Valentine’s Day 2021

How Valentines Day has Inspired us at SAT

Have you ever written a bad love letter to someone you admire? I certainly have. Valentine’s Day can seem daunting to many, a holiday which is meant to be filled with love and beauty can often seem tricky to teach. The history of Saint Valentine is one which is unbeknown to many, and therefore can have some tricky complications when teaching it. However, here at Sammie Allen Tutoring, we have pretty much got it down.

There are many theories on how Valentine’s Day began, however the most well known is the story of Emperor Claudius II who believed that the best soldiers were those who were unmarried. Meaning that marriage was not an option for many back in the day. So, putting his life in danger, Saint Valentine continued to perform marriages for the sake of the men and women who were so deeply in love, that they could not go without it… romantic, right?

We might think of romance as a nice trip to the cinema with our beloved, or maybe buying the odd chocolate rose the night before the 14th, however back in the day romance was a lot more… romantic.

Take Shakespeare for example, the dramatic type, who found a beautiful way to illustrate romantic notions through poetry or playwright. Not only can we take apart his beautiful sonnets, but give children the chance to actually understand how love can be portrayed in different ways, without the cheesy pick up lines.

This type of romantic poetry can be seen through other tales too, such as the famous “Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear, a tad more appropriate for our younger children, or even “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes. We have even taken it upon ourselves to write our own romantic acrostic style poems!

Exploring this type of literature gives children the opportunity to really tap into their emotional side and explore how feelings can be presented by decoding difficult similes, metaphors, and poetic language to better understand the writer’s emotions. It is all very lovey dovey indeed!

As you can see, not only is the tradition a lovely one for everyone involved, but it is also a fantastic learning opportunity for children of all ages.