Mizz Erna

I was going to do an activity/discussion with the kids at school to help them cope with their fears about the war. These kids have been through enough, having been in the 1st grade when they eye-witnessed the planes hitting the Twin Towers on September 11 two years before. Since the school is on the lower east side of Manhattan, one side of the school faced the Twin Towers and those classrooms saw the planes going in. Fears are a dangerously close reality for them. How do you deal with that? What the hell do I know? I was thousands of miles away when this all happened. Its no longer a matter of just assuring kids that they're safe. They saw the hordes of people walking uptown from the towers that day. They know danger can come close to home. The point of having a discussion was to help them at least open up about their fears - maybe sharing them with their peers might help. Beyond that? I have no idea. I can barely deal with what's going on myself. I am against this war not despite but precisely because I know 3 people who are there. And knowing 3 people who are serving (or soon to be deployed) in the war in Iraq is one too many. It makes me think, well, is this war worth the possibility of sacrificing their lives? It makes me sick to my stomach knowing that it is not. No life is worth the sacrifice for this stupid war.