I have the right to live

I write this article while the war on Gaza continues, the killing continues, and the injustice continues…

I write this article and a new war started in Lebanon.

I write this article knowing well what it means to lose a student, to have your school destroyed, to lose the sense of safety.

I write knowing well what it means to feel shock, pain, despair, fear, and confusion.

I write knowing well what it means to hold on to hope and to dream of a better tomorrow.

The first day back at school after the war—what do you do? Where do you start? Do you return to the lessons in the textbook? Do you resume math exercises, history lessons, geography, or do you start somewhere else?

Our students have suffered greatly. They may have lost a home or a friend. Some have lost a part of their body. They have witnessed the destruction of their country. They became acquainted with death too early.

Our students have many questions.

I share with you some ideas to help students express their emotions after a war or after any trauma. These are simple, easy exercises that can be used for healing and expressing all feelings. Teachers should first do them with their colleagues, and then implement them in the classroom.

Exercise 1: Alphabet Letters

Each alphabet letter is written on paper and distributed to the students. The student writes a word that starts with that letter. All the words written must be related to the topic of war. For example, f: fear, d: destruction…

We repeat this exercise and write words related to living in peace.

Exercise 2: Questions and Answers

Questions are written on large sheets of paper and hung around the classroom. The students walk around and answer these questions.

1. How did you feel during the war?
2. What did you do during the war?
3. What does the word “weapon” mean to you?
4. What does the word “war” mean to you?
5. How did you react to this war?

We repeat this exercise with questions related to peace.

Exercise 3: During the War

Each student is asked to write a short paragraph. They must write the phrase “During the war…” in each sentence. They can place the phrase at the beginning, middle, or end of the sentence.

We repeat the exercise using the phrase: “I live in peace…”

Exercise 4: If I Were

The student completes the following sentences:

1. If I were a political leader, I would…
2. If I had a magic wand, I would…

Exercise 5: Peace

1. What color is peace?
2. What animal represents peace for you?
3. What does peace sound like?

Exercise 6: Interviews

The student conducts interviews about peace:

1. What does peace mean to you?
2. Describe an experience where you felt peace: Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with?

These are some activities we can do as a learning community:

1. Write articles for a special edition of the school magazine to document what happened.
2. Participate in peaceful marches with families.
3. Organize an art exhibition about living in peace.
4. Design artistic murals in the school to express the concepts of war and peace.

I don’t know who will hear our voices and extend a hand to help. Who will protect the children of tomorrow from the wars of tomorrow? Only schools can help build generations that hold on to their rights, defend them, and resist to secure them. Let us, as teachers, think about how to address these difficult topics in our classrooms and with our students.