Today was a fabulous day in many ways. It was stimulating weather being warm and sunny, it was stimulating seeing and learning about more of the fight to liberate the island of Walcheren, and it was stimulating conversation all day about military necessity and humanitarian concerns. That was an excellent focus given what was done on Walcheren Island to neutralize the German forces there when the dikes where blown open destroying life for most of the Dutch people in the area. We had no one giving a soldier’s graveside biography today and I must say the three we had on Wednesday were very interesting and very touching. I look forward to hearing and learning about more of our boys in the next few days. There are so many interesting stories for each of the men, no two the same, and some with humor as well as pathos.
One of the most interesting and enjoyable experiences we have had over the last two days was working in small syndicates of 4 or 5 people to create the ultimate plan to conquer those nasty Nazis who were holding onto Walcheren Island with a tight, boney grip, and it was our responsibility create the plan to wrest it from their grip. We were each given command roles and late had to present rhea plan to the rest of the participants. This was a great example of an exercise we could easily lead our students through with limited knowledge of our own. It sure gets everyone looking at the facts, digging for Intel, and thinking creatively to solve the problems associated with command seeking ways to achieve an objective, all the while making allowances for humanitarian concerns. This prompts some discussion on the seminar which focused on the balance of humanitarian concerns with military objectives. Naturally the definitions and clarification of these concepts are essential to further discussion. The debate/discussions became more focused in the vans on the way back to the hotel. Discussions on the changing face of total war, examples of military necessity colliding with humanitarian concerns were discussed, and ultimately how this could be used in the classroom ruminated in our minds. One of our experiences in the afternoon was to see a small museum packed with artifacts intended to shown the general events of the war, and specifically the events which took place in the Netherlands. The curator/manager said that this museum is focused on telling the Canadian story in the Netherlands, and that it was a very conscious decision. The most exciting part was to walk through more than an two acres of land behind the museum that is dedicated to developing a very impressive museum which will be a very interactive, family oriented museum to replace the current one. This is being done with volunteer help and also much donated material and monies. All of us agree, WE WANT TO COME BACK AND PLAY IN THE NEW MUSEUM, complete with authentic bunkers! I, for one, am looking forward to applying so much of what I have learned, so far, to my work in the classroom. Larry Mikulcik Teacher, William Derby School Strasbourg, Saskatchewan
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AuthorsParticipating educators and high school students share reflections on their professional and personal experiences during and after the program. Some posts link to the Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society's blog, Studeamus bellum causa pacis. Archives
August 2015
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