Syrian refugee children in Lebanon: Abeer

UNICEF Canada recently published several videos on the experiences of Syrian refugee children. This one (above) features Abeer who is 13 years old and does not attend school because her parents don’t think she would be safe walking back from school in the late afternoon.

In the video, Abeer says “I’d like to know if other people could live our lives, even just for an hour.” She offers us a short but powerful glimpse into the experiences of millions of children in zones of conflict around the world.

It’s only a 45-second video but Abeer’s body language has stayed with me ever since I first watched it. You see her stress, frustration, pain, and — incredibly — her composure. As an educator, all I can think of is this: UNICEF, a 13-year-old refugee, and a 45-second video clip — the best lesson plan you could ask for. I hope you use it.

An African Tale

Karyn Romeis responded to my South African reflection by linking to her own African tale. Her words struck a chord because I returned from Africa (South Africa and Kenya) only a few weeks ago, and my experiences there profoundly changed me as a teacher and a human being. Her entry took me back to many schools and classrooms that I visited in Kenya as part of the Teachers Without Borders-Canada project. Here's a link to Karyn's entry and to a version I annotated using Diigo.