Why should students know about November 17
Monday, November 17. A day off for the EISB Community. Students are delighted to spend one extra day at home, but do they even know why? That was the topic of the discussions we had with some of our Academy students last Friday.
Apart from being the Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy, commemorating the Velvet Revolution of 1989, November 17 is also celebrated as the International Day of Students since 1941. It’s original significance was to remember a valiant uprising of university students in Prague, after the Nazi occupation of the Czech lands. The occupants stormed universities and murdered 9 students and professors without a court, with 1200 more being sent to concentration camps. However, the Nazi regime wasn’t the only regime that targeted students. Communist totalitarianism followed soon after the war and for many students, it meant significant restrictions regarding their future.
We began our discussion with a simple question: Dear students, what do you want to be when you grow up? And what followed was a broad palette of answers: A doctor! A programmer! A professional hockey player! A train conductor! A civil engineer! An actress! A garbage truck driver! With some students also saying: I want to have my own business!
“That’s great!” I told them. “Did you know my grandmother wanted to be a teacher?” I asked. “Unfortunately for her, the Communist regime banned her from studying at a university. And she had to spend her entire life working in a sock factory.” The students seemed to be surprised. What do you mean, Mr. Milan, banned her from studying? “Well, she was born in a family which owned a business. And a cow. And that made her the enemy of state, even though all she ever wanted was to help students like you to grow.”
Then I asked the students to imagine a scenario, where they are also banned to work their dream job. Banned from travelling. Banned from studying. Banned from doing what they really want. “And that is why we celebrate November 17th.”
This day reminds us of the courage ordinary people can show in extraordinary moments. Students, their teachers and professors, artists, writers, environmentalists, actors, songwriters, and many more, who stood up in the cold, dark month of November against injustice, totality, and bullying. They stood up, sang songs, rang their keys, and burned candles. That is the spirit of November 17. That is the spirit, which to this day gives our students the right to grow, to explore, to experience, to become whoever they want.
So, this Monday, November 17, I asked my students to slow down and reflect on little everyday acts of bravery, which ultimately build our free society full of possibilities and free choices. And I reminded them to celebrate it a little, too, since it’s also their own holiday, as the International Day of Students.
