Important+Message

November 27, 2008
Following the terrorist attacks in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the India as Global Partner trip for Virginia Education Leaders has been postponed because our hotel in Mumbai, the Taj Mahal Heritage Hotel, was one of the targets.

As a fellow democracy, India will remain our partner and we will look for opportunities to reach out. We pray for those injured and grieving and for the hearts of those so misguided and lost that they could perpetrate such acts on innocent people.

As people who have answered the call to teach, our hearts especially go out to the children. Once the injured have been cared for and the grieving have been comforted, the need to teach the children of the world will remain.

Although this will not be the learning experience that we originally anticipated, it will still be an opportunity to establish school partnerships, promote understanding, and build goodwill. We will be purposeful in our efforts to comfort and reassure Salem students, especially those from Indian families. As horrified as adults are, tragedies like these are very difficult for children to comprehend. It is important to minimize the images that they see while maximizing our efforts to listen and offer assurance.

We will reach out to the schools and Indian educators who were planning to host us and convey our support. Most importantly, we pray that God's comfort and peace will be with those in need.

I have enjoyed learning about the Indian culture and the tremendous advances that they have made in just a little over 60 years of independence. The years after the partition of India were tenuous and yet the people, both Moslem and Hindu, worked together to build a nation. I know they will overcome, grow stronger, and become more united. India is the world's largest democracy and like in our own country, freedom will prevail.