[etni] fw: business as usual?

From: Lesley Isacowitz <lesleyisa@xxxxxxxxx>

Dear friends and colleagues
 
 As one of those who live up North, in the Upper Galilee, I would 
like to make a few observations. During the war, I opened my 
ETNI mail and was astounded to see the regular discussions 
about what literature to teach, NBA, benchmarks etc. etc. 
I have to admit that I have not read all of the ETNI digests 
over the summer, but those I did read threw me with their
atmosphere of "business as usual". 
 
 Barry has the amazing gift of being able to relate to all of it with 
his usual humor, but from what I can gather in conversations with 
friends, colleagues and acquaintances, there is a general feeling of 
depression, confusion, lack of focus, difficulty in getting back into
"normal" life. If the adults are feeling this way, one can be absolutely 
certain that the kids are too. The newspaper reported (if I'm not mistaken) 
16,000 children in the North suffering from varying degrees of post-traumatic 
stress. 
 
 I do not agree with Daniel at all. It is irrelevant WHAT subject we teach. 
We have to find the way to allow our students to express whatever it is 
that they need to express. Personally, I would be grateful for some serious 
professional input (which I assume we will be getting) as to how to handle 
the first week or two of school. Having very recently attended the funerals of 
two ex-students, and seeing so many of my present and ex-pupils broken 
with grief, has put a very different perspective on everything.
 
 Les Isacowitz
Emek Hahula Regional High School
Kfrar Blum

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