[etni] Fw: moral issues
- From: "Ask Etni" <ask@xxxxxxxx>
- To: "Etni" <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 10 Feb 2010 11:04:18 +0200
moral issues
----- Original Message -----
From: Sharon Tzur - sharontzu5@xxxxxxx 10:56
Subject: moral issues
I think that we are being faced with some impossible moral dilemmas.
I think it is totally unfair to penalize students whose teachers are on
sanctions. I've already posted my opinion about this. It isn't just unfair,
it's immoral.
I personally will not be party to this decision. How can I be called upon to
do something which I consider morally repugnant? I think the situation
justifies civil disobedience.
I have not yet been confronted with students who did not come in to the oral
bagrut with a project. (Undoubtedly, in many cases, teachers are having
students do projects on their own). I think I will ask in advance if
students have projects or not. If they don't, I don't know what I'll do.
Perhaps simply refuse to test.
I think we should ALL write in to the ministry of education - in Hebrew -
protesting the policy which is putting us into an impossible position.
Students who do not have projects because their teachers are on sanctions
should be given an alternative. There is no precedent in this country for
penalizing a student 12 points on a bagrut subject because of union
sanctions.
As to Nina's posting - I don't think she is teaching students to lie - she
is - like all of us - being put into an impossible position and she is
acting to ensure that the students she tests are not punished for something
which isn't their fault. Giving students a zero, lowering their bagrut
grade by 12 points - isn't that also a lie? If a student can speak English
fluently and we rate their speaking as "100", is giving them a score of "40"
for speaking an HONEST assessment? NO!!! It's just a vindictive policy -
punishing teachers who dare to go on sanctions - not directly, but by
punishing their students. If the ministry wants to fight our sanctions, if
the ministry thinks that teachers on sanctions are derelict in their duties
as teachers, let them penalize us on our paychecks (if they dare) - not
penalize our students.
As for issues of morality. Just how moral is it when some teachers carry out
unpopular strikes and sanctions while others do not, and then when the
strike or sanctions pay off, those who did not strike or carry out sanctions
reap the benefits. How many teachers who currently are criticizing the
sanctions will refuse to accept pay for projects when an agreement is
finally reached? (I can't really hold Histadrut teachers to blame - their
union has not called on them to carry out this sanction, but then again, if
they believe we should be paid for projects, they could leave the union
which is not fighting for that right and join the union which is.)
As for teaching students to lie - I hate to be cynical, but I'm convinced
that there are masses of students in this country who are not really reading
the books which they do their book tasks on. There are some students who
actually read five books - native speakers, and some of our 4 and 5
pointers. But many students do not read all the books they claim to have
read, (at least not in English) and yet we blithely go on, year after year,
letting them get away with the lie that they have read 5 entire books in
English. (There is really no way for us to know whether a student has read a
book in English or in Hebrew, or not at all.) If we want to teach our
students to be honest, this is an issue which should be dealt with. For
years I have felt a sense of shame at being a part of this sham.
Yours,
Sharon Tzur
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