Teachers at local schools began describing the crisis to their students as the situation in Ukraine changed swiftly following Russia’s incursion.
Pat Birch, a history teacher at Boardman High School, has begun to include the war into his lessons. He attempts to make connections between historical events and present events, such as World War II and the Cold War.
“There’s definitely the connection there between the beginning of the Cold War and what’s going on right now. Trying to draw those parallels between the tensions that we see between Eastern Europe and Western Europe and Russia,” Birch says.
Learning about the Russia-Ukraine war is a novel experience for pupils who are used to hearing about violence in the Middle East.
Juniors enrolled in a different advanced placement government class are likewise interested in following the developments.
“I’ve been checking it a lot, too, because my dad’s in the military so I’ve been reading about it and seeing what’s happening because I think we’re all curious about what’s going on,” says Rebekah Bader, a junior AP government student.
“When we study deeper into the government, it kind of helps us better to understand how our government is going to handle things like this and how it affects not only everyone’s everyday life in the military but how it affects the economy,” explains Sydney Yauger, another junior AP government student.
Yauger says she’s interested in following the situation because of the potential impact on her friends and family if the US gets involved.
Birch said he will keep his pupils informed about the conflict and the events leading up to it as the situation evolves.