Tower and Town, April 2023

  (view the full edition)

War And Education

A war in one's native country is a "scar" that instantly changes the consciousness of millions of people. And each man chooses for himself where to go, with whom, why, and whose side he is on. It is correct to say that the choice is made subconsciously; it is at these moments that you feel how some kind of force shapes our lives - not consciousness, not the heart, not life experience, not profit, but the subconscious rising from deep within and a new nature is born - a new person. And this is a chilling moment - when you realize that you are no longer: you are new, just born and you are starting to build your life again, from scratch. And magical things begin to happen in your life. Uncontrollable by you. And you can't resist them. And you accept them as a "gift of fate."

And at this moment, unexpectedly for yourself, you find yourself in England. With a child who asked you for a foreign education two years ago. And you couldn't afford it because it was too expensive! And now she is studying in one of the best schools in England, for free. What do you feel about it? That you are the hero of an as yet unwritten novel, when the whole of your life is built on the contrasts "like we have at home" and "like here in England."

England is such a comfortable, understandable and safe country, where the rules of life are clearly defined. And when you have understood and lived by these, it is simply impossible not to become a happy person, in a country that has created for itself the most powerful "protective helmet" in history.

Ukraine, however, is geographically located at the crossroads of world interests. It has been at war since 2014 and last year came a chance to be reborn.

What is the best way to start building a new society? Options may be different and, of course, controversial. One of the options is with a new generation of children! And what about Ukrainian children - what are their emotions now?

Dasha, writes:

My impressions of St John's School in Marlborough have been very positive. I was very surprised by the size of the school and its architecture. I always dreamed of studying abroad and was very excited before the first day of school. On that day, Ukrainian students and English teachers met me, took me on a tour and gave me a school uniform.

I liked it that here each day there are only 5 lessons for 1 hour each: in Ukraine there are 7-8 lessons per day, 45 minutes each. It was very interesting too to find myself caught up in a new school rhythm. In the first month of study there were additional English lessons, which helped a lot to adapt to English at school. All the teachers were very kind and treated us with great attention. It is very good that there are many Ukrainian children at school and in my class, and they have now become my friends.

At the same time, I study online at a Ukrainian school. After the start of the war, the school changed the educational process and divided all students into two school programmes: one program for those who live in Ukraine and a different one for those who live abroad.

Study at the Ukrainian school takes place in the evening. Periodically, joint online meetings are held when the entire Ukrainian class meets in full force. Also, video films are created to recapture our own stories, when each student makes a mini video about his life, which is mounted in a video film about the class.

It is very difficult to study in two schools, and the programme of the Ukrainian school is the more difficult and complicated, despite the fact that I follow it in my native language.

But all in all .… it has been an amazing experience.

Natasha and Dusha