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Connecting generations has lifelong impact
THE CHALLENGE: How to make the hardship of a war that occurred decades ago seem real to today’s students.
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“It was then that I realized that ... bringing humanity to the classroom is how we make a lifelong impact on our students.”
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ONE OF THE MOST memorable lessons came early in my career at Stettler Middle School where I developed a unit in Language Arts 8 on the Second World War and Remembrance Day. We read stories, studied poems, watched videos and clips—all to do with Canada and how the war impacted and changed lives then and now.
It was very emotional to bring in my great uncle's flight cap and a few other mementos to share with the students, along with the letters he wrote to his mother at home in Saskatchewan. He was a pilot and was shot down by the Nazis, declared missing in action and, after an agonizing wait, pronounced deceased. It was life-changing for my students to read his words and realize that he was just a few years older than they were.
At the beginning of the unit, I challenged the students to let the older generation know that they understood their sacrifices. They showed their understanding by donating to Chartwell Colonel Belcher Retirement Residence in Calgary, as one of the staff had a parent living there. The residents were doing a fundraiser, and our class bought two $300 bricks—no small feat for a school in rural Alberta!
Got an idea? Maybe you created a lesson that totally flopped or were on the receiving end of a lesson that was truly inspiring. Whatever your story, please summarize it in up to 300 words and email it to managing editor Cory Hare at
cory.hare@ata.ab.ca.
