Educating and escaping: International teacher recounts experiences in Ukraine 

Lindsey Murff was teaching her fifth grade class on Zoom, just another day for the 10 year international teacher. One student, Vasalisa, suddenly disappeared from the Zoom grid of her fellow classmates.

It would be a week before Murff would learn that her student wasn’t having wi-fi trouble or Zoom difficulties, but instead was affected by the bombing many have become accustomed to in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022.

This was just one of many stories told by Murff at UHCL’s Friday Morning Continuing Education Series “Fleeing Ukraine” event. As one of its many summer workshops, the program brought Murff to speak on her experience as a teacher in Ukraine. 

Murff has been an international teacher for ten years, having taught in countries such as China, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Ukraine is the latest country Murff taught in, sharing her experiences as a teacher who witnessed the beginning of the country’s invasion.

At the workshop, Murff showed images of the city of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, describing it as a beautiful city to walk through with the unique smell of coffee in the air. Murff painted a picture of the beauty one feels living in the city, and the horror that would soon come.

“We [teachers] heard noise that there was going to be an invasion,” Murff said. “Like the Ukrainians, we believed it would stay at the borders. We never thought we would have to actually evacuate.”

January 24 Murff and her fellow teachers received an email from the U.S. Embassy telling them they needed to evacuate immediately. Murff and her fellow teachers packed a week’s worth of clothes, their children and pets and finally evacuated February 1. The first bombs fell about a week later. 

Murff would continue to teach her students through Zoom.

Murff recounted stories she, her students and co-workers experienced as they found themselves unable to evacuate. Such stories are ones Murff feels are key to understanding the situation in Ukraine. 

“I feel that it is important to know what is happening in Ukraine as they are the front lines to defending democracy,” Murff said. “I feel that if people hear personal stories and can feel connected to what is happening, then greater care and motivation to help will increase.”​

The idea of bringing someone to discuss the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine was one that Christine Paul, program director of Continuing Education, knew would be of interest to the community.

“Our program is open to discussing all sorts of topics, and current events are always a drawing card for our community members,” Paul said. “Many of our participants, myself included, have been to Ukraine before, and have an appreciation for the culture and the people.”

For Paul, the war is one that goes beyond being a conflict in a foreign country.

“The war is an attack on democracy, and the Ukrainian people are very courageous,” Paul said. “This might unfortunately be the first step in a larger conflict and although it seems far from Houston now, all of us should take steps to support democracy wherever it is threatened.”

As Murff and Paul know, all atrocities deserve society’s attention, but they do not always achieve high levels of attention.

“We should have paid closer attention to what Russia has been doing for years,” Murff said. “Putin has gotten to this point because we have allowed him to.  There is no time like the present to stand up to him.  He is a direct threat to democracy.  He has caused direct war crimes. He is the Hitler of our time.  He is also a nuclear war threat.  If that doesn’t deserve us all to be on the edge of our seats, what does?”

The Friday Morning Continuing Education series will continue this summer, with another workshop in which Bill Powers will discuss Vladimir Putin’s determination to restore the Soviet Union. Such workshops are what Murff sees as essential to ensuring society is informed on the world around them.  

“A lot of times, current events around the world can feel abstract, something you’re not connected to,” Murff said.  “People tend to think that is “over there” and far removed from themselves.  If we want to live by the motto “Never Again” after what we experienced with the Holocaust, then we HAVE to pay attention.  It is our responsibility to know what is going on and what we should be doing as a nation or as a citizen to make a difference.”