TL;DR:
- Remembrance Day is observed on November 11th at 11AM.
- This post honors Remembrance Day and the importance of helping students make a connection to their community.
“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row”
– “In Flanders Fields” by Canadian Army Lt. Col. John McCrae
Growing up in Canada you learn this poem or hear it every year around this time. I still remember my Grade 7 teacher teaching how to say the poem with proper emphasis and expression for us to recite as part of the school Remembrance Day assembly.
In Canada, Remembrance Day is observed in November. On the eleventh day of the eleventh month and at the eleventh hour, we stop and remember the armistice that was signed to end World War I and all the conflicts that occurred since. We remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Those who came home forever changed. Those who still work to keep us safe. I know in the U.S. Veterans Day and Memorial Day may have different traditions but the idea to pause and remember and express gratitude is the same.
It is through sharing personal stories and building connections that we will learn the lessons of history and ensure the generations to come will continue to work to build a more just and peaceful world. Click To TweetBut I didn’t just learn about Remembrance Day in assemblies one day each year or by wearing a poppy.
Understanding what Remembrance Day means is a big part of who I am and my family history. My grandfather on my mother’s side was a Canadian soldier based in the United Kingdom. My grandmother—Nana—was born in Scotland to a large family. When World War II came, she and many of her siblings did their part and joined various branches of the military.
My Nana joined the British Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and learned to drive and fix trucks. If you look up the ATS you will see the stories and photos about the then Princess Elizabeth joining this unit. My Nana loved saying how at that point she outranked Queen Elizabeth!
Like many others of the time, she met a soldier—my grandfather—and fell in love. She married after the war and became one of the many war brides that left their homes and moved to Canada. For the remainder of her life she devoted herself to the Royal Canadian Legion, Army, and Navy Vets Association and Army Cadets. It was from her I learned what we are remembering and how these world events can change and shape lives and the course of history.
My entire teaching career, whether it was in Kindergarten, Grade 3, the school library, or now Grade 2, it has been important to me to teach my students what Remembrance Day is and why it is important.
I have always read books, shown family photos, and shared our family story. One of the highlights of my career was one year when my Nana came to visit my school and talk to my students. They saw all her medals and heard about how she fixed trucks.
A few years ago I saw a news story about students going to a local cemetery and placing poppies on the graves of veterans. Moving to a new school, I wanted to find out more about this event. This is how I came to join the wonderful group of people at the No Stone Left Alone organization. The mission of No Stone is to have students place poppies on headstones and to actively honor our veterans. Started in Edmonton, Alberta, in just over ten years it has grown across Canada and continues to grow every year.
Over the past five years, our Vancouver Ceremony has seen hundreds of students, from my school and others, go to the cemetery and honor the veterans.
We read poems. Students read reflections they have written and recite a promise to remember. But at the heart of the event is the students placing their poppy on a headstone. In those moments, the students place their poppy, read the name, and stop and think about that person. It is during this time when members of the military come mingle with the students. I have so many great photos and memories of these interactions. Meeting the members of the military is always one of the highlights for the students.
For our event, we usually have the student paint a poppy on a small rock. We started to paint the rocks out of a practical concern of the poppies blowing away or getting buried in the garden beds. But it is actually better than if we just handed out a poppy to place on a headstone. The students paint their rock after we discuss our upcoming field trip and they take ownership of the event and their rock. It makes a connection between them and the event.
We also usually take pencils and index cards if they want to write down names of where they placed their rock. Another important part is back at school, reflecting on the experience. Students write and draw and what they learned and felt. I share those reflections with the No Stone organization.
[scroll down to keep reading]
What has being involved in this taught me, reinforced to me?
It has shown me the power of making connections in the community. It’s shown me how much can be learned out of the classroom. It also shows, as I have always known in my heart, that even the youngest can understand and participate. Our ceremonies have had students from Grades 1-7. They all have an understanding of why they’re there and that they are part of a special event.
I also hope that I am planting seeds of curiosity in their minds and hearts to learn more about their country, the world, and their family stories. I encourage everyone to look up No Stone Left Alone. And I encourage you to see how you can make connections in your community to those that served in the past and those still serving.
Can you make Christmas or Valentines cards to send? Can you invite veterans or current members to talk to students?
Find out what stories are in your parent community. Did anyone serve or are currently serving? Did they flee a war-torn country? Share those stories. It is through sharing personal stories and building connections that we will learn the lessons of history and ensure the generations to come will continue to work to build a more just and peaceful world.
Special Notes
I am forever grateful to Maureen Bianchini-Purvis for creating the No Stone Left Alone organization to honor her mother. I am honored to be part of such a wonderful group of people committed to helping students be actively involved in remembrance. For more info please visit nostoneleftalone.ca
I also dedicate this blog to my nana, Agnes Keegan, who passed away at 101 years old, just a few weeks ago on October 17th, 2021. I’ll always be inspired by your work and dedication to service. I love you and miss you.
About Catherine Moffatt
Catherine has been teaching for almost twenty years. She has taught Kindergarten and Grade 3, and has been a teacher-librarian. She currently teaches Grade 2 part-time and is also the primary coordinator at her school. One of her favorite parts of teaching is to share her love of books with her students. Outside school, she is a busy mom of two amazing kids. She lives in Richmond BC with her husband, kids, and two pet guinea pigs.
