A Less Sexy Strike: Teachers in Israel on the March
There's a cartoon in today's New York Times Week in Review highlighting all the strikes ongoing around the globe this week. All of a sudden, it appears that workers of the world are uniting, and in some cases, may even be winning. Here, at home the WGA strike is changing the face of union communications as creative workers are ably getting their message out on youtube and blogs galore.
But a strike in Israel has been much less fun--and off the radar of the American public. While news saturation covers that region on the war front, it's not often that there's coverage of domestic life in Israel. Consequently, many of Israel's staunchest supporters have no idea about the reality of life there. The teacher's strike--which began in middle and high schools six weeks ago--shows a side to Israel that should have all those who care about the country and the region concerned. Can you imagine a school strike going on in any state in this country for six weeks? The Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, has refused to meet with the Teachers' Union chief turning him into a near martyr especially among the poorer sectors in Israel who already feel slighted economically.
On Saturday night nearly 100,000 supporters of the teachers poored into Kikar Rabin Square, usually home to rallies for peace with the Palestinians or demonstrations against such a peace, but this time, it was filled with students and teachers and according to news reports--very few national politicians (an exception was Yossi Beilin, the leader of the Geneva peace initiative and the leftwing Meretz Party and Ran Cohen, another Meretz leader and leader from the peace camp), but many city and town mayors.
Israel's schools are a mess. They are underfunded and often dangerous. Israel's kids, post high school, post army (since at age 17/18 Israeli kids must enroll in the army for two or three years), drop out and go to Goa, India or Thailand to get stoned for a year to erase the memory of their army experience and to reduce some of the tension that has driven their young lives before they even consider whether or not to go on to college or university. The universities (also in the midst of a strike) are underfunded and in disarray; increasingly PhD candidates and top professors look overseas for opportunities. But the high schools and middle schools are a tragedy.
Ben Caspit, a reporter for Israel's Maariv newspaper puts it this way in today's Maariv. His description of the rally also shows a different Israel than the idealized state, but this is the real country, the one whose domestic resources have been drained by the 40 year occupation over the Palestinians, by the cynicism toward politics and politicians and by the inability -- for a myriad of reasons-- to normalize as a nation. When supporters of Israel rise up in support of Israel they should understand the reality of the country, and the impact that the lack of normalcy is placing on domestic security as well as security outside of Israel's borders however they end up being drawn.
Caspit says it best: "on Saturday night through the feet, the feet of hundreds of thousands of women and men, older and younger, who brought their children and babies, their dogs, their grandfathers and grandmothers. Former teachers and current teachers were there, countless students, members of youth groups, parents, sons, daughters, who marched energetically from the parking garages that were once the wholesale market of Tel Aviv, down Carlebach Street, up Ibn Gabirol Street to the square. The café patrons of Tel Aviv glanced at them in curiosity mixed with wonder. Most of the demonstrators came from outside Tel Aviv. Some of them had not been here much in their lives. The teachers among them asked the price of an espresso at a café on Ibn Gabirol Street. Beginning teachers can afford approximately 250 cups of espresso (double!) on their monthly salary. That is a lot of coffee, but very little money. They marched with their signs and improvised placards, with their red shirts and the slogan, “Cheap education costs dearly,” with the children and babies and strollers and friends, and there was a great deal of pain in their eyes. At least one minister in Olmert’s government sent his children to the demonstration last night. At least one director-general in this government said yesterday, “What’s happening with the teachers is a disgrace.” On the other hand, there were too few politicians backstage. Yossi Beilin and Ran Cohen of Meretz, who saved the honor of the Knesset, deserve medals. Besides them were Ron Huldai, the host, and several mayors (Nahman of Ariel, Buhbut of Maalot, Nishri of Kiryat Ono). I succeeded in finding them. Maybe there were several more. Too few, too late. After all, we are talking about our children’s education here. The place where violence begins on the soccer pitch and the basketball court, the violence in the clubs, the drugs, the rapes, the violence on the roads, the overcrowded prisons, the dropping out in Goa, the values that are falling apart, the poor-quality education. There, in the schools, is where it starts. In the overcrowded, outdated, noisy, violent schools that the State of Israel provides its children (on condition that they are not members of one of the “independent” groups that are generously funded). But none of that is important enough for the Knesset members and the ministers and the mayors. Besides, there is a [soccor]game against Russia and stop being a pain. Yesterday in the square there were honorary members of long-ago Israel who were ashamed. They were the first Israel, a Hebrew teacher in the land of Israel, but as they were marching, with time, they discovered that they are the second Israel, if not the third. Today, nobody wants to be a teacher anymore. Everybody wants to be a model, or to act in a soap opera, or to be a “celeb” and “get on television.” The teachers have been pushed to the shoulder. They looked enviously through the glittering glass wall of the Brasserie [a fancy, NY style restaurant off the Tel Aviv square]. On their salaries, they could eat here once a year. And yet, there was a kind of optimism, of innocence, like long ago. People who still believe that being a teacher is important and right, but do not want to be ashamed of it when they go to the bank or to the market."
