agree completely. Why on earth send a 14 yr old on a trip like this? It really isn't necessary. We don't need to mentally hurt our children to make them see the line between good and evil. We can educate them to understand it through imagination and empathy and research. In a way that won't keep them awake at night.

maisym · 19/09/2007 23:04

south - at least you apologised for causing another poster to feel offended.

BecauseImWorthIt · 19/09/2007 23:05

Parp, too.

PippiLangstrump · 19/09/2007 23:06

parp me too. BIWT I agree with you though.

mindalinarrrmehearties · 19/09/2007 23:10

Someone posted a link to an online tour - have you all looked at it? Because to be honest I found that harrowing enough and it's just pictures. Surely that would be more appropriate than taking them there at 14? Also agree that many 14 years may not be mature enough to take it seriously. I remember when my year at school went to Ypres seeing a girl spit in one of the graveyards and others sneaking off to get drunk.

gibberish · 19/09/2007 23:10

And a big fat PARP from me too!

Oooh that felt good

Ellbell · 19/09/2007 23:14

I agree that it isn't necessary to go to these places in order to have some understanding of what happened there. But it is one way of understanding... and I would imagine (I haven't been, though I would be interested to do so) a very effective one.

I strongly believe, though, that Auschwitz should remain as a memorial.

Greensleeves · 19/09/2007 23:38

I agree with cod, and pmsl at maisywhatserface as well

Greensleeves · 19/09/2007 23:39

"I am offended by your comments"

I can almost see the mad glint in the eyes

forsale · 19/09/2007 23:40

crikey !

Thanks for all your opinons and comments. I personally would rathyer she didnt go but she has specifically asked to go . Naturally I dont think we parents have been given much time to think about it before returning "expression of interest" forms with £60 cheque. DD (who will be 15 by the time the trip happens) has specifically asked to be allowed to go but naturally I think she is simply considering the 4 day trip as a "jolly with friends and Auschwitz thrown in". She has read about Auschwitz but as you say the reality must be completely different. I may go and speak with her history teacher tomorrow.

OP posts:
drosophila · 20/09/2007 00:21

I went to dachau concentration camp at about 15. Moving, haunting and has stayed with me ot this day.

lisalisa · 20/09/2007 10:30

Message withdrawn

VeniVidiVickiQV · 20/09/2007 10:39

I think greeny was referring to maisym?

Hulababy · 20/09/2007 10:43

I think 14 is too young. More a sixth form and above type trip I think.

I would have no issue with a 14yo visiting war cemetries and trenches - my 5yo has been to those.

But from what I have heard Auschwitz can be very distressing to visit, and I would have thought it would be a bit too much for many 14 year olds.

Hulababy · 20/09/2007 10:45

forsale - if your DD has asked to go then that is different. But, just before she goes, I would sit down with her and talk about the emotions she might feel when getting there and that it is okay for her to feel these emotions too, and she should talk to you about them on return if she needs too.

I'd speak to history teacher too - to find out context, what was being done there, etc.

Bessie123 · 20/09/2007 10:52

I really think 14 is far too young. If your dd grasps the horror of what went on, it will be far too traumatic for her to deal with. If she doesn't grasp it, there is no point in her going

southeatsastras · 20/09/2007 11:35

all i can do is apologise again lisalisa, my comments were ill thought out and pretty stupid.

minorityrules · 20/09/2007 12:01

It think our teens should see and understand what horrors man can do

Let them be shocked and distraught, give them the understanding that bad people do bad things and is still going on

50 years ago, 14 year olds were out at work, not mollycoddled as they are today. Boys just a year or 2 older were sent off to war

My ds class went to the graves in belguim last year, they saw it as a jolly to start with. They all came back with a respect they didn't have before, especially as one boy found the grave of his great grandfather. We should be making these things real for them, visiting places and seeing it for themselves will do this and if they shed a tear, it might make them a better person in future years

Slightly different but similar, I watched the mini series roots as a 10 year old, that one film taught me how horrific slavery was and has made me a much better person (coming from a relatively bigoted family and now have very different views t them, because of roots)

Stop mollycoddling these young adults

Wisteria · 20/09/2007 12:06

It is harrowing but it is also incredibly eye-opening and educational, I think your daughter would benefit from it. It's not something made up or over sensationalised but the truth and imo something all children should be aware of. It certainly made me wake up to how cosseted we are in our generation/ time/ western world and appreciate things more.

I used to live in Germany and visited Dachau when I was 19. It made me cry and was a very upsetting experience but I feel a very important one. If we were still there then I would take my dd who is yr 9 and also the other one who is yr 7.

Hurlyburly · 20/09/2007 12:11

I've been to Auschwitz and I would not recommend it for any child. It's fine for adults but I found it to be very harrowing. I'll never forget it.

lisalisa · 20/09/2007 14:00

Message withdrawn

Heathcliffscathy · 20/09/2007 14:01

forsale....told you you'd get some opinions!!!!

Greensleeves · 20/09/2007 17:25

No lisalisa, not at all. I meant maisym.

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