Teaching a class that has refugees in it means sometimes there are poignant moments in class. Tuesday evening in class, we had such a moment. The woman who is perhaps the top student in class missed class the week before which was unusual for her.
As my students come into class, I greet them in their language Tuesday evening when she came, I greeted her in Ukrainian but could tell something was wrong. After she sat down, she apologized for missing class the week before and shared why.
Her small city in Ukraine was in the path of the flood waters unleashed by the blowing up of the dam which led to a large area being flooded out. Her hometown was completely destroyed. She shared that it was so hard on her that she couldn’t leave her apartment last week.
There was nothing I could have said to make everything okay, so how did I respond? I responded by affirming her and her feelings. I told her I understood it is hard for her and that I was proud of her for coming to class. I also let her know there was no pressure to participate and if she simply wanted to sit and listen it would be okay. I also shared with her that I understood the desire to isolate but isolating was the worst thing to do and getting out around people was good.
One more thing- I used Google translate to share with her in Ukrainian that Jesus would give her strength and help her during this time. I also used it to remind her that Jesus loves her.
There are moments in a class that a teacher will never forget. I certainly will never forget that moment.
Thank you for reading. God Bless.
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