You feel confident about the future of Humanity when you teach TCKs. It's Social Studies class and a student voices his bewilderment:
"Ms. Luciana, my father told me that Syrians are fighting against Syrians. I can't understand it. How come?"
Five pairs of eyes stare at me. No one blinks.
"Well, you remember what happened here some years ago, how the people didn't like the president and went to the streets to ask him to leave?"
They all remember very well. They all lived through it - the hard times, the celebrations for living up a dream.
"People of Syria wanted the same there. They didn't like the president and wanted them to leave. But here the president left the presidency, while there the presidents refuses to give up his power. So people are fighting".
"My grandmother says this is not true!" replies the Syrian student."We can't believe in all the television says, because they are telling lies!"
"Maybe you can tell us what is happening there?"
"Well, it's true many people didn't like the president and many people want him to leave, but there are also people who like him." Her voices raises: My grandmother likes him. We love our president. We want him to stay!"
"Really?" I felt like hearing the the best historical gossip of the year. "So your family is supportive of president Assad?"
"Yes, we all love him!"
I try to connect the rapturous expression of affection of an 9 years old for a president she never lived under his rule with the broader subject of our course:
"You see now why Syrians are fighting with Syrians? There people who want the president out. There others who like him, like her family. So now they are fighting against each other."
"And now they have a war!"
"Yes, when people of a country fight against their fellow people, we call it Civil War." That has also happened in the United States when..."
I feel safe, back to the course content and to the bookish History.
Poor Syrian student. Most relatives there and either side they support they face the truculence we know but little about. The teacher learnt two lessons:
- the punks are right: never trust in the press;
- always listen first to the ones involved in the affairs you're talking about.
"Ms. Luciana, my father told me that Syrians are fighting against Syrians. I can't understand it. How come?"
Five pairs of eyes stare at me. No one blinks.
"Well, you remember what happened here some years ago, how the people didn't like the president and went to the streets to ask him to leave?"
They all remember very well. They all lived through it - the hard times, the celebrations for living up a dream.
"People of Syria wanted the same there. They didn't like the president and wanted them to leave. But here the president left the presidency, while there the presidents refuses to give up his power. So people are fighting".
"My grandmother says this is not true!" replies the Syrian student."We can't believe in all the television says, because they are telling lies!"
"Maybe you can tell us what is happening there?"
"Well, it's true many people didn't like the president and many people want him to leave, but there are also people who like him." Her voices raises: My grandmother likes him. We love our president. We want him to stay!"
"Really?" I felt like hearing the the best historical gossip of the year. "So your family is supportive of president Assad?"
"Yes, we all love him!"
I try to connect the rapturous expression of affection of an 9 years old for a president she never lived under his rule with the broader subject of our course:
"You see now why Syrians are fighting with Syrians? There people who want the president out. There others who like him, like her family. So now they are fighting against each other."
"And now they have a war!"
"Yes, when people of a country fight against their fellow people, we call it Civil War." That has also happened in the United States when..."
I feel safe, back to the course content and to the bookish History.
Poor Syrian student. Most relatives there and either side they support they face the truculence we know but little about. The teacher learnt two lessons:
- the punks are right: never trust in the press;
- always listen first to the ones involved in the affairs you're talking about.
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