The war in Ukraine is being watched worldwide.
Images and news reports that spread instantly through social media and the internet are finding their way into local classroom discussions.
Mark Van Over starts his first-period current issues class every morning with a discussion on the latest news from the war zone in Ukraine. He also teaches history at Canyon Crest Academy in Carmel Valley. His students study what is accurate and not fake news.
Van Over said, “It’s important to know what’s happening to the people and the human story that is part of a war. That is something that textbooks don’t get well documented because of the past and the way things worked then.” He also said he sometimes has to quickly update lesson plans because of constantly changing actions overseas.
The San Diego County Office of Education has also provided resources to schools to help students in learning about the conflict.
M.G. Perez
17-year old senior Elizabeth Campbell-Budilenko sits in the front row of Mr. Van Over’s class, watching history unfold on computer screens. The war has directly impacted her mother’s family.
“They evacuated Ukraine and crossed the border, so thankfully they’re safe in Poland,” she said.
Campbell-Budilenko does not mince words when she tells her story, calling it “terrible, the war going on. The whole thing is a mess… [it] shouldn’t have happened in the first place. There’s so many things that could have gone differently, should have gone differently.”
Across the Canyon Crest Academy campus, Stuart Pollach is teaching U.S. Government. He has students who are seniors about to graduate and are old enough to vote in the next election. Pollach is committed to the truth in his classroom.
He told KPBS News, “It is always a challenge to make sure the sources that we’re using are accurate as can be and also to help the students understand how to make those decisions and judgments for themselves as they get older.”
Matthew Bowler
Sasha Rudakov is an 18-year-old Russian American with family and friends still in the war zone. She is ready to have her voice heard at the ballot box. “Many people think this is Russia versus Ukraine, but in reality, it is Putin versus Ukraine. Most Russians who support this don’t know any better,” she said.
Frankie Sauceda is also an 18-year-old senior at Canyon Crest. He believes the NATO coalition will end this war with military strength when the time comes. He said, “It’s really up to the Russians at this point. If they attack let’s say, Poland. They’re basically signing their own death warrant.”
Ukraine war makes its way to local classroom curriculum
