Why to Take a Veteran to School This Veterans Day?
For many children, Veterans Day is just another holiday. But for educators, this holiday can be an opportunity to incorporate lessons that foster understanding about military culture and the veteran population.
Over the next three to five years, more than one million military service members will exit the military and become veterans. Yet, because of a growing civilian-military divide in our country, these veterans will re-enter a population that largely misunderstands them. By educating children about the true importance of Veterans Day, we can inform the next generation and take vital steps to bridge the civilian-military divide in the future.
To promote Veterans Day education, Got Your 6 is joining HISTORY® for Take a Veteran to School Day—a national program that encourages teachers to invite veterans into their classrooms. Linking veterans with students gives veterans an opportunity to share stories of service and allows students to learn more about what Veterans Day is and who veterans are. Take a Veteran to School Day events are planned in the weeks leading up to Veterans Day and range from simple class visits to all school assemblies. Thousands of schools nationwide have held events since the program's launch in 2007.
Schools, teachers, and veterans who participate in this program receive a plethora of free resources including easy How-To guides for organizing a Take a Veteran to School Day event. Online, teachers can learn how to connect with veterans in their area, browse curriculum guides for grades K-12, find tips for interviewing veterans, and print activities for students. Participating veterans can view sample lessons and learn tips for speaking to children of all ages about their military experience. Altogether, the Take a Veteran to School Day program allows educators to easily integrate Veterans Day education into their curriculum.
As children learn, grow, and select paths for their lives, they may find themselves on one side of the civilian-military divide, or the other. The more we educate them now, the better informed they will be as adults. So this Veterans Day, take a step to bridge the civilian-military divide for the next generation of Americans: educate children about what Veterans Day is and who veterans are.
Teachers can visit Got Your 6 receive free Veterans Day resources and register for Take a Veteran to School Day.