The air alert goes off, do I buy my cheese and bacon roll or run?
(in war-torn Ukraine)
I know right, what self-respecting PDHPE Teacher would actually buy a cheese and bacon roll? Don’t judge me …yet!!
In PDHPE our focus is on authentic connections and real life scenarios as we support young people navigate the fun and complexities of skill acquisition, self-awareness/belonging and our themes interwoven as holistic health in K-10, through to our in depth Stage 6 courses and in particular Health Movement Science and Community and Family Studies. I have been fortunate to have been a PDHPE teacher across all of our electives such as Child Studies, PASS, EEC, SLR, CAFS and the previous PDHPE Stage 6 course. Including my time HSC marking and examination committees. Our PDHPE world encompasses each student’s daily life. We are fortunate our KLA is a big part of the decisions our students make each day and that’s a great opportunity for authentic learning.
My reflection in our PDHPETA Blog draws from my 5 weeks volunteering delivering aid in Ukraine. My second time with the wonderful people of Ukraine, but in the harshest and toughest conditions in a country that has been invaded.
For PDHPE teachers, we often ask students to consider split-second decisions including their skills to investigate, analyse and plan which sounds like: Do I go along with the group? Do I speak up? What does consent sound/look like? Do I look after myself or someone else? In eastern Ukraine, that last question can be literal. You are standing in a small shop. It’s -10 degrees outside. You haven’t had electricity consistently for days. The air-raid alert siren sounds on your phone. Do you finish paying for your cheese and bacon roll? Or do you run for shelter?
During December/January 26 volunteering in Ukraine, this was not hypothetical. Alerts sounded in supermarkets, at service stations and while lining up for coffee. Life does not pause neatly for danger or because I am walking to school. Nor does danger politely wait for life to be convenient. For young people living through war, stress is not an occasional spike — it is ambient. And yet, what struck me most was not fear. It was mateship, courage, resilience, community and the deliberate choice to live well despite uncertainty.
This experience offers PDHPE teachers a powerful entry point into an inquiry approach. Rather than presenting resilience or as an outcome where we “plan, implement and critique strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing” as a poster slogan, we can invite students to examine the contextual factors that shape behaviour, wellbeing and decision-making. Why might someone ignore an alert? Why might another run immediately? How do cultural norms, past experiences, trust in authorities, social expectations and access to shelter influence that decision? Health behaviours are never isolated; they are shaped by environment, relationships, values and power structures.
An inquiry approach in PDHPE enables students to analyse and critique the health information they receive from all sources and forms of media, just look at the energy around e-bike use this year. In a conflict zone, misinformation can be deadly. Alert apps, Telegram channels, government advice, rumours — which source do you trust? Why? Students can explore how media, political interests and lived experience shape perceptions of risk. They can examine how individuals and groups have diverse interests in relation to safety and wellbeing and therefore require different strategies.
Most importantly, students begin to understand that resilience is not simply “bouncing back.” It is relational. It is cultural. It is built in a community.
When making“safe, healthy and active lifestyle choices”, I may have failed the dot point managing risk and enhancing safety strategies… I did purchase the cheese and bacon roll during an air alert to the sound of impacts (not my best thought out decision). In 2025 our school also supported Ukraine through our service-learning program fundraising for Learn and Teach UA https://vchysia.org.ua/en/ , sending books and letters to School 88 in Zaporizhia. Hope through small actions where our students made a real difference in a small school in the war zone. In 2026, we are connecting through creativity and completing a community drive to send art packs to 3rd and 4th graders. An all-inclusive pack for individual children to draw, paint and be creative. Our College, like many schools, has a focus on service, hope through action (small actions make the difference). We have been fortunate to partner with Andersen’s Coffs Harbour and we will host 5 educators from Ukraine, another unique privilege and the generosity of the local community partnering with schools.
“I did purchase the cheese and bacon roll during an air alert to the sound of impacts — not my best thought-out decision.”
Simon Doyle
I also volunteer to encourage Ukraine children to practise their English speaking on a Wednesday night zoom at 7pm for an hour in a collaborative space with Ukraine staff. There are teachers who do zoom yoga, talk about pets, and drama. It is your time that matters. If you have any time to consider going online with amazing young people as a one off or a few weeks, Classroom Without Walls https://classroomswithoutwalls.ca/ is a friendly way to become involved in a caring community impacted by war (it will fill your heart each week).
If you wish to talk about Ukraine or anything that this may have raised for you, feel free to contact me at any time, thank you for the great work that is lived everyday as a result of PDHPE in our schools: Simon Doyle sdoyle@bdc.nsw.edu.au Slava Ukraini (Heroiam slava!).
One of the strengths of PDHPE is our ability to connect learning to real-life situations. The following Stage 5 inquiry activities are designed to support students in analysing resilience, health, safety and decision-making through authentic contexts, while developing critical thinking and empathy. To access the lesson sequence and classroom resources, click the button below.
Simon Doyle has a Master of Education from Southern Cross University and has been involved in public, Catholic and independent school communities. He has extensive experience gained over the years as a PDHPE Network Coordinator for the Diocese of Lismore, a member of NESA syllabus committees, and an HSC Marker and examination committee member. These experiences provided greater depth of knowledge and, as a result, introduced Child Studies and PASS into his previous school with multiple classes resulting. This was followed by EEC, SLR and the previous Stage 6 PDHPE and CAFS. Simon has taught all PDHPE courses (except the new HMS) and was integral in creating combined Year 9-10 electives, rather than using the Stage 5 elective syllabus at his current school, Bishop Druitt College (BDC). Although as Principal now, he is amazed at the opportunity this brings as he works across KLA’s and believes in their importance in every school as they are the hub of their local community. BDC is currently implementing a distance education model and HMS is part of these successful online courses. He is a passionate advocate for authentic learning and connections to the local community and lifelong learning. He advocates for service learning for students and staff, believing it brings hope through small or individual actions and demonstrates that everyone can make a difference.
