On Friday I attended the schools Remembrance Day assembly. Once again, I chuckled at the mad scramble for more chairs as the school yet again underestimated how many parents were there. But soon we managed to settle down and enjoy what the teachers and kids had done to honour our armed services and the solemnity of the event.
I think that is what always gets me…I get teary every year at these things. I always feel there is hope for the future when I see how much effort and respect the kids themselves put into these assemblies. They take it really seriously. I was sitting behind the grade 6 and 7 classes and apart from chatting with me and Tara before and after, they were quiet and still during each performance and they hung on every word of Major Brian Martin, the guest speaker.
In prior years they have had veterans from the 2nd World War attend, and that was incredibly moving to see the kids listening to his stories and why Remembrance Day is so important to him. This year was different. Major Martin is currently still serving and has been all over the world working for the Canadian Armed Forces. I don’t think we have many military families at our school, so this was a great opportunity for kids to understand that Remembrance Day is not just to pay respect to those that fought wars that are only text book notes for these kids, but that it still goes on and how much Canada is still a part of the various ‘peace keeping’ missions going on today all over the world. And dying.
Adam told me that he found the photos from their poetry and son display to be very sad. They have been covering some bits and pieces about World War 2 in class and the stories of the holocaust had really hit home with them this year.
I never hide ‘news’ from our kids. I feel our children need to know how precarious their lifestyle really is and how hard they need to work in the future to keep it that way for themselves, their children and those who are struggling around the world right now. Hence why schools honouring Remembrance Day is so important. It is more than a nod to our past. It is not an event to glorify war. It is a moment for kids to put themselves in the shoes of others…those that came before and those right now. We need our kids to honor not only those in uniform ‘doing their jobs’ but those victims of the conflicts that are raging across the planet right now.
It is a sobering and sad time of year. The fact that it takes place on the cusp of the most commercial holiday season should be noted. I like to think that our one day reality check today is enough for us to curtail the extreme spending that Christmas has become and hope that some of the reflection of today seeps into how we spend the holiday season.
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