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LETTER: A RESPONSE TO APO SAHAGIAN
By Contributor // January 15, 2014 in Opinion
Dear Editor:
Thank you for sharing Apo Sahagian's recent piece ("We, The Bad
Armenians," Jan. 11, 2013) in the Armenian Weekly. As an Armenian
from America, an English teacher in Armenia, and a current graduate
student in England, parts of the article really resonated with me. I
found other bits (please excuse me for saying so) a bit misguided. He
makes a really important distinction between Armenia as a country and
Armenia as a state in his article, and yet, he has vowed to turn his
back on both. This, I do not understand.
For many of my students at the public school in Armenia where I work,
education is a ticket out of the village. Students internalize this
sentiment at a startlingly young age. Parents and teachers repeat
it to no avail: Succeed in school and escape this place. Though this
narrative contains a partial truth, it fails to impart upon students
the sense of social responsibility vital for any kind of reform.
Mastery of my content area in particular-English-might lead to
another country, more money, a better life. But academic success
cannot be the path toward only an international education, marriage,
and a Range Rover. If Armenia is to thrive, education must also be the
path toward community engagement and contribution. Quality education
cannot only be a way out. It must also be a way forward for students
and communities because the futures of individuals and the futures
of communities are inextricably intertwined.
My students badly need role models who realize, as you have, that
borders are contrived, that ethnocentricity insulates, and that art and
language can poke holes in our mental walls. My students need to see
people who understand the multitude of problems facing Armenia, who are
infuriated by them, and who choose to engage with this country anyway.
It seems to me that humans find happiness, not by pursuing it, but by
having purpose in life. Armenia, the country (and not the state), my
students (and not the hooligan oligarchs he describes in his article),
have given me this sense of purpose. This does not make me a good
Armenian nor does his decision to take a 10-year hiatus from the
country make you a bad one. As a novelist, he must know that there
are many ways to tell the same story. The very bleak assessment of
Armenia's current state of affairs in his article is apt and honest,
but it is only one slice of a greater narrative. His view, with all
due respect, cannot be the only one my students have.
While I hope to see him in Armenia sometime before 2024, I wish him
all the best wherever life may take him. Happy travels in Europe
and beyond!
Sincerely,
Talene Boodaghians
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2014/01/15/letter-a-response-to-apo-sahagian/
By Contributor // January 15, 2014 in Opinion
Dear Editor:
Thank you for sharing Apo Sahagian's recent piece ("We, The Bad
Armenians," Jan. 11, 2013) in the Armenian Weekly. As an Armenian
from America, an English teacher in Armenia, and a current graduate
student in England, parts of the article really resonated with me. I
found other bits (please excuse me for saying so) a bit misguided. He
makes a really important distinction between Armenia as a country and
Armenia as a state in his article, and yet, he has vowed to turn his
back on both. This, I do not understand.
For many of my students at the public school in Armenia where I work,
education is a ticket out of the village. Students internalize this
sentiment at a startlingly young age. Parents and teachers repeat
it to no avail: Succeed in school and escape this place. Though this
narrative contains a partial truth, it fails to impart upon students
the sense of social responsibility vital for any kind of reform.
Mastery of my content area in particular-English-might lead to
another country, more money, a better life. But academic success
cannot be the path toward only an international education, marriage,
and a Range Rover. If Armenia is to thrive, education must also be the
path toward community engagement and contribution. Quality education
cannot only be a way out. It must also be a way forward for students
and communities because the futures of individuals and the futures
of communities are inextricably intertwined.
My students badly need role models who realize, as you have, that
borders are contrived, that ethnocentricity insulates, and that art and
language can poke holes in our mental walls. My students need to see
people who understand the multitude of problems facing Armenia, who are
infuriated by them, and who choose to engage with this country anyway.
It seems to me that humans find happiness, not by pursuing it, but by
having purpose in life. Armenia, the country (and not the state), my
students (and not the hooligan oligarchs he describes in his article),
have given me this sense of purpose. This does not make me a good
Armenian nor does his decision to take a 10-year hiatus from the
country make you a bad one. As a novelist, he must know that there
are many ways to tell the same story. The very bleak assessment of
Armenia's current state of affairs in his article is apt and honest,
but it is only one slice of a greater narrative. His view, with all
due respect, cannot be the only one my students have.
While I hope to see him in Armenia sometime before 2024, I wish him
all the best wherever life may take him. Happy travels in Europe
and beyond!
Sincerely,
Talene Boodaghians
http://www.armenianweekly.com/2014/01/15/letter-a-response-to-apo-sahagian/