Always remember Israeli classrooms are indeed different from those abroad. As a result, many teachers face special challenges - but that's the topic for another article.
Consider the following situation: There was just an attack on Israelis, reminding worried parents that they are sending their loved ones into a continuing war zone. Everything will probably be OK, but still....
During times of stress, the possibility of dying weighs heavily on parents, children, and teachers alike.
Some parents deal with this problem in a way that flies in the face of everything a teacher would require in order to maintain her sanity. Those parents feel that they are raising children to go into the army - and possibly to die for their country.
Worse - since the "front" might be their own back yard, and since the child or parent could die at any time by a bomb in any location or time, they develop a unique, reverse-fatalistic philosophy: "Look, I�m about to say good bye to my child. Shall I leave him with pleasant final memories, or shall we fight about a nasty word he said, for not eating his breakfast, or for hitting his sister?
These activities would not unacceptable under other conditions. However, the stress causes some parents to develop excuses for avoiding a scene or showdown with their children.
This is repeated enough so that the child grows up undisciplined. He then arrives in school and repeats the behavior in the classroom.
True, some children instinctively develop ways of resolving this parental neglect. However, no parent should depend on this happening.
to pillage
before
you burn
- Source unknown
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