Even though it's been awhile since we discussed memorials, and the emotions that accompany them, in class, I had an experience on Friday that reminded me of our discussion. I was volunteering in my mother's classroom, and on this particular day she just happened to be reading The Wall by Eve Bunting. The book deals with a child's visit to the Vietnam War Memorial. My mother is an extremely empathetic person, so as she was reading she began to cry. It was only after several of the children in the class began to well up, that I remembered our discussions in class. Seeing so many of the children being emotionally connected to a memorial that they most likely have had little or no previous connection to reinforced the idea that it's not the memorial itself, but the reactions of others dealing with the memorial that causes emotional responses. I found it really interesting to see one of our discussions played out in real life.
-Tara
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
That's pretty interesting. I'd like to know more about that book - how would a child react to that memorial? And how old are the kids in your mom's class?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteShe teaches a first grade class, so all of the students are about six or seven years old.
ReplyDelete-Tara
Children always seem to be excellent case studies. It would seem that some 20-25 kids with assumedly little to no knowledge of the Vietnam War experienced a strong emotional reaction to a book on the subject. To me it almost seems that they're not reacting to the war/memorial itself, but rather feelings associated with it. Thoughts?
ReplyDelete-Colin
Interesting. One thing that might have increased the chances for something like this may actually have been their age. Children, I think, are either less able or less inclined to hide their emotions. Maybe we all have at least some inclination to react to an emotionally charged situation, but only some show it.
ReplyDelete-Melissa C.