“As we move forward in the 21st century, a distant event that occurred over 70 years ago- is quite forgetful and it is only a step from history to story, from story to myth, from myth to dream, and from dream to forgetfulness.  We must not let this occur.”

-  Noreen Brand, IHMEC Director of Education

On October 7^th and 8^th over 350 educators and administrators from across the Midwest gathered for IHMEC’s Inaugural Open House. Representing a cross-section of the Midwest, educators gathered from suburban and rural Illinois, Chicago public and parochial schools, as well from districts in Indiana and Wisconsin.

“As our school communities grapple with ways to resolve school violence, and create safe school learning environments, we can not offer a solution to this complex issue, but  we can offer our museum education programs and our programs  to investigate human behavior and what it takes to become an upstander in society today, offering thoughtful material for all to learn from, and for each to think about ways to make our world a better place for all to be,” said Noreen Brand, IHMEC Director of Educator. “Students, as well as all other visitors that visit this museum, learn about the power of prejudice and intolerance, about being a responsible human being, and about taking a stand.  Yesterday’s history becomes tomorrow’s lesson for life.”

The evening included tours of the museum’s Karkomi Permanent Exhibition, Miller Family Youth Exhibit; Legacy of Absence Gallery; Hall of Remembrance; Pritzker Hall of Reflection; “Darfur: Photojournalists Respond” (temporary exhibit gallery) and the Brill Resource Center and Miller Family Interactive Library.  Educators were also able to learn about the wide array of educational programming and resources offered including:

• Museum field trips
• Speakers’ Bureau outreach program
• Full day and evening teacher training workshops
• Summer Institutes – “Teaching the Holocaust,” (June 14-18, 2010) and “Teaching Genocide & Human Rights.” (June 21-25, 2010)
• Literature-based Teaching Trunk Program
• Opportunity Grant program
• Student Leadership Day