Response to student’s discomfort with the approach of learning unit on Elie Wiesel’s Night

Hello Ms.__________,
            I am saddened to hear that you are upset with the way that Night is being taught. As an
English teacher, I have found myself in a difficult position while teaching Night. The curriculum
standards of ELA are different from a subject like history. Under ELA standards, nonfiction texts
are treated as pieces of literature that are crafted using many of the same literary techniques as
fiction, such as tone, imagery, diction, story structure, etc. Believe me, I never meant to suggest
that Night was gothic literature. The idea behind this learning unit was to understand how Wiesel
crafted his memoir to tell his story in the most effective way possible. Our conservations about
how one should go about representing something like as tragic as the Holocaust were my way of
trying to respect the sensitivity of topic. I want you to know that I did not see what we have been
doing as a casual undertaking.
            Mr._____________ and I have been discussing the class material in light of some of the
pushback. This morning, I will bring your concerns to his attention. Thank you for taking the
time to express your thoughts to me. I appreciate your offer to attend your synagogue’s virtual
congregation, but I am strictly prohibited from having any sort of contact with students outside
of the classroom as long as I am a student teacher (even in a virtual setting). I do not wish to do
anything that could jeopardize the completion of my certification. Again, thank you for being
honest with me.
 
All the best,
 
Mr. Peter Joyce