Like everyone, my mind has been occupied with serious events this week. Our school went mask optional, which was great, but did leave me thinking about some "what ifs." Tuesday was the third anniversary of the death of one of my students, and since she would have been a junior, it affected many of our students. A school we are closely associated with suffered a similar loss this week. I have a couple of students and co-workers going through terribly difficult situations. And, of course, Russia invaded Ukraine late this week. It has been difficult for teachers and students alike to maintain focus, but time moves forward.
One of the pearls of wisdom attributed to the late Mr. Rogers is that when times are difficult, we should "look for the helpers." It helps to know there are people trying to make things better. I have also read (though I cannot remember where to credit the source) that resilience can be fostered vicariously through pondering stories of courage. That's what I've been thinking about this weekend - the helpers and the courageous.
One of my students is adopted from Ukraine, and her mom sent us the names of people on the ground who have been helping children in Ukraine, not only in this situation, but for years (Fathers-Care.org, Marinaskids.net, and https://hebron-academy.com/
One of the best and worst things about social media is how quickly stories can spread. Right now, it is a great thing. We are seeing stories of people exhibiting courage on a scale we could not have predicted (certainly Putin didn't predict). The story that has garnered the most attention is that of President Zelenskyy, and rightly so. He could have easily justified fleeing the country as a way of continuing to lead his country; America even offered to evacuate him. His response, "I need ammunition, not a ride" should stand in history with "I have not yet begun to fight" and "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country" as a statement of bravery, loyalty, and leadership. He could be in a bunker or delegating orders from a comfortable place, but instead, he is out there, looking like a Jeremy Renner character in a tactical vest, fighting alongside his troops. A MiG pilot, known as "the Ghost of Kyiv," is taking down Russian planes, and regular Ukrainian people are fighting back, throwing Molotov cocktails at Russian tanks. These people are not taking the invasion of their country lying down.
All of these people are acting with courage and should inspire us, but the ones who I can't stop thinking about are the Russian people who have gone into the streets to show their opposition to the actions of their President. As Americans, we are used to this. It seems half of our country is always protesting the actions of our President, and it is not an act that requires a high amount of courage here. Even those who may be arrested in a protest in America know that, with notable but rare exceptions, it involves a night in jail and a slap on the wrist. We have the luxury to take the first amendment for granted (so much so that one of the Canadian truck convoy members tried to claim it as a defense, not realizing that Canada's first amendment was not about freedom of speech). This is not the case in Russia. The people who took to the streets in Moscow last week did so, knowing that it could mean the loss of their lives.
Vladimir Putin has long been a murderer; he was the director of the KGB. Speaking against him is the fastest way to incur his wrath. As long as they were at home, they were not in danger. They could have stayed home and stayed safe. They knew the likelihood was high that they would be arrested (nearly 3000 have been so far) and that it could result in the loss of their lives (Putin's history of poisoning journalists who speak against him well-known), but they wanted the world to know that they did not support the invasion of their neighbors.
Teachers, as we help our students process their thoughts and feelings about all of the events around them, both worldwide and here at home, we must address pain and fear. We should not, however, leave it there. When they are feeling despair, help them look for the helpers. When they are scared, help them see the acts of courage that normal people exhibit during difficult times. When they are feeling helpless, help them to find ways they can help, from prayer to charitable donation to writing letters to their representatives to voice their thoughts.
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