The Students Day
The students day used to be a holiday in Iraq. Celebrating the students everywhere. Although we do not celebrate it in college. But in my 6 year old sister's school. They did. I shall post you some of their photos. You can see clearly how much work was done in order to hide the children from the face of war.
This celebration has a history. It is celebrates the founding of the National Union of Iraqi Students. Which was the Student's union representative of the Baath party.
Before the war, children in every school would have a party during the day. They would bring gifts for their teachers. Throw a party on the day. So when this day came. The students were eager to have a party, how many student will understand that they can not have fun because this holiday was founded during the days of Saddam. So the principle of the school decided that the children deserved better than excuses . I liked what she did very much. Because does it really matter if the ex-regime founded this celebration. How can you explain to a child why he can not give gifts to his teacher. How can you tell him that it is not his fault, but he can not celebrate today although they know very much that this day is a party day. In other schools, a few children took some gifts and gave them to their teachers. The teacher refused to take it. What would that child feels when the teacher rejects his gift. I don't think that he will understand that the teacher doesn't hate him. My 9 year old niece which goes to another school than my sister, came home devastated when her teacher rejected her gift. Of course after that the child was afraid to go to another teacher and give her a gift because she thought that no one likes her.
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posted by Hassan | 6:28 PM
8 Comments:
Those kids are very cute... thanks for posting those pictures!
I agree with you, it sounds like an admirable gesture on the part of the principal. People need to realize that not everything that was done under Saddam's administration was bad, and that some traditions are worth continuing.
Requires national leadership... The Prime Minister should have re-designated it "Education Day" in honor of both students and teachers. He should have said that only with education can Iraq emerge as the strongest, most fair, most honest, most humane, most prosperous middle easter country.
Dear Melantrys,
Yes, rejecting the kid's gift is something I did consider to be pure un-professional for a teacher of children. Maybe older kids may understand but a nine year old kid wouldn't. She should have taken the gift regardless.
Dear MC,
Exactly my point. Maybe Saddam was someone very hated by Iraqis, but not all he did was bad. He did surly some good things. Probably this was one of them. It is a tradition that has been going on for decades. Does whoever started it matter to future generations, I don't think so.
Libby,
Well, the reason some teachers don't support the student's day. Is the fact that the former Baath party started it. It is a thought in Iraq, that since Al-Baath party is gone now, everything they did should vanish. Regardless of the fact whether it is good or bad.
Anon,
You speak my mind. Right now, most than 90% of Iraqis can barely write their names in English. A lot less are the people who speak it and read it. With the fact that most of the world's information is in English today, you can see how narrow visioned most of the Iraqis are right now. We can only rely on the educated few to lead the others.
I'm glad to read your post. I knew nothing of Students Day; I guess it doesn't merit any mention next to the media's non-commentary of the war. I am sorry for those children who had their gifts rejected. I worked as a schoolteacher in Chicago for 8 years, and I understand how important it is to make children feel loved and important, no matter what is going on in the outside world.
great pics
There is no reason that Students Day could not be *officially* reinstated as a holiday by the new Iraqi government that will be voted into office this month.
They would only need to pass a law that declares Student's Day a recognized holiday to celebrate, for example, "the free and unfettered right of all Iraqis to research, inquire, and write on all subjects."
That would be a pretty cool holiday, actually. Iraqis should start a petition for the Iraqi legislators to pass such a law.
Students Day (or just "Education Day") is a great idea for a national holiday. I wish we had one in the US. Education truly is what seperates nations from each other. I agree with others that the new government should have just taken the holiday and made it their own. It doesn't have to retain the Baathist stigma - after all the Iraqi flag with the words "God is Great" written on it came from Saddam but they just changed the font of the words and today almost all Iraqis rally around it - even those who hate Saddam.
Thanks for the pictures. Good to see kids enjoying themselves, even if just for a little while.
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