Schooling in Baghdad HW 33

I watched "Challenges at a Girl's School in Baghdad" from the Life From Iraqi's to You series from Alive in Baghdad that was shot on 5/21/2007, to watch this yourself go tohttp://aliveinbaghdad.org/2007/05/21/challenges-at-a-girls-school-in-baghdad/. This clip was shot in Al-Safina an all girls middle school in Adhamiya, a place that due to the violence in Iraq is often difficult to get to and attend throughout the year. The school itself is a run down concrete building with chipped paint and is very small compared to the number of students and staff within its gated walls. The girls wear uniforms and their traditional head peices at school and at the beginning of the year there was around 300 students and today their numbers have decreased to about a little over 200 students. The decrease in students is due to the displacement occurring in their areas which forces the students to either not go to school at all or go to a different school, this decreasing the number of girls attending Al-Safina despite how much the girls wish to be there instead. I believe that the point of this video was to drive home the fact that education in Iraq is something that needs improvement. The girls as well as faculty are scared to attend school, scared to travel there and are in fear once they get there due to searches, explosions, shootings and other day-to-day violence they witness. This school is doing the best they can under their current situation and believe that despite the range in experienced teachers they are working with the girls are continuing to improve their grades and their spirits with help of the administrator who spoke in the video. She was very hopeful for the girls in her school as well as her teaching staff; she believes that the “clever” girls will make a difference for their generation. I think that the most memorable part was that when one girl was interviewed she said she was determined and insisted on attending school as much as she possibly could, despite all that is going on around her she is determined to finish school. This shows that there is still a hope for this country, its people and that they are not completely discouraged and are not giving up, this generation of girls interviewed will make a difference in their country. The lesson learned is that despite where you are, what conditions you are under life still goes on and essentials of life such as education still need to happen and there needs to be more action put forth to better the education Iraqi children are receiving.