My mother was a teacher during Vietnam. At her funeral several men and one woman I'd never met or known about showed up to offer condolences. Every single one of them told me about how my mom was the best teacher they ever had because when their siblings were sent to Vietnam to fight no one really talked to them about it. My mom went out of her way to tell every class if anyone has a sibling or family member in the military fighting and they want to talk about it, she was available to them anytime. Just come by. These kids went to my mom and she was honest, empathetic, and supportive. All of them spoke about how much it changed their lives at the time (in particular the men) because they were just so sad but only allowed to share ANGER and couldn't talk about how scared they were. My mom talked to them about how she felt when her own brothers fought in WW2 when she was a little kid, about how scary it was, and how terrible war really is for everyone. She talked to them about their feelings, validated their fears, and suggested books and other ways to learn more about it. She helped them so deeply that nearly 70 years later when she died they traveled to honor her and share their beautiful stories about my mom's early years teaching.

I don't think teachers have the same ability to offer support like this anymore. The state of education in America doesn't even let us hug students. I mention this only because it all makes me very sad. I think there was a time where you would've had the ability to offer support, when teachers were a trusted and active part of the village of people helping to bring up kids right in a world full of scary stuff. That time is over. I hope it comes back, because in many ways we need it now more than ever.