[etni] today at the beach
- From: "Simma Hendrickson" <simmah@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 2 Nov 2007 01:29:04 +0200
Today I participated in the demonstration at Hof Yerushaliem in TLV. It was
great to see so many teachers together, wearing Irgun shirts and brandishing
signs regarding the difficulties in today's education system.
There were teachers everywhere! All along the beach, in the water, on the
sidewalk, all discussing the latest developments and singing protest chants
against the government's current policy. There were university students
present as well; wearing green shirts stating that inequalities in education
promote social injustice. Even the lifeguards put their two cents in.
Ran Erez, and say what you will about him, spoke beautifully. It is clear by
his speech that he does not intend to give in to the demands to force us
back to work. I signed a letter of resignation. I find it hard to believe
that the court order will pass Bagatz, and if it does, I find it even harder
to believe that I would even want to continue working in a system that
treats education and educators in this manner, so I will probably quit
anyway.
On my way back to the Dead Sea, on public transportation, I was still
wearing my Irgun shirt. The amount of support I heard and received from
people on the street was amazing! And, to promote the cause, I spoke and
elaborated, to all who were willing to spend a few minutes chatting. It was
worth it.
So wear your shirts people! No matter how bad the light in which the press
is trying to present us, no matter how hard the government tries to make us
into money grubbing hounds, the people whose children we teach know their
kids deserve better. I found that talking to whoever was willing to discuss
the strike, in favor or against (only one of those), helped clarify the
situation even more.
Simma Hendrickson
--
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it's time to pause
and reflect." Mark Twain
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