Teacher's sarcasm on Holocaust causes uproar

A Minneapolis 8th grade teacher sent an e-mail to faculty entitled "Torture Time!" asking for suggestions for a Holocaust simulation she was planning for her class.

The e-mail asks teachers to participate in a day of sheer pleasure where they become Nazi Officers and Adolfs.

School Principal Coleman McDonough said that the teacher was trying to be sarcastic and humorous. He said the e-mail was in poor judgment.

The e-mail also stated that children would be forced to wear yellow stars, and would actually have to pay $10 for them. The teacher said that if they died during the project then she would keep their money, and for those who couldn't afford the badges she said she would threaten detention. If the students managed to survive then she would return the money.

While I believe this teacher went about the project the wrong way, I believe she originally had a good agenda. She wanted to bring the seriousness of the Holocaust to life, but that's hard to believe when she's practically joking in an e-mail.

The Holocaust killed nearly 6 million Jews, so bringing attention to it is important in the classroom. But reenacting and joking about it is not.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS
Original e-mail in Adobe