“Teachers Silent as Students Flood Them with Questions About the Terrorist Attacks.” That was a headline in a local newspaper following last month’s attack in Jeddah.
After the incident in which security forces killed a number of terrorists inside a residential building, the students came to class, confused but not knowing the implications of what had happened. They were in need of someone to explain the situation to them and put them in the picture. Instead, said the paper, some school principals, in both boys’ and girls’ schools, asked their staff not to discuss the incident with their students. The principals justified their behavior by saying that the brutality and unpleasantness might reflect negatively on the students and leave them psychologically scarred.
One expert was quoted as saying it was better if students’ attention was drawn away from such incidents and the students spared the trouble of having to analyze, understand and come to terms with what happened. The fear was that such incidents would occupy their minds and distract them from their studies. One woman teacher said she simply refused to answer her students’ questions.
Now does this kind of behavior on the part of teachers represent a sound educational approach? Are we facing a new trend that seeks to separate school from society?
These questions puzzle me for the simple reason that if teachers fail to respond to students’ questions, who will? Students will assuredly get answers from somewhere. Wouldn’t it be better if they got them from teachers? Some who will answer the questions may very well be the ones who sympathize with the terrorists and their aims. I was appalled by such behavior from teachers who should serve as models for their students, explaining situations in ways that students can understand. Surely that is the job of anyone worthy of the name of teacher.
