I saw my dad at a checkpoint this morning.
I have heard about CPT’s school patrol for many years so I was looking forward to being a part. This morning I got my chance. We went out along the major routes to several schools to watch over the checkpoint while the children went through. It was our job to make sure they weren’t harassed as they went by. The red hat uniform of CPT allows us to show up as a respect member of the international community. I was glad to help – sorry for the kids having to go through this occupation and being asked if they have permission to attend school, have bags checked, just to walk on the road to school. These kids, even very small, go through somewhat dangerous situations to get to school.
Then John, a long term CPTer, that I was stationed with pointed out the teachers coming down the street all together like they do each morning. All men, I noticed, they seemed to in a collective good mood. They walked by the Israeli security station. The soldier pulled one of the teachers from the middle of the group to be questioned. John narrated the situation to me, pointing out the head teacher who had started to try to come to the aid of the teacher. After a bit the head teacher came over to John and asked for us to come over and be with the teacher while the rest headed to school.
As I walked closer I could see this man, the teacher, but as my father, the teacher. What if my father, the dedicated teacher he is had to travel through a security check and might be held every time he got a block from his school? What if my mother and sister, also teachers, were put through that same process? What if my all my family that are teachers had to go through that?
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