histed
06-03-2014, 08:47 PM
I just read chsparkman's thread and didn't what to hijack that, so ... I, too, teach kids. About 200 10th and 11th graders, both US and World (European) history. Every year our school celebrated Veteran's Day on 11/11 with a ceremony outside, including a 21 gun salute by our vets. Usually the kids gripe about the cold and remember little else. This year a lot of my kids asked why we did this (Since I hadn't taught WWI in world history at that time) so we talked about it. One of our teachers had just returned from Afghanistan, another was being deployed, so they seemed to get the idea. Through the year we talked often about vets and the price of freedom. Last week we talked about Memorial Day. All of that for this.
I'll keep this short. I had challenged my kids to thank a vet - any vet - they spotted in a public place. Just a simple "Thank you for your service" to show that they understood the service was for them - the kids. One young man (my 'problem child') came back on Tuesday with a story of thanking a WWII vet in a restaurant and being surprised at the emotion his short sentence brought. Another young lady approached a Vietnam vet where she worked and ended up crying with him as he told her of losing his brother.The stories are on going. The kids have discovered a whole new way to study history and put faces with the events. For a large group, this seems to be a mission now - to let the "guys" know that THEY know and appreciate the sacrifice. So, if you're in Central PA and young teen walks up to shake your hand and say thanks, take a moment and share something with them. They really do care.
I'll keep this short. I had challenged my kids to thank a vet - any vet - they spotted in a public place. Just a simple "Thank you for your service" to show that they understood the service was for them - the kids. One young man (my 'problem child') came back on Tuesday with a story of thanking a WWII vet in a restaurant and being surprised at the emotion his short sentence brought. Another young lady approached a Vietnam vet where she worked and ended up crying with him as he told her of losing his brother.The stories are on going. The kids have discovered a whole new way to study history and put faces with the events. For a large group, this seems to be a mission now - to let the "guys" know that THEY know and appreciate the sacrifice. So, if you're in Central PA and young teen walks up to shake your hand and say thanks, take a moment and share something with them. They really do care.