MUSTAFA KEMAL ATATÜRK

We, “Şehit Feramil Ferhat Kaya Anatolian High School students” want to tell about Atatürk dealing with a different side of him. We wont talk about when and where he was born or which schools he graduated from.
What we want to talk about him is that “Being a Teacher”.

Our first stop is Syria. Atatürk went to Syria for his first duty. He secretly founded “Nation and Independence communıty”. He founded the communıty but he wasnt the president of the communıty. He took the responsibility of education issues of the community. Education was his magical word. He was a great soldier but also he was the greatest educator you can imagine.

Now we are at Çanakkale Battlefront in 1915. It was the bloodiest and heroic war of the world. Mustafa Kemal was in his tent but in that situation he was drawing something on a paper.

What could it be? He was preparing the draft of Latine Alphabet letters. He had plans for future education of the country.

Lets go to 1916. It was November. He was at East Battlefront.
The war was very hard. At the end of day by fighting against the enemies,he had two hours for relaxing. But instead of sleeping and relaxing he was talking about his plans for educating mothers to be intellectual and conscious parents. Again education was his magical word.

Sivas Congress was  very important for Independence War. An American journalist Mr. Brown had an interview with Atatürk. What Atatürk emphasised in his speech was “the importance of education”

Then Atatürk came to Ankara. We had won 1st and 2nd İnönü wars but we lost Kütahya -Eskişehir war and everybody was in disappointment. 30.000 people escaped from military. Ankara was in panic. In that complicated situation Atatürk was so self confident that he organızedthe fırst Educatıon Congress for 6 days between 15-21 July in 1921.

After the ındependence of İzmir, he talks with ,Turkish and foreign journalists. The question is that “Yes, you rescued the country, what do you want to do now? will you be the Sultan or the Caliph?

Atatürk responds: I will be the minister of Education and I will be a teacher.

He was the number one of the country, he had the power all he wanted to do to rule the country. But his answer is again “Education” his magical word.

In Salih Bozok’s memories, he mentions about a story. While the English navy was leaving from İzmir harbour, the citizens were clapping shouting and booing. But Mustafa Kemal didnt even turned and looked at them. Maybe who knows he was thinking about the Geometry book he wanted to prepare.