• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Nancy Bailey's Education Website

Revive, Rally and Recover Public Schools

  • Activism
    • Anti-Charter Schools
    • Anti-Common Core State Standards
    • Anti-Corporatization of Schools
    • Anti-High-Stakes Testing
    • State Action Groups
    • School Buildings
  • School Curriculum
    • General Education
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Math
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • The Arts
    • Technology
    • Behavior
    • Diversity
    • English Language Learners
    • Special Education
      • Autism
      • Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities
      • Learning Disabilities
      • Developmental Disabilities
      • Gifted
      • Other
    • Early Childhood Education
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Student Careers
  • Other Countries
    • England
    • Finland
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • Canada

Ukrainian Schools During War: Gratefulness for America’s Public Schools

March 8, 2022 By Nancy Bailey 6 Comments

Post Views: 314

Witnessing the Ukrainian invasion brings feelings of sadness and helplessness. Children have no hope of school, running from danger after losing their homes. We’re reminded of how lucky Americans are to have freedom, not to be facing a war here, and that democratic public schools are open to all children.

It shocks the world to see the bombings, including Ukrainian schools. The trauma of these events on children seems unthinkable. Ukrainians have lost 38 children so far. There have been many injuries.

When we watch Ukrainian children sleeping on bricks in bomb shelters like subways and basements, we see our children and yearn for the safety of all children.

Remember, too, that more than 450 million children worldwide are living in a conflict zone, according to November 2021’s Save Our Children report. It’s hard to imagine a world with so much turmoil.

Watching what’s happening in Ukraine should drive us to work more together to create safe and caring democratic school environments for America’s students. We must make those schools welcoming to all because this is a free country.

While we worry about learning loss due to the pandemic, some Ukrainian children have faced repeated school disruption and have lost quality schooling for years, living with danger.

Eastern Ukraine has seen fighting since 2014, and many schools had to close. Parents have had to struggle for quality and safe schooling. Students have had to rely on piecemeal online instruction.

A 2016 Human Rights Watch report describes the plight of Ukrainian children caught in the fighting and having their schools close.

Parents and teachers worked closely together at that time to get schools to reopen safely, but cold weather and damaged unheated schools made it difficult.

Here’s a school bus waiting for students in 2018, in front of the Popasna municipal school in the province of Luhansk, Ukraine. The new school year had recently started.

From Save the Children Ukraine, here’s the Safe Schools Declaration created at that time.

Despite the pandemic, and problems facing public education in this country, Americans haven’t had to worry about any war on their soil. The closest to this is school gun violence, which should be within our reach to fix. The insurrection gave us alarming pause.

But dealing with the pandemic and social change should bring Americans together, not tear us apart.

Parents and citizens meet at school board meetings to address the needs of students. They have a voice. Those voices have been loud but still spoken freely.

However, concerns arise when the government bans books, restricts speech, and creates draconian laws like the Don’t Say Gay bill in Florida, telling teachers what they can teach.

How can we work as a nation to address current divisive school issues in a kinder, more thoughtful way without hurting students?

Consider how society is changing and how this affects children. Here are suggestions on how to strengthen our public schools:

  • Be proud of neighborhood schools and reach out to them.
  • Shore up school art programs and help display student artwork in the community.
  • Help schools share the vibrant cultures of children attending that school.
  • Respect the differences children bring to the classroom.
  • Be open to change and try to understand opposing viewpoints.
  • Be receptive to the findings of professional research by and about teachers, counselors, and school nurses.
  • Attend a school play, or music events put on by the students.
  • Are there after-school activities you can support or help out with?
  • Cheer for the local school sports teams.
  • Volunteer to help a child who struggles to read for several hours each week.
  • Recognize the importance of the teacher/parent/student connection.
  • If concerned about what the teacher is teaching, talk with that teacher.
  • Ask teachers what they need?
  • Get involved in the PTA.
  • Might there be something you can donate to the school?
  • Perhaps you work in a job that children might be interested in hearing about on career day.
  • Get involved to help, not hurt.

For our part, we can step up our investment in public schools for all children and provide what aid we can to the Ukrainians for the world to see.

Reflect on our free democratic public school system and be grateful for the freedoms we enjoy. Hold Ukrainian children in our hearts and pray for the war and all world conflict to end.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: America's democratic public schools, book banning, Children and Ukraine, Don't Say Gay Bill, Freedom, Losing America's Democratic Public Schools, Ukrainian Schools, Ukrainian War

Comments

  1. Lonnie Rowell says

    March 8, 2022 at 2:29 pm

    What troubles me is that your suggestions for things people can do ignores the importance of supporting practitioner research by teachers, counselors, nurses and all educators. i support your suggestions, but it is sad to see you, Diane Ravitch and other critically important education bloggers take practitioner knowledge for granted. We may presently lack effective strategies for mobilizing educator knowledge in relation to policy-making, but that does not mean we sh0uld ignore the importance of developing such strategies and sharing the recognition of the importance of the knowledge teachers develop through their practices. Here is what our group is doing to counter the current knowledge monopoly held by all the ‘big’ experts – https://www.socialpublishersfoundation.org/knowledge_base/in-the-zone-emotion-regulation-in-the-classroom/.

