Education Workers Against the War was set up at a meeting of 150 teachers and other school workers, a few days before the 100,000 strong demonstration on 18^th November. We believe the need for building the anti-war movement is stronger than ever. Afghanistan, the victim of thirty years civil war and outside intervention, has been further devastated. Already, quarrels and fighting are breaking out among the various factions and interest groups, and the losers in all this will be the ordinary people of Afghanistan.

None of us can predict exactly what will happen in the next few months, but it is clear that the ‘war against terrorism’ is not over. Already US planes have appeared over Somalia, and the talk is of an assault on Iraq. Meanwhile, the situation in Palestine becomes ever more tense and violent. As teachers and other workers in schools we need to be part of the growing movement in this country and across the world to stop the barbarism of war and revenge, and to fight for a better world.
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- School Meetings and debate for staff and/or students. Set up an anti-war group

- Assemblies: many teachers and students have used Assembly to raise issues simply around war and peace.

Curriculum – primary and secondary

We’ve included as many ideas as we can in this bulletin but ran out of space!

- Activities: Contact other schools, organise leafleting, get in touch with the local Stop the War Coalition, make a banner for the demonstration on 26^th January.
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Who shall we make alliances with?

Who shall we make alliances with?

With people in whose interests it is, to be

enemies with The Enemy.

How shall we win an alliance with these people?

We shall win an alliance with these

people by giving them money and arms.

And after that?

They will help us defeat The Enemy.

Has The Enemy got money and arms?

Yes.

How did The Enemy get money and arms?

He was once someone in whose

interests it was, to be enemies with our enemy.

Which enemy was this?

Someone in whose interest it had once

been, to be enemies with an enemy.

Wednesday 16^th January

5.30 – 7.30

Camden Town Hall, Euston Road

We want to discuss future plans and activities. Ideas so far include:

1. Publishing and developing more material for use in schools
2. Linking to the Stop the War Coalition website
3. Building local school and LEA groups
4. Building the National demonstration

When the school went through the ritual of observing three minutes silence after the Twin Towers attack I found myself silently reflecting both on the loss of life and on how much silence we would have to observe if we stood for three minutes each time the US military attacked civilian targets.

I did a whole school assembly, which focussed especially on the most vulnerable civilians in Afghanistan - children and the elderly. We talked about the situation of drought and famine, (and related it to global warming) the refugee crisis and how the war would exacerbate the situation. Children as young as six contributed to the discussion. We talked about how conflicts at all levels can be resolved in ways other than with force and violence.

It was about planting the idea that the lives of children in other countries are as valuable as their own. The activities following that week raised £1600 for the UNICEF crisis appeal.

With a year 3 class I discussed Christmas and how the children would hopefully receive lots of nice presents. I turned their attentions to the Christmas the children of both America and Afghanistan would be facing. The children suggested that the school start a collection or send some presents to these countries so those children can start to enjoy Christmas the way they will. They are now aware of the deprivation the children of other countries face and are actively trying to make a difference in their own small way!

English and Literacy: (Y6 objectives)

1. Children can look Reading and Writing from different points of view, and use different narrators. You can use contrasting news stories as a stimulus, and make simple contrasts between fact and fiction. (Global Express produce good materials)
1. Discuss journalistic style: who? Where? Why? What? When? Write in role as the older sibling of a child in New York and a child in Afghanistan. You need a lot of sensitive discussion to sustain this.
1. Prefixes/Suffixes - Lots of words to do with warfare have good prefixes and suffixes children can collect.

R.E. Islam

1. The word Islam means 'submission' to the Will of Allah and His way of peace
1. Look at Prayers of Peace (in published resources and on the Internet)
1. Islam as a peaceful religion: look at the 5 Pillars of Faith and the 99 Beautiful Names of Allah and the number of them that refer to the peaceful, merciful nature of God

Geography and Maths

1. Refer to the news story of people being killed when a missile landed in the 'wrong place' apparently due to the wrong co-ordinates being used. Use this as the starting-point for careful work on co-ordinates in the 4 quadrants.
1. World awareness - where is Afghanistan? What are its climate, terrain, plant and animal life? How do people live and eat? UNICEF and other charities have good websites.

"The simplest ideas for assemblies often work the best. Students reading a poem, or talking about their fears can be as thought provoking as anything more elaborate."

"An Afghan boy in our school feels very frightened and upset by the bombing of his country. I have given him a school noticeboard for his writing, poems, thoughts, and pictures."

