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School District Sponsors Iraq Teach InEducators and parents in Oakland, Calif. recently persuaded their school board that students should learn what is at stake in the proposed war with Iraq. A pioneering resolution, backed by the Oakland Education Association, called for a voluntary, district-wide day of education on the issues. Although not explicitly antiwar, this decision resulted in the education of thousands of K-12 students. Dan Siegel, school board member and author of the resolution, stated, "We have enough integrity and respect for the students to provide them with the information and let them make up their own minds."
The teach-in took place on Jan. 14, coinciding with Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday and the antiwar demonstration on Jan. 18 in San Francisco. Teachers worked with scholars and activists to create more than 100 programs for K-12. Parents were also invited. The common theme was critical thinking. Activities included class presentations, assemblies, panel discussions, films, debates, lunchtime hip hop concerts, art projects and after-school meetings. Elementary school teacher Manny Lopez said, "My second graders benefited tremendously. Today was truly one of the greatest days in my teaching career." A fifth grader wrote a letter to President Bush stating, "When you go to war, you are setting a bad example for all kids in the U.S.A. Wars and fights are not right, and bombing beautiful things is not right either." DEBATING MILITARY RECRUITMENTKnowledgeable speakers led class discussions on topics ranging from the current crisis in the context of U.S. history to the effects of depleted uranium on the human body. Members of organizations like the Women of Color Resource Center and Racial Justice 9-11 worked with students to debunk stereotypes about Islam and Arab people. By the second half of that workshop students were busy brainstorming ways to stop attacks on scapegoated communities. Sessions that focused on military recruitment and service provided for some of the liveliest discussions. Students gained invaluable information by talking with medical personnel from the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, and members of the Veterans' Speakers Alliance. After a class brainstorm about the $200 billion it may cost to wage war on Iraq, one Fremont High sophomore said, "They don't care about us having good schools or jobs or enough food or money to pay the rent or feel safe in our neighborhoods, but then when they want to go to war they want to use us out there on the battlefield. I ain't going to war, man, not for these fools." Imrul Mazid, a community presenter, reflected: "The students thought critically and made all the connections themselves--racism and war, repression at home, slashed education budgets and military recruiting in schools and communities of color. These are the true leaders of our world." Jonah Zern, a teach-in organizer, captured the moment: "Amazing things happened throughout our district today. I think many of us remembered why we became teachers." Plans are already in the works for another teach-in, and individual classroom presentations are ongoing. People from all over the country have contacted the organizers about how to get their city councils, school boards and unions not only to pass antiwar resolutions, but also to take positive action to help educate their constituencies. For more information, contact mlprophet@earthlink.net. Claudia DeLarios coordinates the peer development program known as POSSE at Fremont High School in Oakland, Calif. |
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