On July 4th, 1776 the 2nd Continental
Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, officially severing ties with
the British Empire. Today, 236 years later, we all celebrate by
taking the day to relax, barbeque with friends, and watch/set off fireworks to
commemorate the event.
One of the great parts of being a teacher is that I get to
teach my students about our holidays and help them gain a greater understanding
of why they are important. For MLK day,we read and discussed Dr. King’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, and then tooklines that meant a lot to us to make poems from his great words. For Veteran’s Day when I was student
teaching, I wore my dress blues to school and talked to a rapt audience about
what Veteran’s Day is and why we celebrate it.
However, Independence Day falls in the middle of summer so I don’t get
to talk about this great holiday to my students. Do kids grow up thinking that
is about cookouts and fireworks?
As humans, it’s common for us to lose sight of the
importance of events as we move further in time from them. Easter and Christmas have become distortions
of their original meanings, and I hope that Independence Day does not move in
the same direction. Today, I realize how
spoiled I am that I get to experience the kind of freedom our forefathers
fought for. While I often don’t agree
with our government, the very fact that I can openly disagree is because of the
men that led our nation years ago, and those that currently lead it now.
Thank you to the countless men and women that established
our nation and continue to lead and protect us.
Happy Independence Day to all Americans!!!
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