Lest We Forget...

Today in our school we had a very lovely Remembrance Day Memorial. Many were moved to tears, including me and I wanted to share some thoughts with you about it. First I think that memorials like these give students a true glimpse of how hard soldiers work to protect our freedoms. Several students cried during the presentation and I think it was because they were not just reading about an event in a textbook, they were seeing the faces behind the history. This leads me into my second thought which is; when students become aware of the reality of war it can create empathy and understanding. If we want our children to have a hope of success, they not only have to learn from the past, but understand it so they can make better decisions for the future. These students may be the future leaders and representivies of Canada one day and they need to understand the effects of war, culture, politics, and the economics of society in order to make informed decisions. Lastly, students need to respect those that have helped give us the freedoms we often take for granted.

A tribute done by Global Edmonton for Remembrance Day (Song is Soldiers Cry by Ronald Majeau)

Activities to do with your students:

Write postcards- As a language activity around rememberance day (or as an all around good thing to do) you can have students write postcards to soldiers overseas right now with inspirational or lovely messages written on them. Teachers can contact the Canadian forces and send them out bulk to a group of soldiers.

Students can either make the whole thing from scratch...

or write on the back of a appropriatly designed  postcard.

POETRY-

Have students read inspirational poetry and write some of their own. Ask around, maybe there is a Senior citizen home that has a few Veterans and go and share them with the seniors.

REMEMBRANCE

Long ago and far away

across the ocean

wild and wide,

the young men stormed

an alien shore

where many of them died.

Here and now

old men remember

the valor and the gore,

and the boyish faces

of their youth

that are young for ever more

William Bedford

In Flanders Fields- John McCrae

Bugle Calls-

Teach students why bugles were used historically and play some of the different calls for them (if it is a music class you could have them try some of the calls). Students can help participate in a Remembrance Day Memorial or perform if they are musicians.

Bugles- Wikipedia