Deepening Remembrance

People who know me will know that I am a student of the World Wars. My interest in the great wars and their far reaching global impact started at an early age, but took on real significance for me in high school with an amazing history teacher. He was a walking story book, on whose every word I hung. He crystallized my interest by virtue of challenging his students to be thinkers. He paved the path for us to make connections with so many other things going on in the world. He made me want to learn more, and help to set me on a path as a lifelong learner.

Last week, schools around the province and country held assemblies to honour the host of soldiers, fallen and surviving, who have sacrificed themselves for our freedom. At Remembrance Day ceremonies around the country we told stories of courage, welcomed some of the ever shrinking list of veterans to share their stories with us. We laid a wreath for these amazing heroes, and observed a moment of silence for these men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. While all these acts are tremendously important and should continue, I see them as insufficient relative to the significant contribution that our veterans have made to our very existence.

In my view, 'remembrance' should not be an annual event but rather an ideal that is infused throughout the learning experiences of our students every year. Consider for a moment the far reaching implications of the conflicts of the 20th century and how they have shaped our lives today. Our modern society has literally been shaped by these events. Themes such as conflict, sacrifice, democracy, peace, courage are fertile ground for students to be engaged in learning, which brings them into intimate contact with the host of servicemen and women whose sacrifice continues to shape our lives. When students experience remembrance through these various lenses, they will develop true appreciation for the forces that that have shaped Canada. This deeper level of understanding will likely take them past the place of appreciating and understanding, to one of empowerment. When you truly understand how precious freedom is you are more likely to do something to promote and protect it. You appreciate sacrifice when you make a commitment to personally give of yourself to make your community a better place. I happened to attend the Remembrance Day assembly at our district's School for the Integrated Arts ('ASIA'). The students studied Remembrance Day and the impact of armed conflict through the year long theme of 'Action-Reaction.' Their artwork, literature, dance pieces, and music were all connected to the themes related to remembrance. Their demonstrations of learning were not just for the assembly, but were a part of their ongoing learning, which started before and will continue after Nov. 11. This is the type of authentic and profound learning that all students should experience, and should legitimately connect them to the world around them.

While I know that students around our community are engaged in these kinds of activities, certainly more than my generation was, I think remembrance is a wonderful, even essential, vehicle through which we should teach these real life concepts. A few years from now, the last surviving veterans of the two World Wars will be gone. The best way for our education system to honour their contribution, service and sacrifice is to embed the principles of their service into our daily program of study. This is the best way for us to remember them. We must ensure that every time our students stand up for a moment of silence at an assembly or sporting event that they truly know why they are doing it. N'oublions pas.

~Kevin

Kevin Godden
Superintendent of Schools/CEO
Abbotsford School District