Veterans are People... Not Symbols

So many of our activities and lessons we present in the classroom fall upon deaf ears. Teachers are always trying to find new and innovative ways to get our students attention and to create motivation for them to learn more. The one thing that is always emphasized is change. Things need to be different each year. We can’t just keep doing the same lessons year after year and expect the students to be interested and engaged. This same thing can be said for school programs. When we have drug-free presentations, the students only listen when the speaker is dynamic (funny, shocking or famous). When we have Internet safety presentations, the students only listen if they think they might be at risk, and scare tactics have not worked in the past.

Veterans Day is tomorrow. So today, I am thinking about veterans in general. I have watched, throughout our school district, teachers give lessons about Veterans Day. We do it every year with some variation, but not much. The kindergarten learns the Pledge of Allegiance. The first and second graders used to learn to fold the flag and the meaning of each fold. We had a veteran on staff that taught his students to march and it was cute to watch them go through drills. Our seventh graders read patriotic poetry and the eighth graders write essays for our local DAR contest. We have a variety of high school students who create PowerPoints, play in the band and sing for the ceremony. We have, in the past, had students who are in the National Guard as high school students participate in the color guard. Though all of these things are wonderful and as each group of students prepares for their presentation, they are learning. But when it comes time for the actual ceremony/program, is their message lost because the audience has seen it before?

When we took our students to see the Traveling Vietnam Memorial wall a few weeks back, our students were more engaged in learning about veterans. It was different; it was new to them. It was tangible and real. They paid attention and they learned. They listened as Governor Dave Heineman said that Vietnam was “a difficult time and we forgot to say thank you. Today are here to say thank you. Today we are here to say the thank you we forgot. We always, always, always, need to support our troops regardless of agreeing with the war, we have to support out veterans ... We owe a debt of gratitude to them from all Americans, every chance we get.” They realized not only do we need to honor our Vietnam vets, but also all vets, of all ages, all wars, and all state-side soldiers.

Now as we are preparing for Veterans Day, the students know it is something to be celebrated, and it is worth the time to pause and think about the meaning of the day, and to think about our Veterans. In an effort to try to find a meaningful project for my students to do, that centered around Veterans Day, I thought I needed to do a bit of quick research. As the English teacher, I can’t really go the historical route, the history teacher will do that. I can’t have them sing that is for the music teacher. The younger grades are doing the essays, and the art students are working on visual representations. What should my kids do? I googled the terms “veteran” and various forms of the word “patriot.” I am sure you can guess exactly what appeared in the images…pictures of flags, eagles, soldiers, and gravestones. The links for information using the word “veteran” revealed Veterans Day programs, benefits for vets, and a couple of organizations for veterans. When I searched the word “patriot,” I got more about the definition of the word, the NFL football team, and historical examples. I found the same catch phrases: “freedom doesn’t come free,” and “they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.”

I thought to myself, “What does all this really mean? My dad doesn’t carry a flag every day, he doesn’t have a pet eagle and he is very much alive.” Have we gotten too cliché about this holiday and is it beginning to lose its meaning with the kids because we use the same images, lessons, and catch phrases? Should we be focusing on something different to really get the message across and to get a different reaction from the students. I could have gone the route of defining a patriot, a hero, a veteran… that would be language arts based… but not really effective. When I think of a veteran, I think of one specific person, my father. I am sure that is the same for everyone. Most high school students can also say they know of at least one veteran. They probably even know one that is close to their own age since they are growing up in wartime. Veterans Day is not about symbols or catch phrases; it is about people. People we know and love. That is what their assignment should be. Sit with a vet at the program. Talk with them. Learn their story. Let them share their experiences (if they are willing) and really learn from them. Honor them with your time and listen, not just hear about them. Honor them by talking with them, asking questions and appreciating them.

Additional Thoughts on November 11, 2010:

Today, during the Veterans assembly, I was pleasantly surprised to see that this program was more about the people. The 3rd and 4th grade students really did concentrate on the vets themselves. They each went home to find out the name of a family member who served in the military. Then they interviewed, found old pictures and presented to a large audience today. They each showed a slide, said the solider's name, the student who the solider was related to, when and where they served, a favorite memory, advice for the students, and then anything else they wanted to say. These kids really learned about veterans.