On the 5th of April, Pagėgiai Algimantas Mackus Gymnasium hosted a seminar for teachers on the presentation of the history of occupations in the education process.
The participants of the seminar were introduced to the educational program, implemented by the International Commission on the totalitarian regimes, the development of prevention of crimes against humanity and tolerance. The teachers were presented with methodological recommendations “Why, what and how to teach about the Holocaust?”, recommendations and slideshows about the first and second Soviet occupations. Ingrida Vilkienė, a coordinator of educational programs, introduced visual materials recommended to be used in lessons – the Holocaust witnesses’ stories, films: “The red year”, “Uncle Chatzeklis”.
The presentation of historian Artūras Svarauskas “Lithuanian Society in the period of the crisis and Soviet occupation 1939-1941” raised many questions among teachers: about the mood of the Lithuanian society in 1939, about the attitude towards the first Soviet occupation and the upcoming war in Lithuania. According to one physics teacher, who participated in the seminar, “history does not necessarily need to be taught to students, it is very important to know it and to be able to perceive and evaluate the facts.”
The seminar was organized by the International Commission on the invitation of Pagėgiai Algimantas Mackus Gymnasium.