Youths share ideas about war

Erin Mowers' fifth-graders entered her Fargo Centennial Elementary School classroom like a whirlwind Thursday, like they do every weekday.

The chatter of young voices filled the room as the students tried to talk their teacher out of their social studies test on the American Revolution.

But, as they settled down and Mowers asked them what was going on in the news, the 10- and 11-year-olds became more serious.

"We went to war last night," a girl replied.

Like most students, the first 10 minutes of these children's Thursday was spent discussing what they understood about the attack on Iraq, their first experience with war.

"My dad said it was my best team against the worst team in the NHL; that's how easy it will be for the U.S. to defeat Iraq," said one boy, his hair damp from morning hockey practice.

Mowers said students who have talked to their parents understand what's going on. But many of them are confused, she said.

One boy believed Iraqi planes were circling Washington, D.C., ready to drop bombs.

"I think the thing you need to remember is you are not in any immediate danger," Mowers told the children. "Everyone's doing the best they can to keep you safe."

She encouraged the students to study and play like they normally do.

"Children respond to routine, they feel secure," Mowers said.

She said she's cautious with information she gives young children so they don't overreact.

Dakota Draper, a social studies teacher at Fargo's Ben Franklin Junior High, said his job is to provide the students facts, history and political issues.

Though his eighth-grade students don't normally study Iraq as part of their American history class, they just spent an entire unit on it. They took their final test Wednesday.

"I've always felt, as an educator, when a situation like this presents itself and the kids are full of questions, you really do need to devote some class time," Draper said.

He asked them how they thought this war would be presented in history books. One student thought the United States would look like England during the Revolutionary War. Another said President Bush would be compared to Abraham Lincoln.

But no war seems real to the eighth-graders, Draper said. It's something that happens in history books or on TV.

"I don't want to burst their bubble. As an educator, you don't want to force this reality on them. You tell them what you can," Draper added.

But for older students, war is real. This is the first major conflict high school students have been old enough to watch and understand.

At Fargo North High School, Hayley Pullen and Don Clemson have watched the news, done the classroom debates, held the discussions with their friends.

But they've come to very different conclusions about war with Iraq.

"This is what we need to do to maintain peace in the future," said Clemson, a senior who plans to attend the Air Force Academy next year.

But Pullen, who sported a pink Women for Peace button, disagreed.

"I don't think war is the best way to solve problems, and it doesn't seem justified," said the junior.

Many adults assume students don't know or care about the attack on Iraq -- but they're wrong, said Nadine Roth, assistant principal at Fargo North.

Students understand and they're concerned about escalation, terrorist retaliation and how the United States' actions will be viewed by the world, she said.

"I have talked about it with my group of friends," said junior Claire Rasmussen.

"But maybe we're not representative," she added with a laugh.

Readers can reach Forum reporters Sherri Richards at (701) 241-5525

and Joy Anderson at (701) 241-5556