Jo-Ann:
"When supporters of Israel rise up in support of Israel they should understand the reality of the country, and the impact that the lack of normalcy is placing on domestic security as well as security outside of Israel's borders however they end up being drawn."
I have rarely read something so concise and so compelling that illustrates, in practical terms and with respect to the Israeli people themselves, how critical it is for Israel to make peace with its Palestinian brothers and sisters.
Yasher Koach to Israel's teachers and their supporters. They carry the torch.
Bruce
November 18, 2007 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
In our area the public grade schools and high schools are funded by real estate taxes on homeowners; how does Israel fund its schools?
November 18, 2007 12:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Militarism, whether by choice, as in the USA, or by necessity, as in Israel will bleed your country dry. We spend over $600 Billion annually. To put it in perspective, think about it this way;
If we cut our military budget by 50% we'd save $300 Billion per year....AND...we'd still be spending $300 Billion annually.
Peace is profitable.
November 18, 2007 12:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
People who still believe that being a teacher is important and right, but do not want to be ashamed of it when they go to the bank or to the market.
aren't we all teachers who try to lead by example?
To boldly go...
November 18, 2007 1:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
“Cheap education costs dearly,..”
the older I get, the more I love "cheap education."
I posted my story here before: I bought myself a piano and taught myself to play it. I smiled to myself yesterday when I read the words "advanced student" on the piece I was playing yesterday. It was Pachelbel's Canon in D major.
Of course teachers can strike in the US for more money but I would guess-- within my lifetime, that web techologies will enable a better educational experience than a traditional classroom.
It seems like a local high school here is moving towards project based learning to provide a real alternative to the compelling technology based education products on the market these days; I'm excited to see if diversity will be invited back into the classroom or the traditional "one-size fits all" model keeps surviving.
To boldly go...
November 18, 2007 1:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't count on the web for a method of education. Education, especially in grammar school, is largely a group process. Kids are not motivated on their own to do the hard work required to learn stuff they have no idea will ever matter to them.
Web technologies are for finishing school, after children have been socialized to be students.
November 18, 2007 1:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
Jo-Ann
Thank you for this article.
Society is not the purpose for people to exist. People are the reason for society, the economy and the government to exist. None of those are worth the sacrifice of a single person. Another individual is worth the sacrifice, as our soldiers tell us every time we ask.
I see society moving away from it's focus on large organizations (necessary before direct back-and-forth communication with each individual was possible) towards a culture where the expressed purpose of society is the the health, well-being and satisfaction of each individual.
In such a society the key players will be the families who raise the children, the educators who educate them and the health care providers who provide both physical and mental health care. After that there will be entertainers and providers of food and housing. (Story-tellers are frequently more important than food and housing. Humans normally tell and listen to stories first before eating unless they are starving or freezing.)
When government leaders, CEOs and Generals are given great power and great wealth without review of their effectiveness, our society has its priorities all wrong.
Teachers really do deserve better than they get here in America, and apparently also there in Israel. A society that does not honor its teachers is destroying itself in the long run.
November 18, 2007 2:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Kids are not motivated on their own...
necessity is the mother of invention... as a student teacher, I learned that most teachers decide "what to study; how long to study it; and what a good and bad effort was." I now prefer homeschooling since those responsibilities are given to the student. It's now my belief that students need to decide what's important or not as often as possible.
Web technologies are for finishing school, after children have been socialized to be students.
that's why the literacy rate is dropping here and the USA is in the middle of the pack.
Web technologies are for finishing school
since I've taken classes on designing "control systems," perhaps I've seen how effective technology can be. for example, one of my professors helped design "yaw control" for cars so it will be nearly impossible for you to swerve your car and flip it over; every review says "yaw control" is much safer than ABS braking.
the only thing that the drivers will notice is that the accident rate is down; i.e. the technology will be transparent to them.
in the same regard, the stuff that I see coming out now in e-learning is, in my opinion, quite a bit more powerful than teacher lead instruction.
local socialization can still be "designed in" but social networking sites, like Facebook and blogs, have shown that people enjoy socializing as much online as offline.
I know it will be hard to break old teaching styles but I pray it happens; otherwise, the kids with money will have a big advantage.
