Finley Gripped by Ashes of Roses
Kim Schiller’s wheels are always turning. The J. Taylor Finley Middle School English teacher is constantly on the hunt for a way to spark her students’ interest in learning something new.
The faculty member has found the book, “Ashes of Roses” to be a valuable tool for her eighth grade classes. The 2002 book offers an historical fiction account of the immigrant experience, including the life and death of workers at the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in Manhattan, the site of a fire on March 25, 1911 when 146 men, women and child perished.
“Every year when I teach ‘Ashes of Roses’ I go completely in depth about the Triangle Shirtwaist fire,” Ms. Schiller said. “Each year on the anniversary, I go to the site of the fire and leave flowers for those that died. This year I did some research on Facebook and joined a group dedicated to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory.”
The facilitator of the Facebook group is former Queens State Senator Serphin Maltese, who served from 1989 to 2008 and who “is very involved with worker’s rights and the Triangle fire because his great-aunt died in that fire,” Ms. Schiller said. “I e-mailed him to get more information about the workers, the fire, etc., and he wrote back with a very nice e-mail and an invitation to their Triangle Shirtwaist Memorial get-together.
The Finley teacher said she will be there on March 25. “I’m going to meet Senator Maltese, some members of his family and others in the group,” Ms. Schiller said. “I am very excited to meet others that have such a huge connection with this event. After the memorial I plan to discuss what happened with my students and take them on a virtual field trip of primary documents so they can experience as much as they can first-hand.”
“Ms. Schiller’s innovative approaches to her instruction complement her sound instruction and effective and detailed planning,” said Joseph Leavy, district director of humanities. “She is a quality educator and a tremendous asset to our district.”
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