Me: Do you know what the principal was talking about when she mentioned today was Pearl Harbor Day?
Class: (Silence)
Me: Nobody has heard of this day before?
Student: Wasn't this in one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies?
I was horrified. Only two students were able to give me a reasonable answer.
I love my students, but I am a little concerned about how little they know of American History and the sacrifices our servicemen and women had to make to keep us safe. I suppose I should have seen this coming, giving that they were all 1 year old when the twin towers went down. Some of my students weren't even told about 9/11 until last year.
Last month we celebrated Veterans Day and I was angered when one of my students kept talking during a moment of silence to honor our vets. It's not their fault that they are young and will never know how it felt to watch several Americans killed on television. Or to see several families say good-bye to loved ones as they go overseas to protect our country. It makes me sad that this is a part of history that they are so removed from. And it makes me sad when I come across people that forget how exceptional this country is, because of it's Veterans.
On the other hand, perhaps they are better off not seeing the events of 9/11 as they happened. Maybe my students will go on with their lives, never having to see America attacked in such a way. But I pray that they can remember the journey that this country took to get where it is today. I pray that the Mothers and Fathers of these students will instill in their children the values of pride and reverence that are due to all who have fallen to keep America safe from another attack. I hope Shadow grows up knowing that Freedom is not free but that it was bought with the lives of several brave men and women.
