Some people and events are simply too horrific to make light of, especially when dealing with impressionable children. For parents of students at a middle school in Gurnee, Illinois, a homework assignment in which their kids were required to draw a comic strip of Europe’s appeasement of Hitler crossed that line.
Even the graphics on the front page of the assignment featured a cartoon version of Hitler complete with a swastika. While there is no reason to believe that the teacher was trying to promote anti-Semitism or a pro-Hitler viewpoint in her assignment, the way she went about it is questionable to say the least.
While there is no part of history that should be glossed over or erased, there are certain parts of history that must be taught with grave seriousness. Humor and lightheartedness certainly have their place in the classroom, but not when you are teaching about the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis. Even if it’s inadvertent, teaching kids to associate Hitler with fun comic strips and lighthearted cartoons is simply too dangerous.
To see more details of this homework assignment and its fallout, be sure to check out the video below.
