(I recently heard a piece on NPR regarding how Ukrainian teachers and students were keeping education alive despite war, that was deeply moving. I then looked up other articles regarding the same, and even came across a journal article regarding Ukrainian teachers’ stress and coping during the war. So here I am trying to write from the perspective of a Ukrainian teacher)
“Let us solve quadratic equations today”
In a tone of fake enthusiasm I say
I scan the students’ faces on my screen
Terror, fear, boredom, anger- all of these I have seen
In their eyes, but today all of them just appear bored
I thank the stars that there is nothing more
I just hope the next forty-five minutes are free
From interruptions from sirens, air raids, missiles flying, but that seems to be
Wishful thinking these days, more often than not
Right now, teaching algebra to my class is my only thought
*
Our school has been destroyed, we conduct classes online
We have moments of normalcy, when we seem to be doing fine
But the unpredictability of war is all-pervasive
In constant fear of being bombed we live
I have had to stop teaching algebra to console
My students petrified from an air-raid- my role
Has expanded beyond teaching, the responsibility sometimes overwhelms me
As I fear for my students and my family’s safety simultaneously
*
We still make it work, my students get stellar grades
They are mature beyond their years, they have learnt to wade
Through the troubled waters of war, building resilience admirable
Education is the anchor when everything else is unstable..
Teac
Passion...unbridled 