Special Bond Between Students at Estes Elementary Gives Us Hope

I'm not crying, you're crying! Christine Lancaster is a teacher at Estes Elementary and took to social media to share a special moment between her students. When a child comes to America from another country, there's so much to navigate. Sometimes they just need a hand to hold along the way.

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For any child starting at a new school, it's easy to become stressed, anxious and scared. When it's a child from another country, the situation can be overwhelming. That's why we need more teachers like Christine Lancaster and students like the ones at Estes Elementary School. It warmed my heart when I saw her post this morning about children coming together to help a special young boy from Africa.

Anyway...in their culture, it is a sign of friendship to hold hands. There is absolutely no romantic meaning or agenda behind it. My students have noticed that our other two students from Africa frequently hold hands during dismissal so they are not separated from each other. (Precious, heart melt, and all the other things) On our way out to the playground yesterday, one student walks over and says “We are going to the playground. It’s outside.” and then extended his hand. My new friend took it instantly and smiled so big.

I totally teared up walking down the hall. HATE is not something children know or are born with, it is something they are taught. LOVE, KINDNESS, ACCEPTANCE, and UNDERSTANDING are all things that can be and should be taught too.

I’m so proud of my school and my school community and the way we welcome refugee students and their families to our school. With open arms, love in our hearts, and acceptance."

I would like to give major props to this extraordinary teacher, precious students, and to the students' parents that obviously raised them right. With so much division in the universe right now, it's nice to see that there's still hope. Hope for our children and hope for their future!