1.
They gather everywhere: in Jerusalem in front of the Knesset, in Tel Aviv, in Holon, in Lod, in Modi'in and in Pardes Hana. Every morning, under the blazing sun, they shout "Hamas.".
They hold small, cute, painted signs that say in childish handwriting: 'We are not sardines!''
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
It's crowded in their classroom. It's crowded in their lesson and crowded during recess.
We finally understood what was happening lately with the poor grades, the low performance, the uncontrollable hyperactivity, the violence, and the insolence.
Finally there is an answer: the overcrowding in the classrooms!
So first of all, go and check what it is. Not all of these children's schools celebrate overcrowding, it is almost non-existent in the periphery, it exists in the center of the country, an area to which many look, where there is no possibility of moving on the roads and there is not a drop of living space, in an area where people pay a fortune to live in a two-room apartment because they want to be close. (Close to what?). In these places, it is no wonder that the children are also 'rebellious'.
After you have examined the state of the classrooms in places slightly further from the tempting center, please examine what this difference between a normative class of 32 children and the current class of 38 children might do. Do you really believe that these 6 additional children are causing all the problems in schools today? The disciplinary problems, the outbreak of violence, academic problems, poor grades, addiction to screens and other things, is all this caused by the fact that there are 6 additional children in the class?
I'm not sure.
The problem of overcrowding is indeed a problem. But it is not a sufficient problem to be 'revolutionary.' It alone is not the problem, and sometimes overcrowding is actually satisfying and empowering.
For example, consider a family with many children, compared to a family with two or three children. It is true that one mother has to manage to overcome the chaos, it is true that it is sometimes difficult for a parent to overcome the hustle and bustle, but even in a family where the parent has difficulty - there are many advantages to a family with many children, almost every child has a friend, because there is a greater choice. Every child learns to reach out and do things, because there are many demands, so one is responsible for taking his sibling to kindergarten regularly, even if this is due to a lack of choice, and the other learns from a very early age to wash dishes.
In a family where needs are multiple, a child cannot grow up spoiled, because reality will dictate his agenda. A child learns to give and take and to be in touch with others.
A large family or a large class of students is no guarantee of failure (see the discipline in many classes with over 40 children who are entrusted with a proper upbringing). Sometimes a crowded class actually helps with social integration, dividing the children into groups, and encouraging each other to flourish. However, a large family and such a class are likely to fail if, in addition to this large number, clear boundaries are lacking: phones are allowed to be brought into the classroom, children are given the feeling that they are the ones in control, they are raised spoiled and disrespectful to others, the teacher, and their friends, and they are also arranged to protest against their superiors and shout at them: 'We won't come to school because we are not sardines!' Or: 'Haven't you heard that if you are crowded, you don't learn?!''
Tomorrow, if these protesters have 40 children in the classroom, we won't be surprised if one child stands up to his teacher and when the teacher wants to punish him, the child defends himself and shouts: "What can I do? I'm not guilty, even my parents said and so did you teachers, that if I'm a sardine then I'm not able to concentrate and behave well. I'm just proving that what you say is true and that's why I deserve punishment?"
Overcrowding, of course, adds to the atmosphere of oppression and helplessness that also prevailed in schools before. It is difficult to teach in overcrowding, without a doubt, but the current uncompromising demonstrations give the impression that if only a few children in the classroom would learn, all the problems would be solved. No, no, overcrowding does not create the dismal situation that prevails in schools, and if more fundamental problems are not solved, nothing will help.
2.
I'm amazed at animal welfare organizations that care so much about animal rights. For the most part, they just hear the name of an animal and immediately come to its defense. They can travel to the ends of the earth to save an injured turtle, and suddenly they don't care that children are shouting: 'We are not sardines.' What does that mean? And sardines are not animals, why do they deserve this crowding? - Let's go to the demonstration!!!
