The following article is taken from a roundtable discussion that took place at AMIT Wasserman Junior and Senior High School. In attendance were principals from AMIT schools in Beersheva along with AMIT President Debbie Isaac and Dr. Amnon Eldar, Director General of the AMIT Network.
Beersheva, Israel, September 1, 2014/6 Elul 5774 – The war Israel fought against Hamas this summer began during summer vacation, but that didn’t stop AMIT’s dedicated educators, who were themselves living under rocket attack, from reaching out to their frightened students stuck in bomb shelters.
“There were massive attacks, non-stop air-raid sirens, explosions, missiles and rockets exploding over houses and between the buildings,” said Asaf Cohen, principal of AMIT Comprehensive School in Kiryat Malachi, whose vacationing staff quickly mobilized to provide emotional and tactical assistance to traumatized students and their families.
“From previous situations, we already knew there were some students who required immediate help through the city’s mental health center, through the school and our counselors.” Teachers also reached out through phone calls and social media.
By the middle of the war, Cohen said during the discussion, it was clear what the children needed most was some respite from the rockets, so the school organized a trip to Jerusalem, first to a park and then to the Western Wall, and finally to a bowling alley.
The outing, which the AMIT Network sponsored, “helped the kids connect with the teachers and each other. Meeting face to- face is meaningful,” Cohen said.
“Our connection with the students was very intense,” seconded Orly Oshri, principal of the AMIT Netiv Am Elementary School. “There were constant phone calls between the teachers and the students, and there was even studying through the vacation through What’s App. We sent out questions and they sent back the answers. The parents could call me whenever they wanted, even at 10 p.m.”
Although the vast majority of schools in the south canceled staff meetings during the war, Sharona Maimon, principal of the AMIT Rambam Elementary school in Beersheva, encouraged her teachers, who were themselves coping with the war, to come in for a meeting.
“I said, ‘Let’s do it anyway,’ and it turned out to be an excellent idea,” Maimon explained because it provided the teachers with an outlet to share what was going on in their lives.
“There was one teacher whose children were right in the thick of the fighting in Gaza. One had a son in the Golani brigade. One had three children who were called up. Each one spoke up and everyone listened. This feeling that they were being listened to was very special.”
Tzipi Harpenes, principal of the AMIT Elaine Silver Technological High School, whose students are from mostly disadvantaged homes, said her teachers also had a strong desire to help their students while dealing with their own stressors.
“In my own case, my entire family lives within 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Gaza border, and I have six children, including one with PTSD from the last round of fighting. We spent the war in the bomb shelter under the blankets.”
But that didn’t prevent Harpenes and her staff from reaching out to their students.
“Our students are youths at risk, and the teachers who were able to visit the students – some of them in foster care – in their homes once a week.” Thanks to these on-site visits, the teachers realized their students couldn’t leave their homes, even for a fun outing, because they were caring for their younger siblings.
“Beginning the third week of the war, every time we took the kids out we also took the younger siblings,” Harpenes said. “If we went to a movie or the zoo we brought the younger siblings with us.”
Perhaps because they themselves were feeling so cared for by the school, the students felt a desire to help soldiers serving in Gaza.
“We discovered that there was a unit of 300 to 400 religious soldiers who wanted a higher level of kashrut” than the other soldiers, Harpenes recalled, and the students cooked and delivered kosher meals to them
The principals say the cease-fire of late August ended the fighting – at least for a while – but left a series of emotional and logistical problems in its wake.
Many older students were unable to take the matriculation exams they’d spent a year studying for, and many of those who took the exams found it impossible to concentrate, even when they took them again. And most of the students, from the youngest to the oldest, were relieved but also afraid to go to school, fearful an air raid siren would sound on the way, or that they wouldn’t be able to reach the shelter at school in time.
Like all Israeli schools, AMIT’s school year started with a rocket drill to familiarize children with the schools’ shelters. The drill reassured many children but left others feeling vulnerable.
“There is a lack of confidence, especially in the younger children,” Cohen of AMIT Comprehensive related. “The older kids pretend they aren’t bothered, but we know better. Then there are the seventh graders, who are in new schools this year. Normally we would invite them to the school for a few days beforehand, to get to know the teachers, but Home Front command forbade us. In the end, the kids came in for an hour.”
Some students have had a harder time adjusting to a school than others. Much depends on their wartime experiences. Two of Harpenes’ students were injured by a rocket that landed on their home. Only one was able to start the school year on time.
“The other was too afraid to leave the house, so a teacher goes to him. He came home wrapped in a bandage,” she said.
All the principals said the war forced them to start school differently this year. Realizing many of the children and teachers had been literally cooped up all summer; they scheduled many more physical activities, performances, and local outings during the first weeks of school. They also encouraged the children to identify something positive about the summer and the IDF’s mission to protect them
Several of the educators said they would love to treat their students on a full-day trip now that it is finally safe to travel.
“In response Amnon Eldar, Director General of the AMIT Network personally assured the principals that funding from AMIT would be forthcoming.
“Take that money and use it to go out, plan a day, and go. Tell us what you need to organize and AMIT will arrange it for you. We are here for you,” Eldar said.
The educators said the focus now is on reducing trauma and fostering resilience.
“I think our role has changed somewhat during this period,” said Haim Maor, principal of the Afikim B’Negev Elementary School. Our task is to be much more patient and to project optimism. Some students and teachers passed this period in relatively good shape while others’ experiences were extremely difficult. Someone needs to support these teachers as they support their students.”
Maor said the war was a reminder of the strength of AMIT’s students, both past and present.
“Perhaps we sometimes don’t view our youths in as positive a light as we should. Perhaps we sometimes focus more on their difficulties than their strengths. The youth of today, who adults malign, fought in Gaza, for us. That was a very strong educational message for all of us.”
