Veterans Day is a time to remember the past, present and future
sacrifices of military personnel.
An important part of remembering is hearing about past conflicts
first-hand, from the surviving soldiers. In classrooms,
documentaries are the best way to teach history.
Veterans Day is a time to remember the past, present and future sacrifices of military personnel.
An important part of remembering is hearing about past conflicts first-hand, from the surviving soldiers. In classrooms, documentaries are the best way to teach history.
“(Personal stories) stick with (students) more. When they get a story, it sticks. It allows a greater connection with topics,” said Tom Whitwam, a history teacher at San Benito High School. “Movies like ‘Saving Private Ryan’ are made more for the money than the historical accuracy.”
To celebrate Veterans’ Day, educators and veterans across the state are applauding a bill Gov. Gray Davis signed in September that encourages instruction on World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and more recent conflicts to include personal testimonies in the form of oral and/or video histories.
When a veteran talks about their experiences, it’s almost like the listeners are there, said Mary Von Urff, a junior at SBHS. Hearing from concentration camp survivors in middle school sticks out in her mind the most.
“When you listen to someone with first-hand experience, history comes alive,” Von Urff said. “They know what it was actually like. It increases enthusiasm. It’s always more interesting to listen to stories instead of lectures.”
According to Senate Bill 1537, teachers should exemplify the personal sacrifice and courage of ordinary citizens. Not only does the bill encourage stories about a person’s experience fighting in a war, but also those who contributed to wars on the home front. On top of talking about personal experiences, SB 1537 calls for discussing the aftermath of war.
Despite the bill, Whitwam said “most good teachers would be doing that anyway.” SBHS history teacher Mitch Huerta agreed, saying documentaries are a given, but that classes don’t always have the time to go in depth.
“I’m lucky if I can get to the Vietnam War. We can’t do justice to the curriculum and get the depth they want,” said Huerta, who teaches U.S. and world history. “We’re doing the best we can – we have 83 objectives to get to in 90 days.”
Another problem teachers run into when trying to provide personal histories is an aging pool of veterans, Huerta said. Most World War II veterans are in their 80s or dead.
“We have fewer and fewer vets – we’re losing those people. The majority of the veterans (still alive) are from Vietnam or the Persian Gulf,” he said.
Still, the impact of hearing from real people is exponential, Huerta said.
“A thousand times – it’s way better to have a person explaining their experience and telling how it changed their life,” he said.
