Series of interviews with
Palestinian teachers:
Educators and Conflict in Schools:
What is Argued about, What is Done
about it, and Aims for the Future
By Teresa
Mongan, for AEI-Open Windows.
Interview
with Susan Atallah
Susan has
been an English teacher for grades
10 and 11 at Terra Sancta School for
Girls/Saint Joseph, a private,
Catholic institution with Muslim and
Christian students from grades K-12
since 1996.
Aside from
handling conflicts as they arise
with the help of the principal (a
nun) and usually a social worker,
Susan has developed many creative
ways for students to express
themselves on numerous issues both
within and outside the realm of
Saint Joseph's. The English classes
that Susan teaches are certainly not
limited to learning grammar and
punctuation rules; her assignments
tend to encourage introspection and
reflection among students of their
own thoughts, the oral histories and
traditions of their families, and of
the situation here broadly. One of
these projects was funded by the
Quakers, and it involved a Diary
Book consisting of the writings of
students from the years of
2000-2004, covering the hardest
years in recent memory for the
community. These stories were made
into a play, and performed 14 times
at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to
highlight Palestinian teens' lives
under occupation, and as a result
was nominated for the Amnesty Award.
No small feat, the students also
performed this play in Bethlehem to
several local and foreign audiences,
with any profit from the production
going to the poor.
Susan also
exposes her students to the Diary
of Anne Frank, which she
describes as being confusing to
students given their situation now
with Israel. One student, while
under a 40 day intense occupation
here, had her home taken over by
Israeli soldiers. When she went up
to her room one day, a soldier
noticed she had the Diary of Anne
Frank. Surprised, he said to
her, "You should read this." She
coolly responded that she had, and
suggested to the soldier that he
read it himself.
The
economic situation as a result of
occupation also weighs on the minds
of students as it limits their
options and creates frustration. In
2002-2003, students questioned why
they should study when the risk of
being killed was so high. Female
students especially also struggle
with the family expectations of
being trained as a either a teacher
or a nurse, but Susan said this
aspect within family units is
changing for the girls and therefore
is creating new educational
opportunities and aspirations.
The kinds
of issues that students argue about
in her classes are mainly the
scheduling of exams and materials,
economic class tensions, gossiping,
bullying among younger students, and
how they have to dress in uniforms
and with braids. There are no boys,
which she believes creates a better
academic climate. She notes that
there are no religious clashes; that
differences between students exist
but are not persistent. She tends to
give the situation back to the
students, asking them to think about
how they would solve the problems
they confronted her about.
Another of
Susan's projects involves a
month-long group assignment where
five students have to create a
dramatic demonstration of various
problems affecting students:
cheating on exams, teens and
parents, internet, chatting, texting
and so on. They then act out the
problem that they have been assigned
with and come up with suggestions on
solutions that they've come up with.
In this way, Susan emphasizes
teaching independence: "You will
face problems in life and you deal
with them," she says. She doesn't
tend to interfere with student
problems unless they make an
appointment with her. If it involves
a group project issue, the entire
group must be present. In this way,
she encourages students to work it
out on their own as much as possible
before getting her involved,
especially for minor issues. In
addition to this, other schools and
teachers from the area are invited
to watch these creative plays to
encourage dialogue on these issues
and to help students 'vent out' and
discuss issues openly and in a
positive way.
Susan also
developed was a radio program which
received funding from the Catholic
Relief Society for ten episodes on
the local radio for grade 11
students. The group that was
selected for the project became
exposed to the technical aspects of
the radio station and prerecorded
their session on a range of student
social issues, including emigration,
cheating on exams and so on. Many
students from the area would listen
in to the program, and would contact
the show with questions or comments
on the topics addressed or
suggestions for other topics to be
answered in the next radio show. In
addition they would talk about fun
issues for youth such as dream
interpretation, music, and
personalities. The show became so
popular that after the project was
through, the radio hired the
students for their own show. Area
youth were given a voice and a
platform to discuss issues of
importance and relevance to them.
Susan's
approach with her students is
creative, interactive, and
challenging. Helping her students by
teaching them to help themselves is
a tool that she has found effective
in her role as a teacher. Having
lessons that not only teach English
as a language but assist students in
understanding the world around them
in a different tongue encourages
students to think critically about
their role within their society and
their goals in how they fit as a
part of it.
