My brother is a veteran, and I am proud to say he served three terms of duty in the Middle East, one as a foot soldier and two as a JAG lawyer, and still serves in the reserves. Once, I asked him if he would visit my classroom on Veterans Day and talk to my fifth grade students. He looked so confused and asked, “Why do you have school on Veterans Day? Isn’t that a national holiday? Shouldn’t you have the day off?”
I love that the school district where I taught for 23 years honored Veterans Day by NOT making it a holiday for kids. My school held that day in honor of veterans. We taught our students what it meant to be a veteran. Best of all, we allowed veterans to tell their stories.
In a small rural town in Pennsylvania, Veterans Day started the same way every year for the fourth to sixth grade students at East Elementary. It began as a solemn occasion where the kids learned early in the school year how to truly show respect for our country and those who have fought and died fighting to keep our republic free and safe from danger. It went a little like this:
Teachers lined up their students and explained that unless it is part of the ceremony, they will show their respect for veterans by not speaking until they return to the classroom. A short discussion usually ensued about what may constitute appropriate and inappropriate behavior, but these kids were ready. They had been preparing for this day for two months.
By now, they had learned about the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights and other Amendments. In my own fifth grade class, they had collaboratively made and illustrated a Constitution book. After sending it out to be copied, each student had mailed a finished copy to his or her hero and kept one for the family. By Veterans Day, we had also held a class election based on the rules of our country’s election. Today, they were ready to honor the people that made it possible to live in our great country.
Teachers and students left their classrooms in an orderly manner and exited the school to the front of the building, where there was a large flagpole. The silence was deafening and awe-inspiring, the only sounds being the footsteps of the hundreds of children and adults walking the halls. If you’ve ever been in an elementary school building, you can imagine what a rare sound that is!
Once everyone was assembled in a half circle around the flagpole, a few students (usually boy scouts and girl scouts) raised the flag, while everyone stood with their hands on their hearts. Once the flag was raised, the crowd recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Next, a small band (sent from the high school) played two patriotic songs (usually “America the Beautiful” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”) When the music stopped, the students silently returned to their classrooms, where their teachers had planned developmentally appropriate Veterans Day-themed activities.
Some of these activities included making welcome signs for the afternoon guests while watching educational videos about Veterans Day or our country. Weeks before this day, students had the opportunity to invite family members who may be veterans to our afternoon program. They were also asked to bring in pictures of veterans from their family so that they could be included even if they lived far away.
In the afternoon, students and teachers lined the halls with their posters and streamers. Invited veteran guests entered the building and walked down the halls as everyone respectfully clapped and held up their posters, honoring them for their dedication and sacrifice to our country. Then, we all entered the gym (or, years later when the celebration became too big, the auditorium at the high school), where the high school band was playing patriotic songs. On the stage were chairs filled with veterans with a large screen behind them running a slideshow. The slideshow kept everyone enthralled while they waited for the program to begin. It showed the pictures that students, teachers, and staff had brought in of family who had served our country. Written on each picture was the name of the person who donated the picture and the relationship to the person in the picture.
I can vouch for what those pictures meant to the kids sitting in that audience. I can understand why they sat so quietly watching the slideshow, waiting for their own picture to appear the first time, and then waiting for the slideshow to start over and show their picture again. A picture of my brother was in that slideshow. It was a picture of him in uniform with his wife and three beautiful daughters, and to this day, it makes me cry. Of course, at this point, the program had not even begun!
The program began with five sixth grade students who had been chosen by their teachers and who had spent countless hours preparing for this moment. Each stepped up to the podium, one at a time, and explained a branch of the military—the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Marines, and the National Guard. After each speech, members of that branch were asked to stand, and students applauded.
During the last part of the program, veterans were given the opportunity to speak. A few would get up and tell their stories. Their patriotism always overwhelmed the crowd. Soon, the assembly was over, and it was time for everyone to go home.
I remember always thinking, I am so glad we have school on Veterans Day. I am so glad we are able to give these kids this opportunity to reflect on the everyday people who made this country great!
Janice Abernethy is a wife, mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, and retired school teacher. She has a bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education, and a master’s degree in instructional media. You can learn more about Janice by going to JAbernethy.com
