When the ceasefire in Gaza was announced, I experienced a range of mixed emotions. I felt happy that the bombs had finally stopped, but I also felt fear that they might start again at any moment. I felt optimistic that I could return to normal life, but also worried that this might be short-lived again.
As an English teacher, I hope that education will be restored as soon as possible. Education is the only way to help children regain hope and begin to overcome the trauma of two years of genocide. It can bring a sense of normalcy and purpose. That is why it should be a top priority for Gaza.
Before the genocide began, I taught English to elementary and middle school students at an education center and a public girls’ school in Gaza City. The school was destroyed in the first weeks of the war. The education center suffered severe damage.
My family and I were forced to flee our home. A few months later, I started teaching in a tent. It was a local initiative run by volunteers. There was no desk in the tent. My students (ages 6 to 12) sat on the floor. Although the educational environment was difficult, I was committed to helping my children continue their education.
By late December 2024, pens, books, and notebooks began to disappear from stores and markets completely. A single notebook costs about 20 to 30 shekels ($6 to $9), if you can get it at all. This was out of reach for the majority of families.
As the shortage of paper, books, and pens became apparent, some students began coming to class without anything to write with. Some students collected scraps of paper from the rubble of their homes and brought them to class. Some still wrote small letters on the backs of old papers that their families kept. Pens were so scarce that multiple children often had to share one pen.
Writing and reading, the foundations of education, have become so difficult that we as educators have had to come up with alternative teaching strategies. We read out loud, spoke orally, and sang songs in groups.
Despite the lack of supplies, the children had an amazing motivation to continue learning. Watching them struggle with old pieces of paper filled me with admiration and pain. I was proud of their willingness to learn no matter what and was inspired by their perseverance.
I had a special notebook that my grandmother gave me many years ago that I used as a diary. I wrote my dreams and secrets there. After the war, I filled the pages with stories of bomb explosions, homeless families sleeping on the streets, hunger like I had never experienced before, and suffering without even the most basic necessities.
One school day in August, when most of the students showed up without papers, I knew what I had to do. I picked up my notebook, tore out the pages one by one, and began passing them to my students.
Since there were so many children, the notebook pages were gone within a day. Then the students had to go back to scraps of paper and cardboard.
The ceasefire may have stopped the bombings, but my students still don’t have paper or pens. Humanitarian aid has begun arriving in Gaza again. Food, medicine and shelter supplies are arriving. These are all important things. But we also urgently need educational supplies and support to get education back on track for Gaza’s 600,000 schoolchildren.
Books, pens, and paper are more than just school supplies. These are lifelines that can help the children of Gaza win against war, destruction and huge losses. They are important tools that allow us to maintain perseverance and willpower to live, learn, and see a bright future.
With the help of education, children can recover from the trauma of war and regain a sense of security. Learning restores structure, confidence, and hope for a bright future, which is necessary for both community healing and psychological rehabilitation.
We need to give children who missed two years of education a chance to write, learn and dream again.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect the editorial stance of Al Jazeera.
