Teacher PD: Holocaust Education Week – The New State of Florida Mandate

Stephen Poynor is the Resource Teacher at the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Florida. His position is a joint venture between Orange County Public Schools and the Center. He helps teachers and schools to implement the Florida mandate for Holocaust Education (F.S. 1003.42) through collaborative teacher training, direct student instruction, and curriculum design. He believes that studying the Holocaust provides an opportunity for educators to inspire critical thinking within students. He challenges educators and students to use the lessons from the Holocaust to raise questions about: individual and collective responsibility, the meaning of active citizenship, and the structures and societal norms that can become dangerous for certain groups and society as a whole. Prior to his position at the HMREC, Stephen earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida. After 15 years in the private sector, Stephen began his career in education at West Orange High school where he launched a Holocaust Studies program and served on the Commissioner of Education’s Task Force on Holocaust Education. In his free time, Stephen enjoys spending time with his family, whitewater rafting, hiking, swimming, watching movies, and reading.