Last Wednesday I was teaching a student English by having a conversation about uniforms in school. In her current school she does not have to wear a school uniform, but when she graduates to middle school she will have to. I saw the opportunity to continue the lesson along this vein and started to make a pro’s and con’s list for mandatory uniforms in school.
While she was very much opposed to recognizing any positive reasons for school uniforms, I told her my positives. I told her that I was in the military, and I understood the importance of looking like your fellow workers. She understood this point, but was more interested in my military experience. I told her that I served for six years and that I was deployed to Iraq. Her first question after this was an undesired question. I’ve gotten it from family and friends. And I can understand the draw.
“Did you kill anyone?”
You can deliver this question in many ways. Apprehensive is most commonly seen by me, but she is not mature enough to realize the magnitude of her inquiry. She had a smile on her face, and her smile caused me to well up.
I told her that I gratefully never had to kill anyone or shoot my weapon. I told her that my job was purifying water, and she responded by telling me I didn’t go to war. I was lost at this point. How do you reason with a child who is convinced they are right.
I told her that the U. S. military recognizes me as a veteran. She didn’t respond. I then proceeded to tell her that her question was insensitive to ask. To enquire about death is not a light topic, and you shouldn’t ask, especially with a smile on your face.
It has been many years since I was a child. I forget what it is like to be trapped in an apartment, cut off from the world around you, and not understandthe depth of a question. But we were all children once, and still are in many aspects of life. I think I will bring this topic up in our next lesson to understand better her thoughts.
