Fortune

"Upon a rock on the seashore he standeth firm, and the dashing of the waves disturbeth him not. He raised his head like a tower on a hill, and the arrows of fortune dropped at his feet. In the instant of danger, the courage of his heart sustained him; and the steadiness of his mind beared him out"

Akhenaton (King of Egypt, 14th Century).

I was approached during last week by a colleague in request of a favour. The deed had nothing to do with our everyday lives here at work; yet it had everything to do with it. Upon reading the email that had been sent to me, I paused for only a short moment, before closing the document and continued with whatever it was I was doing. It wasn't until some hours later, when I realised I was still thinking about this email I had received earlier in the day, that I restarted my computer and once again read through the request.

My students have just completed a long and arduous unit of work about conflict resolution, during which we discussed the various wars and conflicts throughout history, as well as some other types of conflict, like environmental, personal and social issues. At times the content was tricky, such as talking about the atrocities of war and the impact on children and the lasting effects it can have well after the event (see radiation and poisoning in post 1945 Japan, for instance). Some of the information was quite confronting so for me as an educator, there was a need to be in a position to guide and support my students through the variety of learning processes in a way that was gentle and supportive, but so that it still gave them a truthful and honest understanding. There were additional sensitivities to be concerned with in this topic, given the delicate part of the world we are in over here, especially when the students began discussing the ongoing Israeli conflict. Overall the learning that took place and the understanding and empathy the students gained from this unit of study was amazing, and I took a great deal of pride in both the work and effort they put in, as well as (just quietly) my own.

As successful as it was, the level of understanding and empathy my students gained was incomparable to what they could take away from the contents of my received email.....

I became aware that our school works with an organised charity, who in turn take care of and support children from various parts of the Middle East. These children from underpriviledged backgrounds are financially assisted by these organisations. They come to Dubai for a variety of reasons, such as to receive medical treatment. The email I had received was asking for volunteers to have these children hosted in our classrooms on an ongoing basis. Upon reading the email for the umpteenth time, I decided it would be a good idea for my students to learn about just how underpriviledged these children really were.

In replying to my request in the affirmative some hours later, I got to thinking about how I should approach explaining this decision to my students. I was at first concerned about how mature and responsible the young people in my care would be. Could they handle a visitor? Would I get any work done? Would the students themselves get any work done? Was it all too hard? In the end I gave the class the 'benefit of the doubt', and, through rose coloured glasses perhaps, imagined a perfect world where each student took on the extra responsibility of having a visitor come in. This was regardless of whether or not our young visitor could speak a word of English. This was regardless of whether or not he was from Gaza, one of the most volatile and violent parts of the world. This was regardless of whether or not he had lost parts of his body through the bloody atrocities of war. Indeed, our visitor had only one arm - yet another victim of a hostile conflict that continue to consume us.

So it was then that my students stepped up to the plate. They showed a level of maturity beyond their years. They were responsible and looked out for the welfare of a young boy from so near to us geographically, yet so far away from us in just about every other way. It was conflict resolution being lived out in real life. It was the coming together of cultures, backgrounds, religions and points of view. It was everybody in the classroom from so many different parts of the planet helping out and looking after this new kid, not for reward or praise, but just because it was the right thing to do. An instant celebrity, he was subjected to all sorts of star-studded treatment, being asked to play along in every game, to be a part of every group.

Our visitor was here in Dubai visiting hospitals mostly, but on this day he was visiting our school. visiting our classroom. Visiting our students. Perhaps feeling 'happy'. Hopefully feeling 'normal'. As he worked and participated side by side with my students, I couldn't help but think of the old saying that 'fortune favours the brave'.

I'm not so sure anymore.