Interview 18. Finding consolation in teaching. Olena Trybko
The war has revealed that ordinary Ukrainians can do incredible things. Olena Trybko, a mathematics and computer science teacher from the Yevhen Berezniak Lyceum No.1 in Pomichna, Kirovohrad Region, is convinced of this. Since the outbreak of the war, Olena has supported both herself and the children who find it difficult to stay motivated in such difficult times. Olena Trybko, like her colleagues, is also active in the local community, where everyone works towards victory – from the elderly to mothers with babies.
Through the looking glass
During the first weeks of the war, I felt like a character in Alice Through the Looking Glass. I was a bystander, who was not concerned or touched by the events. I stood there, staring through the looking glass, not understanding what actually depended on me, what I could do.
But, one must keep on believing, because there is no hope without faith. Thank God, our faith is constantly reinforced by our incredible Armed Forces. Therefore, this looking glass became symbolic for me; it was not real.
Holding it together!
When the war started, I was sick in bed. I tried to remain calm, reassuring myself that it wasn’t COVID, and that I was vaccinated. On February 24, my daughter called and said that they were being shelled. I forgot all about the COVID tests that I needed to do. During the first week of the war, I felt very weak, and this really made me angry. I knew I couldn’t leave the house and put others in danger, because I wasn’t sure what kind of virus I was carrying.
But, I’m not the one to stand on the sidelines and observe events passively. It gets easier when you lead an active lifestyle. I got busy: I would take old clothes out of storage, cut them up, and give them to friends who wove camouflage nets. I even drank boiled milk, which I actually hate, in order to recover and get back to work with everyone else. This inner attitude – holding it together – helped me recover quickly. Within a few days, I was back at work.
Reaching out to children
I pulled myself together; I was back in action. I was calm and got myself ready every day by using certain techniques. I am grateful to psychologist Svitlana Roiz, whose posts help me to pull myself together and organize my thoughts.
When the air raid sirens sounded, everyone was at a loss: our chat rooms with students and colleagues were overloaded with notifications. There was a teenage girl who was in the basement with her sister. She was sending voice messages, and I could hear that she was very distressed; she became hysterical. So, I called her. At first, she didn’t even hear me: she was crying, screaming into the phone. I tried to get through to her and make her pay more attention to her younger sister. As we talked, I got dressed and was ready to go and help these children. They were home alone; it was nighttime, and their parents were on shift work. I persuaded her, and together we began to do breathing exercises; then we talked and laughed until the all-clear signal sounded. We talked for two hours. I realized that I needed to talk to children and find words that can bring them to their senses. I made this discovery, and now I am proud of it. Today, here’s what I tell parents: “Talk to your children more. Talk about everything so that they feel that you are present. The worst thing is when a child withdraws and stops talking. When a child is hysterical, you can still get through, but breaking the silence is much more difficult.”
Today, here’s what I tell parents: “Talk to your children more. Talk about everything so that they feel that you are present. The worst thing is when a child withdraws.”
The main lesson
We, Ukrainians, often quarrel and express different opinions, which can be polar opposites at times. Sometimes, we cannot find a common denominator to agree or compromise. The war has taught us a good lesson, because Ukrainians showed and continue to show the world that we are a nation. I read a statement somewhere that we like to quarrel among ourselves, but even more, we love to beat the enemy together. A friend in need is a friend indeed!
My daughter’s friend was conscripted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and it was necessary to search for equipment and a uniform. We found everything in three days. Moreover, people whom I did not know or with whom I had little contact before the war helped us out.
Daily schedule
This is what a teacher’s normal day currently looks like: you wake up in the morning and conduct lessons online. Then, you run to the school-based humanitarian center and distribute humanitarian aid, such as food packages for internally displaced persons. Then, you weave camouflage nets and unload goods and donations, because the men have other things to do. You come home at 6-7 pm and prepare for tomorrow’s classes. We have already forgotten what day of the war it is, what day of the week it is.
Our community has become more active and self-organized. When, for example, a net-weaving meeting is announced, so many people come to the school that the rooms are absolutely packed. The work progresses rapidly. We trust each other; each and every one of us understands that a lot depends on our work. These are not just those mundane cleanup Saturdays where everyone tries to do as little as possible. Today, everything is different: no one forces people to work; everyone wants to work. People are doing an amazing job, and I am proud that I live here, can meet such wonderful people, and live in this incredible country that we all love.
