[I have formatted it to make it easier to read].
One Way to Help in Pakistan
Education is better than war and here is one man who is doing just that.
I wanted to share with you -- and you share with others -- an e-mail I received from Pakistan this morning via a dear friend. Yes. It is written by an educator, a Yankee, who is in the field doing something to help world peace. Reading through to the end gets to information about what is happening inside Pakistan -- from his point of view. Please feel comfortable sharing his letter and responding to him if you wish. I'm certain e-mails from the US letting him know we are here would be welcomed. I have included the e-mail transmitting his letter as it applies as well. Thanks for all you do.
This is a letter from a good friend in Islamabad, Pakistan. He is superintendent of the International School of Islamabad (ISI). I thought you would appreciate this rare window into the world of a fellow educator from a long way off dealing with issues unlike those we would likely ever face. If perspective matters to you, this letter will be of value.
-Gary
"Today is Saturday and I am at school putting together my thoughts and ideas. We had a great first three days re-opened on campus with the 200 students and 20 teachers and subs who are still in town. We have from 10-26 students in each grade level - about 40% of our usual student body. We are trying to work out communication and support from the 43 teachers and administrators who we sent out of the country until things happen and we know the town is safe to bring back the 320 students who left town. We only have them on campus from 8-1230 and we are not using our buses so that our profile in town is low. I am facilitating Chemistry, AP chemistry, Biology, AP Biology and health/wellness with our ever-so-popular ninth grade boys. It is a hoot in lots of ways and I am enjoying myself immensely, although it is a lot of time and energy as I also have to keep the school running with plant maintenance, business office, Board of Directors, etc. at the same time. Luckily I have great bunch of local supervisors, a great secretary, Louisa, and a tremendously talented acting assistant principal, Pam Shakil. My admin. team in the states is also providing great back up support from a distance, with my assistant supt., Dick Moore, handling the business functions very well from a distance regarding our audit, insurance claim for the evac, payroll EFT's, etc. My principals and MS coordinator are also holding the offsite teachers together well and keeping me informed in the process. Our tech team here and off shore is also setting up a web presence that we hope to use to strengthen this long distance support of education. I watch the news very regularly and call the embassy everyday at least once to get a status check on the security situation. So far, ISB has been very quiet and very normal. The drama with the Taliban and the GOP (gov of Pak) and the alliance against terrorism has been extremely interesting. I was invited to a meal last week with the parents of the two Americans who were arrested in Kabul accused of preaching Christianity. They were amazing to me. They had a focus, an optimism and a conviction that they, as parents, were going to do all they needed to do to get their children home. Not a sense of panic, or despair at all, just determination. I was impressed. Talk about a parent's nightmare. I also was invited to another dinner where I met Tom Mintier of CNN and a man from the BBC and a guy from NBC news, I think. Christiane Amanpour couldn't make it as I think she had left town after she had her interview with Musharaf. One of the Pakistani parents at the dinner started calling me "Rudy" and offered to get me a NY Yankees baseball cap. I had to laugh. It is a strange time in the big picture of things. Our little drama here seems so insignificant to me compared to WTC, yet to some parents, the existence of a school for their children is an heroic reality of some sort. I declined an interview for MSNBC. I don't want any higher profile than necessary. Our Board of Directors has been just great in supporting me, the staff and the families we are trying to serve. They are not stupid and I know they will not put anyone in harms way. They simply want to support us as we provide schooling for the students who are here and to be ready to provide schooling for those who have gone as soon as they can return. I am pleased to be working for such a solid bunch of people who have the good of the kids at the heart of their decisions. What will happen next? I sure wish I knew. My gut says that something will happen in the next week or so that will be significant and will be a trigger for local response from the street and consequently a response to the street actions by the GOP. How this works out will be a key determiner of our next steps as a school. In a positive scenario, the lid stays on here in Islamabad and I can bring back about 10 of my recruited teachers to strengthen our onsite program soon. In a worse scenario, we hunker down for a day or two and see what happens. In the worst scenario, we shut down the on site school and leave town until things calm down. We shall see. I have pretty high hopes at this point, however, based on the GOP's success so far in holding together their internal coalition of political forces. The dropping of sanctions, increased financial assistance, forgiveness of debts, etc. have all been well received and helpful politically. Tony B's visit was also very positive and well received. The protesters you see on TV are for the most part just a minor political party and not representative of the sentiment of the average Pakistani, at least in this part of the country. Over in Quetta, or Peshawar or in the northern areas, things are a bit rougher. I think if there are only low level, behind the scenes military activities for a while, then the noise will subside. If the Taliban leave power, that will be another amazing thing to watch. The refugees, and the future of Afghanistan are probably the more important issues to worry about rather than the immediate potential for street turmoil, I think. I wish I knew what was up. In any case, I send my best to one and all. I lost in horseshoes to my Pakistani Plant Manager and good friend. It was his third game ever. I am humbled but not crushed. Stay well and drop me a line sometime. I do enjoy knowing you are out there and I value the fact that you are my family and friends."
-Rob
Rob Ambrogi[Former] Superintendent
International School of Islamabad
Sector H-9/1. PO Box 1124
Islamabad, Pakistan
phone:92-51-443-4950 ext. [deleted]
fax: 92-51-444-0193
Home Phone: [deleted]
Home Fax: [deleted]
email: rambrogi@isoi.edu.pk or ambrogi@mindspring.com
Other links:
Distinguished Overseas Lecture by Robert Ambrogi
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