Join us for a special book club event commemorating Genocide Awareness Month, featuring White Bird by R. J. Palacio. Deepen your knowledge on Holocaust education through the story of White Bird, an unforgettable graphic novel now adapted into a major motion picture starring Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson. The story powerfully illustrates how kindness can change hearts, build bridges, and even save lives during the darkest of times.
Dr. Irene Ann Resenly will lead a discussion on White Bird and how to incorporate its themes into K-12 classrooms. An award-winning educator with two decades of social studies teaching experience, Dr. Resenly currently teaches eighth grade in Middleton, Wisconsin, and was named the 2024 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. Her work focuses on Holocaust memory, memorial site pedagogy, and making difficult histories accessible to students.
A limited number of classroom book sets (10 copies of White Bird) will be given to educators who sign up. Register early to secure your set and bring this important story into your classroom!
Don’t miss this opportunity to engage with fellow educators, deepen your understanding of Holocaust education, and gain practical insights from Dr. Resenly’s wealth of experience.
About White Bird
Sara Blum lives an idyllic life with her adoring parents in Vichy France. But her world comes crashing down when the Nazi occupation separates the family and forces the young Jewish girl into hiding. Her classmate Julien and his family will risk everything to ensure her survival, and, together, Sara and Julien manage to find beauty in a secret world of their creation.
About Dr. Irene Ann Resenly
Dr. Irene Ann Resenly (she/her) brings two decades of experience as a social studies educator in diverse contexts. She has worked for a Holocaust survivor at Boston University, as a museum educator at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City, as a private school teacher in Poland, as an university instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a public school teacher in Wisconsin, and for state-wide and national educational organizations. She is currently an eighth grade teacher in Middleton, Wisconsin, and was honored as the 2024 Middle School Teacher of the Year by the Wisconsin Council for the Social Studies. Irene Ann holds a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction-Social Studies Education from UW-Madison. Her research examines Holocaust memory, memorial site pedagogy, and age-accessibility in teaching so-called “difficult histories.”
Click here for registration and more information.