Teaching in Troubled Times, Under Difficult Conditions

Childhood Education, Winter 2003/2004 by Williston, Judy, Grossman, Sue

These people and events especially intrigued us because we were both children during WWII. Sue's father was a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps stationed in Harrington, Northhamptonshire, England, and Judy's father was a neighborhood warden in Toledo, Ohio, where lights-out was always exciting! Although American cities suffered no direct damage, we were definitely aware from our parents' conversations, from the voices on the radio, and from the use of ration stamps that something dreadful was going on. But how very different it was for the children in England, who traveled with gas masks (a Mickey Mouse version was available for children under 5), and who left behind tearful parents at railway stations. Some parents reported that their children were excited by this "new adventure"; other children were fearful, and many bravely accepted what was happening to them so suddenly. Clovelly is only one of many villages on the west coast of England where children could find refuge from the ravages of war.

Contemporary Parallels

As described above, evacuated children were so crowded into the school buildings that some classes had to meet outside or go for nature walks, since there was no room for them inside. When they were inside, perhaps only a curtain separated one class from another, so the noise could be deafening. Regular gas mask drills prepared children for the event of enemy gas attacks (Clement, 1995).

Parallels exist today as children in many American rural and inner city schools arrive each morning to find overcrowded classes, a lack of basic supplies (such as toilet tissue), and no funding for such programs as computer instruction, gifted and talented classes, or art and music programs. In addition to participating in typical drills to prepare for fire or severe weather, teachers and caregivers must explain, and prepare for, the possible threat of war, terrorism, and school shootings, searching for language that young children can understand and that is not unnecessarily alarming (Arnold, 2000). Many American schoolchildren face deprivation similar to that of the English evacuees, such as a persistent lack of school supplies, inconsistency in school personnel, and crowded space, that are not related to outside events per se, but with which teachers must help them cope (Kozol, 1991; Moses, Aldridge, Cellitti, & McCorquodale, 2003; Stanford & Yamamoto, 2001).

As difficult as conditions were for the WWII evacuees, factors existed that mitigated some of the harmful effects. The situation was believed to be temporary; as soon as the Allies were victorious, the evacuations would end. Even though some children stayed as long as four years in the countryside, they always expected to get back to "normal" as soon as possible. In fact, that is usually what happened. There was also a clear reason for the upheaval in their lives. Nazi Germany was attempting to conquer all of Europe, and thus even young children could understand a "good guy/bad guy" explanation for their evacuation. A sense of "we're all in this together" caused many of the families who took in evacuees to be understanding and kind to them. This was no guarantee, however, as there are tales of some children being treated very badly (see www.bbc.co.uk/ history/war/wwtwo/ bristol_evacuees_01 .shtml). On the other hand, some host families were appalled at the behavior and physical condition of some of the children they housed (www.iwm.org.uk/ education/ww2children/research/ photos_and_posters/).