One of the wonderful things about being a teacher is explaining and celebrating what's happening in the world around us. This year, some of the children have been to visit the fantastic display of poppies at the Tower of London. That led to all sorts of questions about World War One and kick started a topic that reached a climax yesterday in an incredibly moving and powerful Remembrance Day.
We started by looking at some of the stories of soldiers from the trenches, in diaries and letters to loved ones. We read about John Parr and George Ellison; the first and last soldiers to die in the conflict, and remarkably buried just a few feet away from one another. We read about Sargent Henry Tandey, a compassionate and highly decorated officer who allowed a wounded German soldier to retreat rather than shooting him. That German soldier went on to become Adolf Hitler and the rest is history. We read about the role of women, children and animals at war. Some of the children researched their own family history with parents, and we discovered the stories of their own Great Great Grandparents.
Following this, we looked at poetry, and this is where the project really came alive. Using poems such as Flanders Fields, For the Fallen and Dulce at Decorum Est for inspiration, children drafted their own poems. Over a week of careful and precise writing, children practised their skills in rhyme, personification and rhythm. Some even used Latin in their poems, following the example of Wilfred Owen. Not bad for a 10-year old!
The results were quite frankly staggering. Every child captured the brutality and the humanity of war in deeply moving ways. Here's one example, that actually featured on BBC Radio York and BBC 5 Live last night:
We started by looking at some of the stories of soldiers from the trenches, in diaries and letters to loved ones. We read about John Parr and George Ellison; the first and last soldiers to die in the conflict, and remarkably buried just a few feet away from one another. We read about Sargent Henry Tandey, a compassionate and highly decorated officer who allowed a wounded German soldier to retreat rather than shooting him. That German soldier went on to become Adolf Hitler and the rest is history. We read about the role of women, children and animals at war. Some of the children researched their own family history with parents, and we discovered the stories of their own Great Great Grandparents.
Following this, we looked at poetry, and this is where the project really came alive. Using poems such as Flanders Fields, For the Fallen and Dulce at Decorum Est for inspiration, children drafted their own poems. Over a week of careful and precise writing, children practised their skills in rhyme, personification and rhythm. Some even used Latin in their poems, following the example of Wilfred Owen. Not bad for a 10-year old!
The results were quite frankly staggering. Every child captured the brutality and the humanity of war in deeply moving ways. Here's one example, that actually featured on BBC Radio York and BBC 5 Live last night:
As much as I enjoyed my visit to see the poppies at the Tower of London, I felt surprised by the reaction of the crowds. I didn't expect to see people taking selfies with the poppies in the background. I didn't expect so much laughter and talking. I'd hoped for more space and silence for reflection and remembrance. Instead it has become a tourist attraction (and rightly so, as it is a fantastic spectacle).
But when it's reflection and reverence that I'm looking for, I need look no further than the words of this poem, written by a 10-year old girl, 100 years after World War began.
People often speculate as to when children will stop commemorating November 11th in the way we do. I actually think it's children who are setting the example - they will never forget the sacrifices past generations have made for them. Nor will I.
Lest we forget.
