Patriotism can be practiced by anyone in their own way. Some of the most important defining characteristics are our freedom of speech, ability to vote, our rich diversity, etc. It is easy to take for granted the freedom we live in today for which our forefathers fought so hard and forget about our traditional values. That’s why your students should have the knowledge of what patriotic education is.
The following are some tricks and methods to create a patriotic atmosphere in your classroom.
Explain to them the Meaning Behind the Pledge of Allegiance
Students standing up, facing the American flag, with their hands over their hearts, and reciting Allegiance’s Pledge is a common scene in schools around the U.S. However, some students don’t even know the significance of what they are saying. Or even the meaning of the words “pledge” and “allegiance.” And mostly, they are standing because they’ve been told to. So take the time to explain what each phrase means so they can better understand why the Pledge of Allegiance is so important.
Hold a Mock Election
Getting the privilege to participate in the election process is a big responsibility for each citizen. It’s a way to have your voice heard, and not voting means that you are letting others decide for your future. To teach your students about the importance of voting, you can hold a mock election with your class. It can be for actual candidates or something simple as your student’s favorite book. And be sure to give them plenty of time to discuss before the actual voting.
Place Patriotic Books and Magazines on your shelves
An easy and interesting way to teach your class about patriotism is to provide them with reading materials with storylines about our country. That can be especially functional if you have reading time in your daily schedule. You can even suggest your class to take a course on U.S history.
Apart from that, you can make it part of home assignments. Students love to write essays about various countries worldwide, but they ignore their own country in many cases. A great way to teach patriotism is giving your students online writing assignments. Here is an example on how one student explains patriotism at https://gradesfixer.com/free-essay-examples/patriotism/ : “In my mind, Patriotism means love, loyalty, and gratifications. Therefore, they are three powerful reasons that can be backed up with multiple definitions and meanings to each of ourselves.”
Teach them About Significant People and Places in our Nation’s History
There are many people that contributed to our country in many ways. Also, there are many places that you can still visit that are significant to the story of the U.S. You can take your college students to a local history museum and have a lesson there occasionally, and by that, you can make that history come back to life. Or you can even take a yearly trip to some destination, and stop in some historic spots along the way, and take the opportunity to explain why that place is important.
Celebrate Our Safety Officials
There are many people in our local communities who keep us safe every day, and for that, they should be celebrated and honored. Some of them are the police officers, the military personnel, and the firefighters. For young people, those careers and people dressed in those uniforms are intimidating. To help your students overcome that fear, you should devote some days to learning about these career paths or even invite some local law enforcement officials into your classroom.
Be an Example
If you want your students to love their country and teach respect to them, you should pay attention to your behavior. Because children and young adults often pay close attention to their role models even if we think that they are not watching or don’t care.
Conclusion
Patriotism can be much more than just loving your country. Serving the country or becoming a soldier are not the only things you can do to show you are patriotic. You are patriotic by just being a good person in your society, by knowing that kids can positively develop their character from a young age. That’s why it is important to give academic patriotism knowledge to students. However, the spirit of patriotism shouldn’t stop at the classroom door. You can extend your effort by hanging flags or patriotic banners in your school’s hallways.
