I am so excited to share with you some glimpses into our classrooms this week. The vignettes below from our faculty are beautiful examples of the many ways we nurture, celebrate and discover creativity at Bixby. At the same time, I know many of us are holding the heavyweight of so many crises in our community, our nation, and our world currently. It is important, I believe, to be able to hold both of those – the deep sadness and fear that suffering and crises bring, and the beauty that is right in front of us – in our hearts and in our minds.
Knowing that this dual experience is part of what makes us human, I wanted to share just a bit about how we have approach challenging topics. I believe this statement (from one of the many resources our faculty have been reviewing) sums up nicely how we pursue our mission in the face of the current war in Ukraine. “When confronting difficult historical moments or current events, I ask students to resist generalizations, to judge responsibly, to consider reliable sources, and to make conclusions without prejudice. I ask them to avoid retreating from uncomfortable conversations, to participate in them actively and thoughtfully instead.” Our faculty met on Monday to share our individual experiences and discuss how to respond to what our students are bringing. I also wanted to offer these resources to our families:
- https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-war-4147597
- https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-violence-crime-and-war
-Nina