What do you like most about how Incredible Tutor™ helps students?
I like that it can help students learn quicker by giving them a more enjoyable learning experience with the games and warm fuzzies.

What do you do in your spare time?
I jog, read, play guitar, play video games, watch movies, and hang out with friends and family.

What do you think is one of the greatest challenges facing kids in school today?
I think one of their greatest challenges is being themselves regardless of what their peers may think.

The first Thanksgiving celebrated the Pilgrims’ first successful harvest, which would not have happened had a Native American tribe not taken the time to help these foreigners learn how to catch fish and grow vegetables in a strange new land. As newcomers to America, the Pilgrims reaped the benefit of a generous group of people who were willing to cross the boundaries between two enormously different cultures. Without this help, they may not have survived their move to the New World.

For students today, learning about and being willing to accept people from a different culture may not have the same impact as that the Pilgrims experienced, but there is no question that teaching children diversity and tolerance opens them to fresh new worlds. A beautiful example of opening the eyes of a community occurred in Whitwell, Tennessee, when some teachers at the middle school decided to hold an after school program teaching diversity and tolerance.

The teachers and students at Whitwell Middle School worked together studying the Holocaust. As they learned six million Jews were killed in concentration camps, the idea remained such an abstract concept for the students that they asked to collect six million of something. The students learned that the paper clip was invented in Norway during WWII and became, for the Norwegians, a symbol of solidarity with the Jews. Norwegians began wearing paper clips in their lapels as a sign of support.

When the students at Whitwell Middle School learned the history of the paper clip, their project got underway. Slowly, they began collecting paper clips from various sources, including writing letters to famous people. As more and more people from around the country learned of the middle schoolers’ project, not only did paper clips begin pouring in to them, but they began receiving letters and visits from people directly affected by the Holocaust. The project really took life when several Holocaust survivors came to the small town of Whitwell to tell their stories. Eventually, the students received an original German cattle car that transported Jews to the concentration camps. The entire community of Whitwell came together to create a museum by placing 11 million of the paper clips in the cattle car.

There is no question that the students of Whitwell Middle School, and their town as a whole, benefited from this study of another culture. Many in Whitwell will tell how they have grown individually and as a community. Many Americans use the Thanksgiving season to reflect on and be grateful for what they have. Perhaps it is also a good time to stop and consider another culture. Taking the time to teach and learn about another way of life may bring valuable experiences and insight that will help all involved to grow in unexpected ways.

Learn more about the Children’s Holocaust Memorial and Paper Clip Project at their website located at www.marionschools.org/holocaust or watch the documentary “Paper Clips” that details the project.

Many thanks to Claire Mitchell of Austin, Texas for submitting this fabulous dessert for a Thanksgiving feast!

Topping:
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
9 ounces (2 2/3 cups) fresh cranberries
1/4 cup fresh orange juice

Batter:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, separated
½ cup whole milk
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar