[etni] Fw: Open letter of protest over lack of hakalot for Sederot/ Eshkol's pupils

From: "Ask Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 2010 07:34:57 +0200
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Esther Revivo - estherrv@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Open letter of protest over lack of hakalot for Sederot/ Eshkol's 
pupils


Dear Friends and Colleagues:

Hello! For the winter bagrut our pupils from Sederot and the Eshkol area 
have not been given any "hakalot" for the exams- no time extension; no 
milonit; etc.

Thursday night at roughly 7 p.m. a grad missile landed in Netivot making a 
tremendous noise. Now I, thankfully, have witnessed only about 20-30 rocket 
attacks since Chamas began to rocket the western Negev 7-8  years ago. 
Despite this fact, I had difficulty falling asleep that night and my 
youngest child aged- 19- said we should go away for Shabbat claiming she 
felt nauseas and feared more rockets landing . (There were rockets heard 
several times Lail Shabbat as well.)

I have written the above personal details for one reason alone: If my 
daughter, who suffered the trauma of a mere trickle of attacks was so 
affected a single grad, what goes through the minds and souls of all the 
youngsters in the Sderot / Eshkol area with each "color red" siren? ALL of 
these youngsters suffer from post stress syndrome. Why should the fact that 
there has been a mere trickling of rockets in recent months deprive them of 
hakalot? Each rocket ignites the fear ingrained from YEARS of stress--  
running for shelter; witnessing rockets falling; visiting the damaged homes 
of neighbors;  or worse-recollections of the death or maiming of someone 
they know! (Our school lost a beloved pupil, Ella Abukasis several years 
ago.)

In my humble opinion, the MOE should receive input from qualified 
psychologists and psychiatrists before deciding whether to deprive our 
pupils of these special hakalot. I see for myself that despite a relatively 
quiet year, my 10th graders (half of whom are Sederot residents) still show 
many signs of stress and inability to concentrate well on a daily basis.
I have absolutely no doubt that especially on exams where there is a great 
deal of material to review, many if not all of these pupils are at a 
disadvantage due to the emotional scars of these years of rocketing 
irregardless of a particular period of relative quiet! (Note: I have often 
heard from my pupils about rocket attacks that have NOT been mentioned in 
the media. Perhaps unless chalila someone is injured, such rocketing is not 
considered newsworthy!) Many of my pupils from the affected area "freeze up" 
from tension at the slightest thing, so I believe that special 
considerations are in order for each and every topic tested by a bagrut 
exam. (NO, not pupils from Netivot, YES for those from the Sederot and 
Eshkol areas who are still having rockets trickle down on a regular basis.)

I am cognizant of the fact that it may be to late to change the decision 
regarding hakalot for the winter bagrut, yet I urge the MOE to investigate 
the option of doing so. As in other areas of life, only one who himself 
"goes through" an experience  can truly comprehend the difficulty involved. 
I am troubled by the fact that other teachers in the Eshkol/ Sederot area 
have not voiced similar opinions to mine on ETNI regarding this issue! If we 
EFL keep quiet, how can we criticize the MOE for failing to take the utmost 
precautions for ensuring our pupils get the consideration they so definitely 
deserve?

Sincerely,
Esther Revivo
Ulpanat Tzvia Sedot Negev


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[etni] Fw: Open letter of protest over lack of hakalot for Sederot/ Eshkol's pupils

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