Powerful synergy
Our town is small, and when the volunteer movement began, many people responded. Elderly ladies brought their preserves and canned foods in wheelbarrows, and pulled money out of their pockets. When an elderly lady literally donates half of her pension, and volunteers tell her that they cannot take that money, but the lady says: “Kid, take it please. I want to help our boys.” When an elderly man weaves frames for camouflage nets from fishing lines. One day, a mother with three small children helped to weave a camouflage net while her baby slept in the stroller. Some IDPS have decided to stay in our town. They say that they cannot sit idly at home, so they also come to help out at the humanitarian hub. I would like Russian propagandists to see this. Who are you fighting against? Against an old lady? Against a mother with three children?
Before the war, we planned to hold an EdCamp (non)conference entitled – Partnership Synergy: Ordinary people doing extraordinary things. Now, we want to talk about this even more, because the war has shown that such partnerships and synergy between people from different fields, generations and professions can be very powerful. The children learn by following examples where there is true friendship and cooperation.
I would like Russian propagandists to see this. Who are you fighting against? Against an old lady? Against a mother with three children?
Working in a world filled with colour
My resource is an orange notebook where I write down my ideas and thoughts, and where I keep a diary. These are ideas related to my life and projects. When the school principal sees my orange notebook, she says she will burn it one day. Because I am passionate about my work, and I don’t let others rest or take it easy. I have this “complex of excellence”, and I keep thinking about how to improve things. I can take one topic and plan it in different ways, and fill it with different colours for each class. When you work with children, just one word or exclamation of surprise from them can change everything.
A student of mine received a third-degree diploma in a Computer Science and Programming Contest, although he lags behind in other subjects. Today, I know why I am a teacher. Happiness is when you can’t wait to go to work, because it has become more of a “hobby”, and then, you hurry home because your family is waiting for you. I enjoy what I do. I rejoice and grieve with these children. I love teaching students to achieve their goals and to achieve success. But what do you do when you lose? Children take it hard. I try to explain to them that in this case, they have even more opportunities to improve their skills, their work, and their creativity. Losing helps me grow, and when I grow, my students grow with me.
Educational Front
The return of students to Ukrainian schools in the new academic year will depend on the security situation. In Kirovohrad Region, educational institutions will be inspected until August 12 for their ability to provide offline learning. According to Vitaliy Myroniuk, head of the State Emergency Service in Kirovohrad Region, with the beginning of the new school year, educational institutions will also conduct training sessions on evacuation to shelters.
To help teachers in Ukraine continue their work during the war, the EdCamp Ukraine community launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for computer equipment and Internet access for teachers who lost their pedagogical equipment in the war. Also, the funds will be used for psychological support for teachers and the organization of conferences where they can share their pedagogical experiences during the war. Both foreign colleagues – on the GoFundMe platform and Ukrainians – on the EdCamp Ukraine page – can join the campaign by adding the comment My War. Lessons to the payment.
Don’t be an orc!
The biggest problem of learning is low motivation, and in our difficult times, it is definitely a challenge. The fifth- and sixth-graders were upset and stressed; they did not understand what was happening. For the first time, no one was happy about the announced holidays. One of the students, little Serhiy, said that he no longer wanted to stay home; he just wanted to come to school, even if everyone scolded him there. There are children whose parents are on the front line and they are very worried, especially when their parents do not respond for a long time.
Everything is relative. Two years ago, when we launched distance learning, some children did not have an internet connection, some were distracted, and others had something else happening in their lives. Today, children study online almost 100% of the time. If they cannot join the lesson, we make notes and send them to the children, and they complete the tasks. The situation itself motivates them. In addition, the lessons distract the children from bad thoughts.
To motivate students, I ask them: “Do you like the way orcs communicate? Do you want to be like them?” This works because the kids don’t want resemble the enemy. Instead, they plan creative projects and happily ban enemy websites, acting just like young hackers.
Helping one another to grow and develop
I would like to share with my foreign colleagues the opportunity to teach – to do what I do best and what I enjoy doing the most. For example, I run an online workshop for children who are now in other countries. The greatest joy is to see the children’s eyes, when they are happy with their work. I would give anything for this.
I have experience in conducting programming lessons on how to create a SCRATCH project within a short time, and how to encourage and motivate children. Such meetings and classes mean lots of communication and cooperation – an opportunity to help one another to grow, develop, teach and learn.
Text — Halyna Kovalchuk.
The interview series My War. Lessons was prepared with financial support from the Black Sea Trust for Regional Cooperation – a project of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.
The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Ed Camp Ukraine and the Foundation.
