About the Teachers'Zone

Purpose of the Teachers’Zone:

- to familiarize teachers across the country with the Battle of Hong Kong, and its importance in telling the story of World War II.

- There is much to be learned about the battle itself, and the life of the prisoners-of-war who languished for nearly four years in a number of prison camps in appalling conditions. Their treatment following their incarceration deserves attention as well, for the survivors’ return to life in their home country was much more difficult than anyone living at the time could imagine or understand.

- A number of individuals have begun to take seriously the challenge of opening up these pages of history to take a closer look at the causes, and the effects of what transpired in Hong Kong, and to use what is found to better prepare ourselves against any such horrors being repeated in the future.

- The Teachers’Zone will be gathering as much material as we possibly can from teachers across the country, and providing samples of their work to the teachers and others who visit this site.

- We will also be searching out other projects from those in the educational field who work with teachers with the hope of stimulating even more effective ways of dealing with the important questions raised by the study of World War II in general and the Battle of Hong Kong in particular.

- We thank those teachers who have already contributed to the material at this site, and we invite others to join them in sharing their own experiences in the classroom with us. We are most interested in finding out which activities they have found work well in advancing students’ interest in this aspect of Canadian History.

Pat Turcotte Education Chair in Ontario & Facilitator, Teachers' Zone