I think BSU in general tries to prepare us to approach the student as a whole 和 think about everything that could be affecting the student. As a teacher, I can come in 和 be the support system for them.
超过28,000 Ukrainians have fled to Irel和 since late February when Russia invaded their country. 在都柏林, 艾琳·哈雷， G ' 22，和 Adlai格林, ’22, taught some of the youngest victims of the war.
The Bridgewater State University students recently worked with the refugees during an eight-week international student-teaching experience.
“It’s hard in the moment to process what has happened, that these children have experienced war,艾琳说。. “Even though there’s been destruction 和 devastation 和 things I can’t even put into words that these children have experienced, they return to school.”
Erin 和 Adlai were impressed by the students’ perseverance.
“They’re really courageous,” said Adlai, an elementary education 和 英语 主要. “They are in the classroom eager to learn 和 give their best. I can’t imagine how difficult it is.”
Erin 和 Adlai worked in classes at Our Lady Immaculate Senior National School that are roughly equivalent to the sixth grade in the United States. They are among the first student-teachers to travel overseas since the p和emic caused the suspension of in-person international programs.
“Being abroad gives us an opportunity to really apply what we’re learning to a curriculum we don’t know,艾琳说。, who is from Kingston 和 pursuing a master’s degree in elementary education. “It really encourages us to grow.”
Ukrainian children are largely integrated with their Irish counterparts, though Erin 和 Adlai also worked separately with three students. They helped them improve their 英语 with lessons on verb tenses 和 forming sentences.
Drawing from their Bridgewater courses, they became caring figures in the Ukrainian students’ lives.
“I think BSU in general tries to prepare us to approach the student as a whole 和 think about everything that could be affecting the student,阿德莱说. “As a teacher, I can come in 和 be the support system for them.”
Neither Bridgewater student expected to teach refugees during their time in Irel和.
“To be able to be directly involved in some way has been a really unique experience,阿德莱说
Added Erin: “That has been a really powerful part of our experience.”
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