From Bombs to Books

Book excerpt: As Canada welcomes tens of thousands of Syrian refugees, as well as many others finding their way in Canada, communities across the country are dealing with the challenges of welcoming and integrating them. This is a book about how schools can play a powerful and positive role in the day-to-day lives of refugee families. David Starr has served as the principal at two schools in BC where a majority of the student population comes from refugee families. While the students at Edmonds Community and Byrne Creek Community schools in Burnaby, BC, come from all over the world, many are recent arrivals from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Sudan. In this book, David Starr shares the deeply moving stories of his students, their parents and the staff at Edmonds. He describes the upheavals that many of these families have undergone. He writes about how teachers and other support workers have embraced their students and gone about making a difference in their lives. And he tells the stories of students and their views of their experiences in their countries of origin, as well as at their new schools and in their new communities. First published in 2011, this book will strike a chord today in many cities and towns across Canada. This new edition provides the perspective of five years? experience for the young people it profiles, with updates on the recent experiences of many. And David Starr offers observations on how teachers, principals, support groups and others can contribute to the process of integrating refugee families into Canadian society, and the many lessons he and his colleagues have learned from their experiences.