Tread lightly with lessons about war

With unprecedented news coverage of the war in Iraq on nearly every

channel and antiwar protests and pro-war rallies on numerous street

corners, schools are faced with a difficult situation. When and how

should teachers and administrators talk to students about the war?

Many elementary schools in Huntington Beach have decided that they

will not broach the subject with those young pupils.

For children that young, this is the best course of action. But,

as Harbour View Elementary School Principal Roni Ellis points out, it

is not always possible. Children have begun to play war games on the

playground, she said. And some are writing letters to a soldier on

the battlefield. While that is a positive act that shows support for

the troops, teachers at that level should tread gingerly on that

ground.

Most would agree that elementary teachers should not bring the

topic of war up with young pupils. Still, they must be aware of what

their students may already know and think and alert parents to

worrisome activity in the school yard. Teachers can also not ignore

questions and concerns brought up by young children about the war.

But teachers should appreciate that some parents may not want their

children exposed to the harsher realities of life at such a tender

age.

For elementary school children, it is a topic for parents to

handle, as they are the ones to decide what their children are

exposed to and how the subject is handled.

Once a child is in middle and high school, it is a different

matter, however.

Students are presumably reading the newspaper and watching the

news, and will most likely be bombarded with information and images

of the war. Undoubtedly, they will need to talk about it.

Older students, especially at high school and certainly college

age, should learn the history that they are living through and the

history that led to the war. They should be educated, and not just by

the media, about who the leaders involved are.

Schools in Huntington Beach seem to be on the right track and

treading carefully. We should all support our schools in this

troublesome time and be wary of what we each say in the presence of

children.