When continuing to learn becomes an act of courage, who supports the educators standing beside these children?
One Simple Wish
What would you expect a child to ask Saint Nicholas for?
A toy? A new bicycle? Something special they have been dreaming about?
For one young girl in Ukraine, the answer was different.
In a handwritten letter, she shared a wish that reflects the reality of childhood during wartime:
“Dear Saint Nicholas,
I have been a good girl, and the only thing I wish for is peace, so that we can study in our classroom and no longer have to go down to the basement.”
These simple words carry an extraordinary message.
For children growing up in peaceful environments, attending school is an ordinary part of life. They enter their classrooms, sit beside their friends, open their notebooks, and begin learning.
For many Ukrainian children, even these everyday experiences have become uncertain.
Air-raid alerts interrupt lessons. Children must leave their classrooms and move to shelters, sometimes several times throughout the school day.
And when the immediate danger passes, they return and continue learning.
“The Children Are Simply Heroes”
Iryna Datsenko, a teacher in central Ukraine, describes what these interruptions look like in everyday school life:
“We kept running back and forth because of air-raid alerts—twice during every lesson. But the children are simply heroes. They move, sit down, and continue writing.”
— Iryna Datsenko, Ukrainian educator
There is something deeply moving about this description.
Children interrupt their work, relocate to safety, return to their desks, and continue writing as though this were an ordinary school routine.
Their ability to adapt is remarkable.
Yet these experiences also raise an important question:
Should children have to demonstrate such extraordinary resilience simply to receive an education?
Their courage deserves recognition, but their need for safety, stability, and peaceful childhoods deserves even greater attention.
Behind Every Child Is an Educator
While children are learning to navigate uncertainty, their teachers are doing the same.
Ukrainian educators are not only teaching academic subjects. They are helping children manage disruptions, maintain routines, regulate emotions, and experience moments of normalcy in an environment shaped by war.
At the same time, teachers are experiencing many of the same uncertainties and dangers as their students.
They may be concerned about their own families, their personal safety, and what tomorrow will bring.
Yet they continue showing up.
They prepare lessons, encourage students, offer reassurance, and find ways to make learning possible.
This dedication is inspiring. But it also carries significant emotional demands.
Being strong for others does not mean that a person has unlimited strength.
Educators need opportunities to express their emotions, share experiences, access resources, and receive support themselves.
Supporting Those Who Support Others
At VELA Well-being, we recognize that supporting children also requires supporting the adults who care for them.
Since 2022, VELA has brought together Ukrainian educators, psychologists, and other helping professionals through peer-support meetings, professional discussions, educational programs, and practical well-being resources.
Our work is grounded in a simple belief:
Those who support others should never have to stand alone.
Through professional connection, shared experiences, and opportunities for reflection, we aim to strengthen the well-being of those who continue caring for others under extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
Resilience is important, but resilience should never become an expectation that individuals must endure everything without support.
Sometimes the most meaningful support begins with listening, acknowledging someone’s experiences, and reminding them that their well-being matters, too.
A Wish That Shouldn’t Be Extraordinary
The little girl who wrote to Saint Nicholas did not ask for anything extravagant.
She asked for peace.
She asked to study in her classroom.
She asked not to have to go down to the basement anymore.
Her words remind us that what adults sometimes take for granted can become a child’s greatest dream.
And Iryna Datsenko’s description reminds us of the countless educators who continue standing beside these children, helping them learn and grow despite uncertainty.
We honor their perseverance.
We recognize their courage.
But most importantly, we hope for a future in which such courage is no longer necessary for an ordinary school day.
Every child deserves to learn in peace.
Every educator deserves to feel safe and supported.
And every child deserves a childhood that does not require heroism.
VELA Well-being is a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting educators, psychologists, and other helping professionals through professional connection, education, and well-being initiatives.
Our mission: Support Those Who Support Others.