Hiroshima and Nagasaki are historic symbols, yet it is not completely in the past as the effects are still present today. Our Grade 9 students visit Hiroshima every year while studying one of our Interdisciplinary Units. In this Unit, they read the stories of atomic bombing survivors in English class, and explore the history of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Humanities class, and then visit Hiroshima to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.
“It seemed like a long way to make a thousand paper cranes, but they got there because everybody cared about what they were doing. This was a powerful example of how we could build world peace by working together.”
Ms. Q, our Humanities teacher, reflects on this year’s trip and mentions the students’ wholeheartedness. Before the trip, they decided to prepare a thousand paper cranes to dedicate to the Children’s Peace Monument. They were inspired by the story of Sadako Sasaki, who folded more than a thousand paper cranes wishing for recovery from her disease caused by the bombing and sadly passed away because of the disease. The Monument is to commemorate Sadako and all those who lost their lives after the bombing, and people around the world have been dedicating paper cranes to wish for world peace. It never seemed easy for the students to fold as many as a thousand paper cranes; however, their incredible effort and cooperation made it happen in two weeks, and they were able to dedicate their cranes during the trip.
Another highlight of the trip was the visit to the Peace Museum. Although the students had read several stories of atomic bombing survivors and had an understanding of what the survivors had gone through, seeing actual remnants from the bombing, such as a burnt bento box and tricycle, had enormous power to connect the learning from literature to the real world. In fact, the students came back from the trip with so many questions. The visit to the Museum tremendously promoted the students’ engagement with learning, and their own inquisitive mindset made the experience even more meaningful.
With the invaluable experience in Hiroshima, the students will continue studying the Unit and work on the Peace Museum project. Each student will choose a theme and create something that communicates their message about world peace and nuclear abolition. As Ms. Q emphasizes, “issues related to nuclear weapons are not something in the past, but something present.” Their projects would be a great representation of how they relate the topic to their own context. This Interdisciplinary Unit really exemplifies how our teachers facilitate learning through hands-on experiences, and our students fully embrace the learning opportunities at Canadian Academy.