What an Honor

Cool!! I made it into the local newspaper.  The article is regarding a discussion I spoke at to Americans who are fund raising for the Israel Teaching Fellow's program that I volunteer for.  My colleague Issac and I were chosen to represent our daily life here, what it is like living in Israel, and what the rewards and struggles are.  Take a peak!

Society Doesn't Always Know Best

There is an eleven year old boy in my class and for a lack of a better term he is a cry baby.  One time, one of his classmates took a sandwich out of his hands and callously threw it on the ground.  My student began to cry & ran away as the other children stood there and laughed.

I have noticed that more or less, crying begins to drop off after 3rd grade, and by 6th grade boys don't cry at all.  I am fascinated by the impact that the socialization process has on boys.  Males, since the beginning of humanity, have been socialized to be men.  Some people may think this is a hindering notion, but it does in fact serve an evolutionary purpose.  Can you imagine if in a hunter & gatherer society, a man started crying?  He would be eaten by a bear.  Survival of the fittest is a legitimate phenomena.  If a hunter is too busy crying, he becomes opportune prey for a hungry animal.  Thousands of years later this trait has been passed down, but it is now irrelevant.  What was once an evolutionary tactic for endurance, has now been replaced by Ego.  Crying is not socially acceptable and carries the stigma of someone who is weak.

Well I am here to say that crying is not characteristic of weakness, but rather strength.  Think about it. It takes strength to make yourself vulnerable in front of others.  More importantly, there are health benefits to crying.  Shedding tears is scientifically proven to release toxins from the body and reduce stress.  So the next time you scold your son for showing emotions, let him know it's okay to genuinely feel.  Survival in today's society is all about empathy.  Let's be more compassionate.

לשגשג

The Title of this entry, pronounced leh-shig-sheg,
means to T H R I V E.
I have reached my halfway point here in Israel.  Five months left on the clock; tickety tock.
I find myself asking,
"What impression do I want to leave on this country?"
 "What are the goals I absolutely HAVE to conquer?"
"What other parts of Israel MUST I see?"

And of course...the pending, somewhat rhetorical question that looms over me, "What am I going to do without all my students in my life every day?"

Le Haim to my future.  May the next five months be full of reward, good deeds, and friendships to last a life time.

RIP

Just got news that my grandpa died.  That makes two grandpa's I've lost since I have been away in Israel.  I would like to dedicate this post to him.

Everytime I saw my Grandpa Chuck he always told me one thing:  Never give up.
I know for a fact that if I were to have been in his presence, those would have been his last words.
If there was one thing I could let him know, it would be my oath to never give up, and to carry his strength in my heart for the rest of my life.

Rest In Power Grandpa
I love you.

When Song can Capture the Heart

 So Far by Habanot Nechama, is my favorite song right now; performed by a trio Israeli female folk band.  And by favorite, I mean bone chilling- moves me to my core-- talks to the deepest level of my being.

Let it lull you in with its mellow, sultry, gypsy vibe~

Best Authentic Israeli Adventure

This morning we took a group field trip to the Magav army base in the West Bank, tucked beneath beautiful rolling grassy hills.  The base was one giant playground full of ripe GI Joe's. They held an open house & demonstrations, including reenactments of how to sneak up on a terrorist, introducing us to their search & attack dogs, setting up a shooting range & getting to talk to the soldiers who made Aliyah.

Check out a pictorial depiction of today's events:

Serious Business Military Vehicles

They shouldn't have left these baby's unattended

Got my partner in crime, Sierra on board.

Pulling up to the scene of the crime

Officer Sierra taking matters into her own hands.

Holding down the fort while my partner takes one for the team

Planting Trees in honor of Tu B'Shevat

Making friends with the super top secret soldiers 

No mission would be complete without getting to gavalant around in a bullet proof vest

Song & Dance

One of the best ways to learn is through song and dance.  Here my students and I are learning body parts via the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." 

The boy on the right is my 5th grade student, Idan.  He likes American hip hop.  Currently we are working on making up a hip hop song with our English vocabulary words.  I decided to go with this format of learning because he doesn't like to study.  I figure if we turn studying into something he actually enjoys, it might be running through his head when he is trying to fall asleep at night.  At the end of the year he will be performing our rap for his classmates for a final letter grade.

Tutu Emergency

I met this little munchkin in the hotel in Eilat. I was frolicking around the hotel barefoot in a tutu with her. It was her birthday. I cut my tutu in half and knighted her with it. Such a rewarding feeling. Give give give. That's all I wanna do. 

