Pacific teachers weave current crises
into classroom lessons
By B.R. Sargent, Seoul
bureau
Photos by Andy Dunaway / Stars and
Stripes
From left, Benjamin Johnson, Candice Mays and Ryland Geiger wrote thank-you letters in
class to nursing home officials, the Pentagon and New York City rescue officials. |
YONGSAN GARRISON — Throughout history, military leaders have
tried to learn lessons from war’s battlefields.
Today, military children are learning lessons from war in the
classrooms. Teachers and students are weaving current crises with classroom activities and
homework projects.
As a sixth-grade teacher at Seoul American Middle School, one of Brad
Opfer’s goals is to teach life skills.
“I think as a teacher first and foremost, I’d like my
students to think critically and use technology to develop skills, especially compassion,
empathy, understanding others and communications skills.”
Every year, Opfer teaches his students how to format a letter using
the computer. They usually write to senior citizens’ homes and the Salvation Army.
Since the attacks on America, he has added New York City rescue agencies, the Pentagon,
and the Letters To the Front contest.
“The letters express support for the president and the
military,” said Opfer. “Many of them did that extremely well.”
“I was just thankful to the firemen who died trying to save all
of those people,” said 11-year-old Ryland Geiger.
Opfer |
“Before I was keeping my feelings inside,” said Candice
Mays, 11. “Now that I’ve told somebody, I feel better.”
Benjamin Johnson, 11, expressed thanks to those who help senior
citizens because “I wanted to choose something different than everybody else.”
Some of the sixth-graders in Sarah McKinney’s language arts
class made some different choices, too. They were completing poetry books in September.
After the attacks, without any prodding, several of the students started over and began
writing new poems.
“The students did it naturally,” said McKinney.
The new poems focused on patriotic and emotional themes. One
student’s poem was written in the shape of the U.S. flag, decked in red, white and
blue letters and characters. Another student became the twin towers in her persona poem.
My students “have very strong opinions,” said McKinney.
“I think what I try to do as a teacher is create connections. They can see that this
is important.”
Students from Seoul American High School make the connection between
world events and the classroom every day.
John Paulson, a world history teacher at Seoul American High School,
incorporates current issues such as the war on terrorism and Islam into class discussions.
|
In John Paulson’s world history class, a lot of students have
been asking why terrorists attacked America.
“The best I could do to try to explain the nature of current
events was to [show] how Islam arose and it has developed over the centuries,” he
said. “It’s a very complicated area.”
“It makes more sense to us now,” said Elizabeth White, 15.
“A lot of people assumed that what the terrorists have done is typical of Islam, and
it isn’t. These people have perverted the Islamic holy texts.”
“[My students] are much more aware of what’s going on
around them, which is the intent,” said Todd Kirby, who teaches Model United Nations
at the high school.
“It has made me step into reality,” said Jenny
Stikeleather, 17. “It affects so many people, so many students.”
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