    Reply
    • Nancy Bailey says

      March 8, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      As a retired practitioner (teacher) who values practitioner research (I have a Ph.D. in education), I’m not sure what you mean.

      My blog has repeatedly supported the professionals you mention. I’m also always on the lookout for good research supporting public schools.

      Furthermore, for the record, while self-regulation in children is essential, I’m worried about its current overemphasis in the research. I think it’s about making children sit still in front of computers.

      Thank you for your comment.

      Reply
      • Lonnie Rowell says

        March 8, 2022 at 3:48 pm

        Thanks for your reply. I know you are very supportive of practitioners, and I greatly respect that. My point is simply that perhaps your list of suggestions for how to strengthen public schools could include support for teacher-research. Also, for the record, from my perspective (and like you I have been an education researcher), what is most important about the article I shared is that the research was conducted by a practitioner based on the issues and dynamics in her school. That is more important than whether I personally support this particular practice. Actually, I tend to share your concerns about ‘regulation’ of behavior. Best wishes.

        Reply
        • Nancy Bailey says

          March 8, 2022 at 3:53 pm

          Sure. I’ll see what I can do. Thanks for explaining. Sometimes it takes me a while.

          Reply
  2. Roy Turrentine says

    March 11, 2022 at 11:35 am

    I can hardly wait until someone starts a study to see if there is any learning loss in Ukraine.

    You think?

    Reply
    • Nancy Bailey says

      March 11, 2022 at 11:38 am

      Yes, sadly. Wait for it. We’re all thinking it, thanks for saying it, Roy.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

front cover

An education glossary with an attitude.

Buy Now

front cover

Do we really want an America where we no longer own our public schools?

Buy Now

front cover

This book says “no” to the reforms that fail, and challenges Americans to address the real student needs that will fix public schools and make America strong.

Buy Now

Follow me!

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Connect With Me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Nancy E. Bailey Follow

SPED Teacher, Author, PhD Ed. Leadership, Blogging for Kids, and Democratic Public Schools that should belong to all of us.

NancyEBailey1
nancyebailey1 Nancy E. Bailey @nancyebailey1 ·
4 Jul

Public schools are diverse institutions with children from many religious backgrounds. No child should be forced to worship according to another's beliefs. https://nancyebailey.com/2022/07/04/religions-destructive-effect-on-public-education-this-july-4th/

Reply on Twitter 1543942437697212421 Retweet on Twitter 1543942437697212421 3 Like on Twitter 1543942437697212421 2 Twitter 1543942437697212421
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
susanoha Susan Ohanian @susanoha ·
2 Jul

Hillsdale College is involved in the development of teacher training materials.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2022/06/28/some-teachers-alarmed-by-florida-civics-training-approach-on-religion-slavery

Reply on Twitter 1543308765323223043 Retweet on Twitter 1543308765323223043 2 Like on Twitter 1543308765323223043 1 Twitter 1543308765323223043
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
daschwartzy Danielle Schwartz @daschwartzy ·
2 Jul

Will parents demand real teachers or buy the online sales pitches? @NancyEBailey1 nails it. https://twitter.com/NEPCtweet/status/1542923534736838656

NEPC @NEPCtweet

"There’s little proof online programs will provide all that a child needs to become a good reader." @NancyEBailey1 https://bit.ly/3bKb5Uj

Reply on Twitter 1543220509999075330 Retweet on Twitter 1543220509999075330 3 Like on Twitter 1543220509999075330 7 Twitter 1543220509999075330
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
nepctweet NEPC @nepctweet ·
1 Jul

"There’s little proof online programs will provide all that a child needs to become a good reader." @NancyEBailey1 https://bit.ly/3bKb5Uj

Reply on Twitter 1542923534736838656 Retweet on Twitter 1542923534736838656 3 Like on Twitter 1542923534736838656 4 Twitter 1542923534736838656
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
norinrad10 TC Weber @norinrad10 ·
1 Jul

Have a safe Fourth while you enjoy the latest from Dad Gone Wild...https://wp.me/p4d08y-3fj @ChalkbeatTN @Tennessean @TNEdReport @TNedu @MetroSchools @palan57 @DianeRavitch

Reply on Twitter 1542918904208670723 Retweet on Twitter 1542918904208670723 5 Like on Twitter 1542918904208670723 1 Twitter 1542918904208670723
Load More

Archives

Tag Cloud

Arne Duncan Autism Betsy DeVos Bill Gates charter schools class size Common Core Common Core covid-19 dyslexia early childhood education Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Florida high-stakes testing kindergarten learning disabilities Online Learning parents Personalized Learning phonics preschool private schools privatization public schools reading Reading Instruction recess retention School Choice school libraries School Privatization school reform schools Social Emotional Learning special education students Students with Disabilities Teacher Preparation teachers Teach for America teaching Technology testing the arts vouchers

Copyright © 2022 Nancy E. Bailey · Website powered by Standing Pine Media.