To boldly go...
November 18, 2007 6:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
November 18, 2007 7:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Best version of the cannon ever, bar NONE.
Look, people have been saying for YEARS that new technologies will change teaching. Punch cards. Robots. Video only. Yet it still works best to go to class for most subjects.
The question for your project based learning is what is the baseline? What are the things everyone should know?
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"Why pay for higher education when Wikipedia is free"
November 19, 2007 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
Israeli elementary and middle schools were always under funded and offered the bare minimum. Some high schools were a little better off but not by much. In the early 60s schools were on a strike for two months.
Underfunding has little to do with the Palestinians, it was always like that. In the US education is under funded and it's getting worse every year. No one here blames the Canadians although they start blaming the "illegals."
Politician in the West tend to fund the rich and under fund the poor. Education is the least sexy topic less even than a bridge to nowhere.
The real interesting comparison I would like to see is between funding in the past and the current trends. One thing is really different. When I was in the school system in Israel it was not violent.
November 19, 2007 9:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
I still say kids on their own are not motivated to learn subjects they see no purpose in. They are motivated by Right Now, not future hoped for benefits they don't recognize or understand.
However, kids are motivated, strongly, to be with their parents and to work with them (until the teen years when they are motivated to leave the family and bond with their peers.) Homeschooling may well be the ideal situation for young children. I have big complaints with the factory system of schooling that was adopted as part of the industrial revolution.
Home schooling or personal tutoring by someone who the child wants to be with is best - unless - the parents have to work or for some other reason cannot commit the time and effort to homeschooling, or worse, don't know the subject well enough to teach it or educating the child requires special education methods.
The American society currently requires more hours of work per year, usually from both parents, than any other industrial nation in the world. This with less vacation, which most of us don't take anyway because the boss doesn't like it and you are sacrificing the next pay raise, bonus, or promotion for taking the pittance of a vacation the American employers permit.
There are a lot of better ways to teach children than those in American schools. Unfortunately, our culture demands long hours of work and downgrades time spent with the children. Better schooling is going to require a lot of changes throughout society.
November 19, 2007 6:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yet it still works best to go to class for most subjects.
I believed that until I started dropping courses and doing them "my own way."
This fall, I observed a "linear controls class" and the average on the first test was 17/30 so everyone technically failed. The response by the professor was to essentially outline the exact questions for the second test; I'll see those results next week.
He also "almost answers" each homework question before they're due; I assume that he couldn't handle the email and/or office visits because there's 120 students in the class.
While those who follow the class religously seem to learn procedures better, I've found out that self-study has allowed me to understand the fundamentals better since without understanding the assumptions, I understand nothing; If you just memorize a set of procedures, important assumptions are quickly lost.
The question for your project based learning is what is the baseline?
whatever one wishes. I'm not against allowing folks to take standardized tests in order to show competency. as much as NCLB is flawed, I like the notion that learning and testing can be seperated. i.e. if a student starts doing 3rd grade math in 4th grade, then the 3rd grade report card should be updated to show that 3rd grade math skills were achieved. the way it stands now, a report card indicates wether a particular student was able to do 3rd grade math in 3rd grade and if someone has delayed development, then society puts an everlasting mark on them.
The baseline I use, as I get older, is "job advertisements" since I ask myself: "would someone hire me for that job." Another baseline I use is: "what kinds of books can I read?" i.e. do I need a professor to interpret this math book for me or can I slog through it myself?
What are the things everyone should know?
That's an issue which is determined by both society and each individual. society can draft standards but each individual will decide how relavent they are. Economomists use the term "opportunity costs" and I'm not sure educators understand the "opportunity costs" of imposing a set of standards on students.
As you know, colleges give out a degree after you accomplish a certain number of credits. Based on what I see at universities, the cognative load is way too high and it forces teachers to curve tests and focus on problems that have simple answers. Of course, if you go to a "competive college," the students will push the quality up, not the teachers, since the students are, by nature, able to do more difficult stuff.
To boldly go...
November 20, 2007 10:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Teachers really do deserve better than they get here in America, and apparently also there in Israel. A society that does not honor its teachers is destroying itself in the long run.
societies that overly constrict the definition of just who is called a teacher isn't that great.
To boldly go...
November 20, 2007 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes.
November 21, 2007 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
religious sect may degenerate into a political faction,' wrote James Madison, but the new American nation would nevertheless be protected against the ungovernable combination of religious fervor and political power as long as the Constitution prohibited the federal government from establishing any particular creed as preeminent.
Egitim | chat sohbet
March 7, 2011 5:35 PM | Reply | Permalink