“Peace is like love, Peace is like hope.”~Gr. 6 Student
November is always one of those months that sneaks up on me. September is filled with excitement and newness, October is filled with fall and Halloween then, Bam, and suddenly it is here. This year, as the snow helped blanket our fall, we welcomed November with a lovely sense of calm. As students began thinking about Remembrance Day, the word "Peace" began appearing everywhere - on the walls, in the halls, in conversation. One night, while going over the Remembrance Day Assembly script, I began searching for Videos that we could share with our students to help them connect to this concept of long ago wars, and an unattainable peace. These ideas and realities seem so far away for many students, yet so desperately close for some of our newer students who are experiencing their first snowfall in a country where they are no longer awoken by 3:00am air raid sirens. How do you make sense of "Peace" in a mix like this? STORIES...we talked, we shared picture books, we watched some videos, we listened to stories – the ultimate sense making tool. It is often the stories of the people that we find the easiest to connect too. Stories began to emerge from the students: “Did you know my Great-Grandpa – he fought in the war and we still have all of his medals.” “My Grandpa fought in the Vietnam War and he was in a helicopter that shot down – he is still alive though.” “There is a rule in Israel that once you turn a certain age you have to fight in the army and then my Grandpa had to fight – he fought in WWII, my Dad however didn’t fight in any wars but fought in small skirmishes with terrorists.” These stories bound around the room from student to student, each story building on the next. The stories we tell, hear, listen too, experience and absorb become a part of how we process the images and sounds we see so clearly once a year. They inspire us to write and to capture our own thoughts and feelings and to connect to other events that stand out in our own experiences. This is the lived experience that we bring to the table and that the students access for sense making – stories help us process our thoughts and feelings. Stories help us connect to the world. These stories are all part of who we are – they are part of our story and we are a part of them. Take time to remember...History is the STORY. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorI am a Calgary Board of Education Principal, proud to be leading learning. I am driven by curiosity and believe that each day welcomes new learning. I am passionate about intellectual engagement and task design and I treasure "wonder-filled" moments with students. Archives
July 2018
Categories |