The Gift of History from Senior Citizens
In a recent segment of On the Road with Steve Hartman on the CBS Evening News, I became aware of the significance of children connecting with senior citizens. Two young boys had been on a tour of the retired aircraft carrier, The Yorktown, in Charleston, SC with their parents. While on the tour they learned about World War II veteran, Robert Harding, who served on the Yorktown. Upon returning home they looked up Mr. Harding and found he was still living, and they contacted him and began to correspond by email. Mr. Harding shared many stories with the boys of his time on the Yorktown. I will share the link to this episode at the end so you can see where the story goes.
What struck me as I watched was the wealth of first hand historical knowledge that these young boys received through this connection. These history lessons go far beyond what they could possibly receive in school. There may be many young people who might ask themselves, "what does that old person know?", but these young boys thrived on the stories Mr. Harding shared.
It would be wonderful if the schools were able to reach out to senior citizens in their community (and vice versa) in order to have them share what they have experienced first hand as the years have passed. They have seen things that our children have never even heard about. There are only so many years that can be covered in a semester of history classes. What a gift it would be for our senior citizens to give time to their local schools, and what an inspiration they could be for the students.
I can't help but think that our children would not only have a better understanding of history, but also a better appreciation and respect for senior citizens. It would be a win for everyone involved - students, teachers, and senior citizens, and could influence how children respond to others in the community.
As promised the link to the CBS News segment is below. Hope you enjoy this very heartwarming and inspirational story.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twin-boys-form-special-bond-with-world-war-ii-veteran/
What struck me as I watched was the wealth of first hand historical knowledge that these young boys received through this connection. These history lessons go far beyond what they could possibly receive in school. There may be many young people who might ask themselves, "what does that old person know?", but these young boys thrived on the stories Mr. Harding shared.
It would be wonderful if the schools were able to reach out to senior citizens in their community (and vice versa) in order to have them share what they have experienced first hand as the years have passed. They have seen things that our children have never even heard about. There are only so many years that can be covered in a semester of history classes. What a gift it would be for our senior citizens to give time to their local schools, and what an inspiration they could be for the students.
I can't help but think that our children would not only have a better understanding of history, but also a better appreciation and respect for senior citizens. It would be a win for everyone involved - students, teachers, and senior citizens, and could influence how children respond to others in the community.
As promised the link to the CBS News segment is below. Hope you enjoy this very heartwarming and inspirational story.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/twin-boys-form-special-bond-with-world-war-ii-veteran/
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