"An eye for an eye and the world goes blind"

"Phone PEACE SEEN on 8881 9386 for material for an assembly on peace"

Farid Ahmad, the Year 11 student from Southall in Ealing who spoke at the founding meeting of Education Workers Against War, was due to address a youth conference and other gatherings related to the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in Oslo." I want to ask a lot of questions when I speak", Farid said, " like how many Afghanis took part in the attacks on the USA on 11th September ? I am also amazed to find out that the United Nations has won a peace prize when it keeps bombing Iraq."

"Farid has made a huge impact since his arrival a year ago. He is remarkably mature, determined and serene. He can talk for hours about the dignity of Afghani people and the need for peace. The very least he can achieve from these experiences is an excellent piece of practical Media Studies GCSE work - Diary of a Peace Campaigner !

At Islington Sixth Form Centre staff and students arranged a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn for Tuesday 25 September. 40 staff and 60 students, Muslims and non- Muslim, black and white turned up. Many people have attended the national demonstrations, and a Teach-In has been held on The Arms trade and Afghanistan, The Taliban and Islamic

Fundamentalism, Women and Islam and American Foreign Policy: part of the problem or part of the solution? We are now having small discussion groups for staff every

fortnight.

Meetings, discussions and debates have been organised in schools across London, in Sydenham, Lewisham, Enfield, Hackney, Stoke Newington, Islington, Haringey, Camden, Tower Hamlets, Ealing, Brent and elsewhere.

Teachers have used their creative resources to raise issues and ideas. One science teacher did some work on anthrax and biological warfare. English teachers have used first world war poetry such as Owen’s Dulce et decorum est as a springboard to debate, and have simply taken in a range of newspapers, and asked students to discuss and compare articles and front pages. One school in Tower Hamlets has established a Year 9 Current Affairs discussion group. As one Hackney teacher said "Students want to talk about the war, they will raise it in any context. In five minutes I heard Year 7 students talk about: the horrors at the World trade centre and people phoning their families; debate revenge as a response to war; talk about racist attacks and the scapegoating of Muslims; Bin Laden, Somalia and a host of other issues." We have reproduced some of the ideas we had for teaching in secondary schools overleaf.

Identify the key countries in the conflict on a map of the world. Place them into alliance groups (i.e. pro USA; pro Afghanistan). Find out political, economic, religious and geographical facts about each of the major countries involved.

Objective: to gain some understanding of why countries form and break alliances:

1. From personal experience, discuss reasons why people make and break friendships / join or break away from gangs.
1. Draw parallels to consider (a) why countries form alliances and b) why a country might 'change' allegiance
1. Consider the position of Pakistan (and any other related muslim country) in the context of alliance with Afghanistan / USA.

Objective: to explore issues of 'accountability' with regard to: (a) people who live in 'the nation' (b) the leaders of a country

1. Review different types of political organisation in the world today (for example, dictatorship, ruling aristocracy or elite; parliamentary democracy; federation)
1. Discuss levels of accountability of 'the people’ for actions done by these governments / leaders
1. Debate with regard to culpability of (a) Afghan government for Sept 11^th (b) Afghan population re. Sept 11th

Objective: to analyse and get some understanding for the arguments for and against the war in Afghanistan

1. Sort pre-prepared arguments into For and Against.
1. Classify each argument as political, economic, social, moral ...
1. Display arguments

Look at a variety of artists, and make comparisons between those that have glorified war, and those who depict its horrors. One GCSE syllabus identifies Picasso’s Guernica and the German expressionist Kathe Kollewitz as suitable for exploring challenging issues. Other examples include: Goya, John and Paul Nash, Nevinson, and Keanne (Gulf War 1991).

Another angle could be to look at Art and propaganda: there is plenty of source material from both world wars, from ant-Nazi artists such as John Heartfield and from the Spanish Civil War or Vietnam. . Students could explore the style and techniques used by the artists to express and communicate their feelings, and could look at movements such as cubism, futurism and Russian constructivism, and other radical movements.

A fight between two students outside George Green’s School on the Isle of Dogs led to parents unhappy with the school’s anti-racist stance and BNP members calling on parents to keep children at home. About 50 people turned up to demonstrate, and many children were absent. Because of the history of the island, the school does have a strong and active anti-racist policy. The senior management did assemblies on the war, which raised the issue of US aggression and looked at the plight of the Afghan people. They made strong statements about the "all different all equal" motto of the school and were explicit about worldwide attacks on Muslims. There are still tensions amongst students since we cannot be totally isolated from the outside world but the school as an institution has remained firm on the principles of anti-racism. Thank you for the hundreds of messages of support