Introduction

My name is Kevin Ruhl. I am a graduating senior at Westborough High School and I am just finishing up the Facing History & Ourselves course taught by Mr. Gregory Gallagher. I took this course for a few reasons, many of my friends had told me how interesting and educational the course is. Also, I enjoy history, especially learning about the World Wars. This Facing History course is largely based on the Holocaust, and how the Holocaust came to be. Throughout a semester in this class you will see things that you may not want to see, but you will learn so much about not just the Holocaust but also about yourself. In taking a course like this, your really only going to get out what you are willing to put in. If you go into the class with a good attitude and are ready to learn, then I personally guarantee that you will enjoy your time here. Throughout the course of half of one school year I have grown and matured exponentially, a large percentage of that growth is due to the Facing History course. I’m not going to sit here and say that every minute of every day of this course were fun and interesting, but every part of the course is necessary. At the beginning of the course I just wanted to get into the action and learn about the holocaust. But instead for about a month we learned about people in general. I didn’t understand why we were doing this at first, but as the course carried on I realized there was a purpose behind it. You can’t learn about others and the reasons behind their actions without first knowing yourself and who you truly are. I think that the Facing History course is one that every high school senior should take, it teaches you a lot about history and the holocaust, but more importantly you learn a whole lot about yourself. Whether you like it or not, your flaws and your stronger qualities come out through out the course of this class. I believe that Facing History has been one of the many factors that has made me a better person over the course of my high school career. Thank you again to Mr. Gallagher, for doing a great job teaching the course and for being such a kind and considerate person. I hope for the best with you and your family in the future. And I am sure that we will keep in touch.