SabbaghELA Posts

After reading Martin Niemöller’s poem “They Came For,”  students were asked to reflect on this question:  Do you think that everyone in Germany was partly responsible for the Nazi’s rise to power, or that only those active in the Nazi Party were responsible?  Explain your answer.  Below is one student’s response. 

“In light of the Holocaust, it is difficult to decipher whether the German people should be held responsible for the monstrosities committed by the Nazis. I find myself wondering – can indifference ever be justified? Can we put the German people at fault, even though their economic and political state left them seeking for anyone, or anything to hope in? Even though they too would have been subject to the Nazis torture if they dared to be brave.

And yet, how could they have supported a cause so full of hate? Did they truly believe that was the only way? Was desperation the driving force behind the German people’s ignorance, which ultimately fueled their oppression? Who is to blame – Hitler? After all, he was the one behind it all, wasn’t he? It was his words outlining the devious plans he had in store within the pages of Mein Kampf, yet no one believed that it could’ve been some and even so, no one spoke. Which is the dominating fuel for evil – indifference of hatred? Or are are they counterparts? Was it indifference that fueled hate or hate that fueled indifference?

My mind spins in circles trying to find the words to say, to explain it all, until I can only formulate one last thought – why cling to blame? After half a century, what has blame proven? Of course, it is necessary to remember, memory is vital in the protection of our future, to prevent further blight and suffering, but why blame? No amount of further blame or hatred will give the dead new life, only unsettle the dirt that lay atop them.

Granted, we cannot forget the indifference of the German people; however, we cannot give indifference any more leverage. Memory will serve as the shield against evil, but blame will only sharpen the sword.” – Maya Lewy (10th grade Honors Language Arts student)

In 2008, I earned my teacher’s certification after finishing my student teaching at Walled Lake Western High School.

I was eager to start my teaching career. Optimistically, I began my job search.

I applied everywhere, even out-of-state, but nobody was hiring. This was the case for many professions, not just teaching. It was a tough time for anybody trying to get into their chosen career.

One day in July, with my application to substitute teach in one hand, and a rental deposit in the other, I got a call from a principal in Kansas.

(Cue Wizard of Oz and Superman jokes now.)

A week later, I had the job.

Two weeks later, I had transplanted myself in another state where I did not know a soul.

I told myself, if my parents can immigrate from France and Syria respectively, then I certainly can start my teaching career in Kansas.

Six years later, I came back to Michigan. My parents had retired and my sisters were getting married and planning families. It made sense to be back home.

Fast forword three years, to Spring Break 2017. One of my former students from Kansas reached out to see if I would be willing to be their guest speaker at their high school graduation.  The young man went on to say that since I had spoken at their 8th grade promotion, their class thought it would be cool if I spoke again at commencement.

It has been three years since I left Kansas. I was immediately humbled and honored.  “Absolutely!” I replied.

And now, here I am, the weekend of graduation. The speech is written and practiced. I’m about to board my plane. This weekend will be an incredible one full of nostalgia, old friends, and well-wishes to my former students.

When I began my teaching career nine years ago, I never imagined the impact this career would have on my life, and on the lives of my students.

Truth be told, the lasting relationships I build with my students remains the one thing I am most grateful for in my career as a teacher. I don’t take it for granted- and I appreciate it more than words can say.

To my current students, thank you for allowing me to continue the humbling tradition of making a difference in your lives. I am thankful for my first year in Dearborn, and look forward to many years to come.

Read the speech here.

When asked, “Do you think it is possible for fear to dominate the universe? Why, or why not?”  Deena Beydoun, an Honors Language Arts student, replied, “I believe that it’s possible [for fear to dominate the universe], but it would not be a long-lasting universe.  Fear only grows in the dark, and a world cannot thrive without light.” And, as Wiesel states in his Nobel Lecture “Hope, Despair and Memory,”  that light is hope. 

There have been few pieces of art, in any medium, that have moved me so deeply that I feel compelled to step back and allow myself to grasp what has entered my conscience. So few, indeed, that I can count them off on one hand- To Kill a Mockingbird holds its head high amongst them. It is art like To Kill a Mockingbird that inspires me unlike anything else. It is an inspiration that exists far beyond the content of the novel, an inspiration of the soul, a sensation that feels bigger than comprehension.

To Kill a Mockingbird represents, in many ways, those joys that a name would stain. It is a story of lost innocence and greed, but beyond that, it is a story of honesty, wisdom, bravery and love prevailing in the face of it all. It is a novel that reminds me what joy can truly be. It is a novel that calls forth the sacred thought, the faith that, whatever it’s worth, anyone can create art that touches one’s anima. Anyone has the power to open the hearts of others, to take their stand against whatever they may, be it prejudice, productivity, or philosophy. Anyone can bottle their senses, their happiness, and their trust to encapsulate whatever they feel. To Kill a Mockingbird reminds me that joy comes from someplace special. It isn’t seeing an “A” on an orange sheet. It isn’t the allure of possession or meaningless hours spent before the television screen. It is seeing the eyes of a friend light up, it is the teary-eyed ramblings of a party gone on for far too long, and it is a whisper from the lips of Boo Radley.

A name may stain this accomplishment of writing, but it isn’t the failings of language at blame. Any single name isn’t enough. It  can take hundreds and  thousands of words. It can take countless pages, and on occasion, can take a small rural county in southern Alabama. It can take a thoughtful landscape, or a quirky computer game, or a favourite song. But it is something beautiful, and it is joy. It is the reassurance that, both a greedy wretch, a man falsely condemned to death, and a curious little girl can all understand one another in a deep and profound way.

If there is any great moral to To Kill a Mockingbird, it isn’t one that claims prejudice is evil or that we’ve grown callouses over reality- it is one of stories. It is one that tells us that there’s a story behind every face, behind every reaction and every word. There’s a story to us all, and without having read that story, we can’t expect to know the context of those people and actions we see around us. In this great story of life, the best we can hope to do is to have written down our very best.

To Kill a Mockingbird has instilled confidence in me that doing so is within the reach of any willing to grasp it. I wouldn’t change that for the world.

About the Author (in his own words): To get formalities out of the way, my name’s Adam and I’m a diligent student at Dearborn High School. Now, what is there for me to tell you about myself? I’ve never deemed my own life story particularly interesting, to be frank. I’ve had a simple childhood of friendships and summers, and I’m having a simple teenagehood of schoolwork and, well, writing. English has become my own personal escape to extraordinary images of picturesque scenery, impossibly interesting adventures and unfathomable beauty and drama- all things which I regrettably must inform you, do not define my day-to-day lifestyle. But hey, that’s what literature is for, isn’t it?

When one hears the word “survival”, many things may come to mind.

• One might think of Darwin’s philosophy “Survival of the Fittest.”
• Or how might survive a zombie apocalypse.
• One could imagine the dystopian world of The Hunger Games or Divergent. 
• Or one might think of emotional survival – and the importance of mental health.
• One might think of how people in history may have survived The Great Depression or the Holocaust.
• Or, for high school students, they might think about what it means to survive high school (and all that entails).

Survival has many sides.  

In the last card-marking period of the school year, students will be examining the “DNA of survival”.

The essential questions for this unit are as follow:

• What elements exist within us for survival?
•  

  How do survivors adapt to cope with unforeseen circumstances and events?

• How can knowing the atrocities of the past serve as a caution for the future?

Survival is not only about loss and despair – it is also about hope; and as Andy Dufresne said in the movie The Shawshank Redemption, “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”

HW: On Tuesday, students will be asked to pick out a memoir or auto-biography for their SSR novel (more details to follow).

Articles on the Importance of Reading To Kill a Mockingbird:

• High School English Teachers On Why Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Endures (Perspectives)
• Teaching Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ (Op-Ed)

The goal of a rhetorical analysis is to articulate HOW the author writes, rather than WHAT they actually wrote. To do this, you will analyze the strategies the author uses to achieve his or her goal or purpose of writing their piece. For more information, please watch this video.

All students will need to understand how to use rhetorical analysis – if for no other reason than it will help prepare them for the SAT Writing Essay.  Honors students who can effectively use rhetorical analysis will be better prepared for their AP Language Exam next year.

02/08 Introduction to Op-Ed

• Define Academic Vocabulary Words related to Op-Ed
• Pre-Assessment Questions
• Read Op-Ed
• Analyze Rhetorical Devices and their Effects

For marking period one, semester two, students will take part in a variation of the Poetry 180 project through the Library of Congress.   This is an extraordinary opportunity which will introduce students to a variety of new poets and poems chosen by Billy Collins, the U.S. Poet Laureate (2001-2003).  His poem “Introduction to Poetry” will be used to model and guide students through this project.

02/07 Assignment:  Select three poems you are interested in using from the link above and email them to Ms. Sabbagh.  (Poems are first come first serve.)  Today in class we will familiarize ourselves with the poet.