Blog #8 - Lest We Forget

In light of Remembrance Day weekend and the current discussion around Remembrance Day in schools, I've decided to blog about my thoughts on the topic. I started thinking a lot about it after our discussion in class last week. I then learned that in some schools (in Alberta, I believe) Remembrance Day services are becoming optional for the students. I felt as though a part of me died when I heard this information, for several reasons.
First of all, my initial response was anger, but I decided to think critically about it. However, after having given the topic several days thought and after spending a weekend full of Remembrance Day activities, my opinion has stayed the same. Remembrance Day absolutely needs to be celebrated or made note of in schools, because if schools don't include these services, how will future generations know about what happened in the First and Second World Wars? I realize that the beginning of the First World War was nearly 100 years ago and the beginning of the Second World War was 73 years ago, but there are still veterans alive in our communities. Even if veterans are not alive, many of us have family members who either served and died, or who may have died after the war. My grandfather, three great uncles, and a great auntie served in the Second World War. I didn't know some of them, but my parents and their families did. However, even if I didn't have relatives in either of the World Wars, as the case may be for immigrants, I believe that over one-hundred-million casualties (not to mention the millions of grieving families) deserve half an hour of our time at a service that takes place once a year.
Secondly, Remembrance Day is what we make of it. If those who were not immediately connected to the First or Second World War do not find meaning in commemorating those who died, perhaps they can connect with another conflict that may have affected them. Remembrance Day includes but is not limited to the First and Second World War. If younger generations find more meaning in remembering a war they feel is more relevant to their lives, it is our job as educators to remind students that Rememberance Day is about showing respect for those who have been affected by conflict (which includes every human being, by the way).
I realize that the issue with students attending Remembrance Day services may have to do with religion, and there are a few things I have to say about that. Last year I attended the Remembrance Day service at the U of S, which included prayers from Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, and Aboriginal speakers. This year, I attended the Remembrance Day service at Credit Union Centre, which was mainly Catholic. One one side, I wonder why all services can't include speakers from various religious backgrounds. On the other side, if a service is mainly Catholic, can't those who are not Catholic focus on the larger meaning of the service for one day a year? The purpose of services is to prompt us to reflect, whether we are reflecting on soldiers, sacrifice, the meaning of war, civilian victims, families of victims, or current conflicts. If we cannot attend a service that does not include our personal religion, how will conflict ever end? Weren't some of these wars fought for the purpose of religious tolerance?
Lastly, and what prompted me to write this blog, was an article I read in this week's Sunday Phoenix. The writer urged us to keep the meaning of remembrance alive and raised the question: who will become responsible for making Remembrance Day meaningful for future generations? Near the end, the writer talks about how History is becoming an optional subject in many Canadian schools because Math and Science are more applicable to life after high school. I almost fell off my chair after reading these words. History is, and always has been, my favourite area of study. Learning about history has made me a better person. History makes people more tolerant, it teaches us not to repeat mistakes, and it helps us to consider the future and why society functions the way it does. For instance, if we stopped teaching students about colonization and the history of Aboriginal people in Canada (topics that are heavily pressed in the College of Education, I might add) how would future generations ever understand why Aboriginal populations are oppressed? Why racism exists? What residential schools were? Why many resort to drugs to deal with the hardships of their pasts? Why are there reserves?
I could literally write forever about how angry and upset I was after reading about History becoming a dying subject in high schools, but I'll stop here. I've almost never been so angry after reading something. This weekend has taught me a lot and it has certainly made me think a lot about what I plan to teach my students in the future. I refuse to let future generations forget about what the people of not only our country but of the entire world have gone through to get us where we are today. The writer emphasizes the responsibility that will be placed on future History teachers, because it is ultimately up to them to make History interesting, applicable, and exciting for students to learn. Challenge accepted.