Celebrating Service – Elevating Veteran Stories in Your Classroom

Celebrating Service - Elevating Veteran Stories in Your Classroom

Special thanks to our guest contributor Mason Farr at the National Veterans Memorial and Museum for bringing the expertise of NVMM to this month's blog.

In 1999, the late-senator and U.S. Navy Veteran, John McCain, spearheaded legislation to establish May as National Military Appreciation Month. Since then, the entire month of May has become a time for our nation to recognize and honor those who are currently serving in, and are Veterans of, the United States military. This month, along with April as the Month of the Military Child, offers an excellent opportunity to encourage students of all ages to connect with Veterans in their families and communities.

At the beginning of every K-12 field trip to the National Veterans Memorial and Museum (NVMM), we ask everyone in the group to raise their hand if:

1. They are a Veteran or actively serving in the U.S. military.
2. Someone in their family is a Veteran or actively serving.
3. Someone in their community or school is a Veteran or actively serving.

Once we ask those three questions, nearly every hand is up (I bet your hand is, too!). This is a simple way to remind students of all ages that everyone knows a Veteran. They may be our teachers, school administrators, parents or grandparents, or a friendly face in your neighborhood. Making this personal connection to Veterans helps students better understand why and who we are honoring during Military Appreciation Month.

The NVMM believes in the positive impact of sharing the stories of all Veterans from all eras of our nation's history. These stories are not restricted to just their time in military service, but just as importantly, the story of what came next. It is with this mission in mind that we recently partnered with StoryCorps to create the NVMM Story Collection. Contributing to the NVMM Story Collection is not an assignment, rather it's an opportunity for students to:

• Connect with Veterans in their families and communities.
• Help Veterans feel that the value of their service resonates with the younger generation.
• Shape history by contributing to the digital collection of a national museum.

We worked closely with teachers from Olentangy Berlin High School and Olentangy Shanahan Middle School to create an Educator Toolkit that provides teachers with a step-by-step plan for how to incorporate student conversations with Veterans into the classroom. We encourage you to check this resource out and customize it to fit the needs and interests of your students.

If you are looking for other ways to connect your students to the Veteran experience, the NVMM offers a number of resources including in-person and virtual tours led by museum educators. Additionally, you may consider asking students to write letters of kindness or gratitude to Veterans. These can be sent to the NVMM, and we'll distribute them to Veteran Support Organizations across the country.

To learn more about NVMM's educational resources, check out our website (https://nationalvmm.org/education/) or contact us at [email protected].

Blog image citation: National Veterans Memorial and Museum. Columbus.