Veterans Day Vocabulary for Our Children
Dr. Linda Karges-Bone
The Teachers' Teacher....Providing PD and Keynotes on topics that inform and invigorate teachers: Trauma Informed Practice, Teacher Retention, SEL, and Literacy
November 11th. Veteran's Day. What does it mean to you? What does it mean to the children in your sphere of influence? As a teachers' teacher and the daughter and sister of US Military veterans, I have a unique perspective. I believe strongly in teaching the lessons of sacrifice and service. To do this, children need words and images that resonate respect. It is not a time to instill fear, but honor. As always, I turn to "Bibliotherapy".
In my 2014 book "Bibliotherapy", I describe ways to help children understand tough issues such as military deployment, but one book I did not use, simply because I had to address so many issues, is one of my very favorites and one that is perfect today and any day..."America's White Table" by Margot Theis Raven and illustrated by Mike Benny.
Two young sisters come to understand their uncle's sacrifice and service for our nation by replicating the "white table" experience, in which a table is set in a unique way to honor our veterans, especially those who are MIA or prisoners of war.
The beautiful symbolism, important language, and child-friendly tone of the story make it unique and ideal for this day. Below, find the link to a slide show of the book.
https://www.slideshare.net/aheern/americas-white-table-5742673
Semper Fi.