As a Ukrainian-American educator and a proud UFT member, I remember fleeing the then-USSR as a 4-year-old with my family and living as refugees in Poland for a few years before coming here.

It’s incredibly hard for me now to teach my young students daily, forcing myself to be cheerful and positive for their sake, while after school watching all the death and destruction in my homeland.

Let’s have a day of solidarity, where all educators wear yellow and blue to show support for all Ukrainian educators here in the United States, in New York City and especially in Ukraine, where many teachers left their own families to bring their students safely to other countries when their parents couldn’t. Many are still teaching in basements and in the train stations underground.

Thank you for your help and support. Glory to Ukraine!

Irene Sysak, District 30 Pre-K Center
(via Facebook)