Learning Important Values
An important part of whole child education is teaching the heart as well as the mind. In preparation for Veterans Day, some of our elementary students were able to learn about important values. We hope that all of our students will develop gratitude and empathy for others as much as any academic merits they might achieve.
A Special visit from a Veteran
The fourth graders at Denver Christian School are learning what it means to be a veteran and also how to honor and thank them. Students began their study by brainstorming, “what is a veteran?” While this term might be familiar to older adults, Veterans Day might not have any meaning for young students. Students wrote their answers down on sticky notes, excited to learn the answer from a real veteran.
Petty Officer ABF2, Bill Last, served in the United States Navy during the Iraqi war fueling helicopters and jets aboard the USS Wasp. Mr. Last spoke with the students about why he loved serving and why he loves our country. It was a great time for them to learn about why our veterans need our love and support.
Mr. Last reminded students the importance of sacrifice. This is especially important for us as Christians, who have the ultimate example of sacrifice through Christ laying down his life for us.
“Serving during 9-11 was a difficult time, but we were determined to keep our country free and safe.”
Applying Learning with Action
Another part of whole child education is pairing learning with action. Through two opportunities, our students have been able to express their gratitude for our veterans. Our students have been partnering with Wounded Warrior Project, an organization that supports wounded veterans and their families and helps educate others about veterans.
Their five areas of focus are honor, courage, integrity, service, and commitment. Students have spend this week leading up to Veterans Day studying these attributes. The students were able to extend these values beyond Veterans Day and see how important they are in our world. We want those who have served to remember they aren’t forgotten. Students wrote letters to veterans, thanking them for their service.
Today, our students were honored to give a Veterans Day presentation at Lakeview Senior Living. One moving takeaway of their performance was that while we can never fully repay our debt of gratitude, we can recognize, honor, and thank more than 25 million veterans still living today.
“People have differences on how our country should be run but the American goal is that all people are created equal. We can choose kindness and love over evil.”
