When Russia launched a full scale invasion on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, the attention of the world shifted to the war. However, three years later, the discussions about it in different classrooms have largely faded. This raises the question of how much students still know or even care about the still ongoing conflict.
Some teachers say that their students are usually distracted by political issues that are local and relevant to their own nation or by the most recent global crises and that schools need to inform and teach students about these kinds of world events in order for them to be able to become informed voters and citizens.
History teacher Joel Kesler said that students are aware of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, but curiosity and attention towards it has declined since the early months of the war.
Yearbook and Digital Design teacher, Tom Mollison concurs with Kesler.
“Interest has declined,” Mollison said. “Other global and political issues, like Israel and Gaza, have kind of stolen the spotlight.”
Mollison also added that teachers and educators should still teach “truth and honest observation” to make sure that students can understand the scale and magnitude of ongoing global events.
Kesler believes that world awareness is important for students to be ready to be engaged citizens.
“We live in a connected world. We are not insulated,” Kesler said. “Students will be voters soon. They need to understand what’s happening beyond their borders because those things directly or indirectly affect their lives.”
Mollison added to Kesler’s point by saying that students are “the future decision makers” and that they need to learn from current events and conflicts in the world “so that we don’t make the same mistakes in the future.”
Senior Wesley Steele feels that he knows as much as the average American on the topic. He thinks that schools need to talk about global events more.
“When I hear updates, it makes me feel sad and angry that it’s still going,” Steele said. “It’s really important. It tells us how our government is doing and how the rest of the world is responding.”
For teachers like Kesler, discussing world events is not the only hard part, it is also helping students care about it.
“It’s evidence that public education has a role in teaching students to think critically,” Kesler said. “Social studies isn’t just about history, it’s about preparing students to be active participants in the world.”
While the Ukraine vs. Russia war is not mentioned much in classrooms anymore, teachers do agree that understanding it is still very important. Whether it is through history lessons or conversations, the overall goal is for students to continue to look past their own nation and stay aware of one that is still at war.
