The teacher's task: Handling queries on war<\/p>\n
Simon Marcus Gower, Director of Research and Development,
\nHarapan Bangsa School, Tangerang, Banten<\/p>\n
\"Who will win this war?\" was the rather innocent and even
\nchild-like question asked in an Indonesian classroom in the early
\ndays of the war in Iraq. This was an innocent and child-like
\nquestion perhaps but an enormous question nonetheless and one
\nthat is very difficult to find an appropriate answer for. There
\nwas some fear in the voice of the questioner and a considerable
\namount of uncertainty and worry. So what kind of answer could
\nalleviate such fear and worry? No honest answer could really put
\naside such discomfort.<\/p>\n
The answer that came was honest but filled with much regret.
\nIt spoke of \"nobody winning this or any other war really, there
\nare too many losers in war.\" But the addition was made that
\n\"America is the world's only superpower, with a massive military
\nmight behind it, and so if one side was likely to overcome the
\nother it was most likely to be America and its allies overcoming
\nthe Iraqis.\"<\/p>\n
But this additional note about America's strength only seems
\nto add to fears. Perhaps equally dangerously it may add to
\nmisperceptions and even allow for harmful stereotypes to be
\nimplanted and nurtured. There can be no denying that America is a
\nsuperpower but the perception of America as a nation impinges
\nupon the perception of American people and indeed Westerners
\ngenerally here in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The current negative perceptions regarding the actions of the
\nUnited States and indeed Britain over Iraq are liable to spill
\nover to create prejudices regarding Westerners here. It is
\nregrettable that the U.S. is viewed as a dominant and dominating
\npower that is conducting foreign policy with near disregard for
\nworld organizations such as the United Nations and international
\nopinion generally. But such character traits should not
\nerroneously be applied to all Americans and Westerners.<\/p>\n
Schools and educators have a duty of care not to extend and
\ndeepen prejudices and stereotypes. Educators need to be centrally
\nand critically involved in opening up students' minds to the
\nbroader picture so as to allow the students to have the highest
\npossible degree of access to truth and reality.<\/p>\n
Educators must be careful not to distort or prejudice
\nthe reality that is presented to students such that they are
\nmaking the students narrow-minded and naive as opposed to broad-
\nminded and worldly-wise.<\/p>\n
Schools and educators should not leave themselves prone to
\naccusations of naivete, bias or even fundamentalism. But it is
\nrelatively easy for schools and educators to slip into biased and
\nprejudiced thinking.<\/p>\n
For example an expatriate teacher in an Indonesian school was
\nquite surprised and even shocked to be asked by a group of
\nstudents \"Is it true that people in your country don't believe in
\nGod?\" As a believer and committed religious person such a
\nquestion was disturbing. When the students were asked what made
\nthem ask such a question the response was equally disturbing
\nbecause, apparently, these students' religion teacher had told
\nthem that most people in the West do not believe in God.<\/p>\n
The perception of the West as a capitalist and deeply
\nmaterialistic place should not be sweepingly applied. Perceptions
\nnow abound of the West being held in the grip of materialism and
\nspiritual values being sidelined.<\/p>\n
However, many people in the West are not committed capitalists
\nand recognize the need for deeper spiritualism as opposed to
\nshallow materialism. Likewise many people in the West are
\nopposed, even deeply opposed to the war in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Educators could and probably should be amongst the most active
\nof players in broadening young peoples' minds and giving them the
\nopportunity to gather all the relevant information and so come to
\ntheir own considered and intelligent opinion and assessment of
\nthe situation. In a sense, then, educators need to play a
\nsomewhat ambivalent role. Sitting on the fence and offering as
\nimpartial guidance as possible.<\/p>\n
There is, however, another sense in which educators probably
\ncannot really be ambivalent and\/ or neutral. This is when
\nconsideration turns to the notion of the use of violence as a
\nform of dispute resolution. It is surely a primary duty of
\neducators to show and tell of how peaceful resolution is the best
\npossible way forward.<\/p>\n
The educator that violently hits his students in order to get
\nthem to conform or behave to his liking can surely not lay any
\nclaim to teaching of peaceful dispute resolution.<\/p>\n
But this too presents problems of impartiality in the context
\nof the war in Iraq. Some, even many would condone this war as an
\naction to rid the world of an evil dictatorship and so claim that
\nit is a just war.<\/p>\n
An educator that defends this war as being just would seem to
\nbe advocating war as an acceptable means of solving problems.
\nThere is clearly a confusion of potentially contradictory
\npositions here that could leave educators looking indecisive and
\nlacking in leadership and real guidance to the students.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, then, all that is left to educators is a position of
\nneutrality that will not prejudice or bias the thinking of their
\nstudents. Out of a sense of humanity and the intrinsic message
\nand aim of building and growth for the betterment of the human
\ncondition that educators must surely have, they must be opposed
\nto violence and war. That opposition, though, should be provided
\nin a model of objectivity and intelligent thought as opposed to
\nsubjective and emotive feelings.<\/p>\n
Some schools have posted signs or notices with simple messages
\nsuch as \"Keep peace on earth. End all wars.\" This seems to
\nrepresent an appropriate thoughtfulness and a quite quiet form of
\noffering guidance. This is probably the limit of what educators
\ncan do when facing the question of war.<\/p>\n
If there is a more opinionated and zealous response to war
\nthen there is the risk that educators are no longer educating but
\nare in fact being provocative and becoming participants in the
\nconflict. Education must surely seek to resolve disputes rather
\nthan provoke them.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-teachers-task-handling-queries-on-war-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}