Sunday is V-Day, and the Dawg wonders how schools are honoring Valentine’s Day with the students attending school remotely. Emojis maybe??? However you celebrate, we hope you will truly make the Feast of Love a teachable moment, not just a day to pass out cheap cards and candies.
I did extensive research (30 seconds on Google) on the origins of V-Day. According to www.thoughtco.com, the original Valentine was a priest who lived in the 4th Century. He was thrown into jail when the Powers That Be found his teachings to be dangerous. There he befriended the jailer, and found out that the jailer’s daughter was blind. Summoning the power of God, Father Valentine cured the girl of her blindness. But even back then, no good deed goes unpunished. Thinking that this was some sort of witchcraft, the authorities beheaded him. He wrote a letter to the girl the night before the execution and signed off “From Your Valentine.”
So there you have it. What lessons can we learn?
First, I continue to wonder why we call this “beheading.” Shouldn’t it be “deheading”?
Second, a cynic would note that this guy does a nice thing for a girl and gets his head cut off. But let’s not go down that road of male victimhood.
Third, you have to wonder if there isn’t more to the story. Was he in love with the jailer’s daughter? Was she in love with him? When he signed that letter to her did he draw a little heart? Did he ask the jailer to make sure some flowers were delivered?
Of course all this is questionable history. The Dawg does not encourage you to include this story in your teaching to the children about V-Day. Instead, we recommend the following additions to the TEKS to ensure a good understanding of why this day is special:
The student understands that the custom of giving cards to others at Valentine’s Day is not an excuse to justify vulgar language or sexual innuendo.
The student can explain why True Love flows in both directions equally, but the money spent at Valentine’s Day flows mostly from men to women.
The student understands that not getting a Valentine’s Day card from That Particular Person does not mean that the student is a loser, destined to live a life of lonely desperation, darning socks in the night when no one is there.
I think that should do.
DAWG BONE: ALL THE LONELY PEOPLE….WHERE DO THEY ALL COME FROM?