"No School" is a happy announcement to the second graders in my classroom. You do not have to give a reason, they just know it is an undemanding day for them. Hooray!
But, I try to give instruction on why Veteran's Day is not just another day out of school. What is a Veteran, and why do we honor them? Being an "Air Force Brat" myself, as was my Larry, having deep ties to our country was built in. I love my country, but the people in its armed services are the true heroes that made our country ~ America. Unfortunately for our little guys in my classroom, when I explained that any person in the military, or "army" in general is what they recognized, was what Veteran's Day was for, they all could raise their hand that they had someone serving, be it uncle, aunt, brother or cousin (none had a parent in duty currently).
Respect is earned, but it is taught, also. In our classroom of 7 and 8 year olds, we spoke of people who went into military service. While we all agreed that we do not like fighting, we did understand helping to keep people safe when there was danger. You have to agree, war being explained to the young is a hard subject. But, I always want a child to have the respect of a person who serves, including police, firefighters and others that give, to protect them. Me. Our nation. Our freedom to worship Jesus, too, as we just finished up our studies on the Separatists, who then became our Pilgrims. (They thought there was a tie to Vet's Day, since we read of the Mayflower landing on November 11, 1620. Kids are cute!)
After the discussion, we observed a moment of silence.
Always, this is most touching, as you rarely catch a group of children still.
Straight and tall, proud as the soldiers they honor.
We stand for one minute,
(I have also showed them how to watch the sweeping second hand),
and then we bow and pray.
We pray for all that we know serving, and Grandparents and Dads that have served, and all those we do not know.
and to all you know, too. God bless our Veterans!
But, I try to give instruction on why Veteran's Day is not just another day out of school. What is a Veteran, and why do we honor them? Being an "Air Force Brat" myself, as was my Larry, having deep ties to our country was built in. I love my country, but the people in its armed services are the true heroes that made our country ~ America. Unfortunately for our little guys in my classroom, when I explained that any person in the military, or "army" in general is what they recognized, was what Veteran's Day was for, they all could raise their hand that they had someone serving, be it uncle, aunt, brother or cousin (none had a parent in duty currently).
Respect is earned, but it is taught, also. In our classroom of 7 and 8 year olds, we spoke of people who went into military service. While we all agreed that we do not like fighting, we did understand helping to keep people safe when there was danger. You have to agree, war being explained to the young is a hard subject. But, I always want a child to have the respect of a person who serves, including police, firefighters and others that give, to protect them. Me. Our nation. Our freedom to worship Jesus, too, as we just finished up our studies on the Separatists, who then became our Pilgrims. (They thought there was a tie to Vet's Day, since we read of the Mayflower landing on November 11, 1620. Kids are cute!)
After the discussion, we observed a moment of silence.
Always, this is most touching, as you rarely catch a group of children still.
Straight and tall, proud as the soldiers they honor.
We stand for one minute,
(I have also showed them how to watch the sweeping second hand),
and then we bow and pray.
We pray for all that we know serving, and Grandparents and Dads that have served, and all those we do not know.
and to all you know, too. God bless our Veterans!
Our America Quilt, September 2010
Thank You, Veterans,
Pokey
Pokey
