[MR] Teachers, shields and history

[Vivian V. Morgan]

Please bear with me as I vent a wee bit here, which will involve a longish quote.  My lovely Lady Magdalena LaRosa has returned to school (and doing well, I might add).  This semester, she is taking Public Speaking.  One of her first assignments, interestingly enough, is to create a personal coat of arms to represent herself to the class.  Here's the fun part.  Below is a quote directly from the assignment.  No lie.  Here goes:

	"In ages past, every person possessed a Coat of Arms of one kind or another.  One of the important points to understand about these shields is that they were never intended to give physical protection in battle.  Their purpose was not to turn away arrows or bullets or for people to hide behind.  Usually they were too thin or fragile for this use."

She goes on:
	"On the shields were symbols representing clan signs of the men who carried them.  These signs told who the man was, what he sought to be, and what his loves, fears, and dreams were.  Men carried these shields in order that anyone they met might know them.  Even when they rested in their lodges, their shields were always kept outside where all could see them.  They might be hung up by the lodge door or the smoke hole, but they were always kept outside where people might see and learn from them."

Feel free to respond directly to me or to the list if you want an open discussion.  I would love to hear questions, comments, or opinions.  She showed this to me several days ago and I've been having hives ever since.  I have had no one yet to vent to except her and, patient as she is, I don't want to wear her out on this.  I mean, isn't an important part of public speaking to "check your facts?"  Can she really believe someone would lug a big piece of wood into battle just to show people a picture?  I can't imagine why she would think anyone would carry something they couldn't block or kill with.  Magdalena really wanted to oppose the teacher on this one but, as she had already disagreed with her vehemently on a previous point, she didn't want to push.  After all, it was the first class and she doesn't know, yet, if she is dealing with a vindictive personality.

Thank you for letting me share and thank you in advance for any commentary you may have.

In Service,
  Lady Yenega de Santurce
  CaerMear, Atlantia