Slight Confusion

The other day an Israeli man in his mid 20's asked me if I knew what a JAP was (aka a Jewish American Princess).  I wasn't sure whether to be offended or not by this question- as it was a backhanded way of calling me a JAP.

I went home that evening and dug a little deeper into to matter to see if I qualified or not.  According to Wikipedia:

 "The stereotype has been described as a sexually repressive, self-centered, materialistic and lazy female who is over-indulged by her parents with attention and money, resulting in the princess having both unrealistic expectations and guilt, and skill in the manipulation of guilt in others."

Ouch.  Kind of rude if you ask me.  I know I may come off a certain way & that Israeli's are blunt- but get to know a person for more then five minutes before pointing fingers.   I guess if being a selfless individual who has found passion working with and empowering Jewish children as part of my contribution to society defines the new JAP; you can count me in.

What Celebrities Must Feel Like

Today was the first time in my entire experience here in Israel that I actually felt overwhelmed by all the affection I receive from my students.  It has gotten to the point where when I am walking, they push each other and bicker over who gets to hold my hand.  They all want to carry my backpack when I am walking to and from class and fight over that as well.  I tell them they need to share me!! 

They fight over who gets to take pictures with the camera and who gets to be in the picture.  If I play a hand game with one of them, I better prepare to play it 10 more times with all the other girls.  When I regulate the situation they will look up at me with their puppy dog eyes and whimper for my sole attention.  It is heartwarming, but it gets tiring!  I have to hide out in the teacher's lounge in order to have some alone time.  

I've never realized how draining love could be!  Good thing I don't have a boyfriend because I wouldn't have anything leftover to give him.  I guess you could say I am in a relationship with my occupation.

Meet Libby

This is Libby and I on the school bus headed towards the English Center.  Libby likes when I call her Phoebe.  Every time I call her this, my mind immediately drifts to Lisa Kudrow's character from Friends and it makes me smile inside. Libby is very special to me.  She is not an Israeli Jew like the majority of my students.  She is an Arab Christian.  And guess what?  There is no difference between her and her classmates.  Her heart is made of solid gold.  She speaks both Hebrew and Arabic fluently.

There's a famous quote by Anthony Douglas Williams that goes like this:
"One day we will realize that big hearts will bring us more peace than big weapons."

I think Libby is a shining example of such.
Love you Libby!!

Spicing Things Up

My students think that hippies are people who listen to Bob Marley and have dreadlocks.  That is a rather narrow point of view, don't you think?  I couldn't just sit there and let them bask in their close minded perception towards the topic- so I told them I was a hippie and that being a hippie is obviously what makes me so awesome. They doubted my bold claim and asked me how this was so, since I don't fit the dreadlock criteria. I told them that I like to walk around barefoot and that I also like to share, and that most importantly- being a hippie is all about peace and love (which the Middle East could use a lot of).

Thanks to this trivial conversation, I now have a fun and engaging lesson planned out for next week: a powerpoint on a day in the life of a hippie.  Stay tuned :)

Good Morning Class!

Snapped this photo of my students as I walked into class this morning. Am i lighting up their world, or are they lighting up mine? Shout out to my 1st graders who provide a constant source of potty humor & affection ♥

Recess

Recess is one of my favorite times of day.  I love teaching.  But I also love to goof around with my students.  Here is an inside peak of what goes on during breaks.

Head Stands

Piggy Back Rides

Horse Shoes

Soccer

Basketball

Choreographing dance moves to Justin Bieber

Making funny faces

Making up Handshakes

silly boys always interrupting the girls!

Waving around the Israeli Flag.  Pride!!!

Perspective

Popularity.  It's not as glamorous as you think.  Let me tell you about the popular girls in 6th grade.  I have a hard time respecting them because they cheat on all the exams and giggle in the process.  I see them talking rudely to the "dorkier" peers in the class and bossing them around.  It bugs me, but they continue to do so even when I demand them multiple times to stop.

Seeing all the cliques from an aerial point of view as an authority figure, it has shed light on what I went through as an adolescent.  I was under the illusion that the popular girls had it all.  But trust me- they don't.  Not even close.  Popularity is merely a hollow maintained image built on a mound of insecurity that is never fully satiated.

After close analysis I saw that popularity works in accordance with a pyramid scheme model.  The most popular girls are up at the top.  In my 6th grade class, there is a trio.  Underneath them are one or two girls who talk to the popular ones & get to be involved with what they do-- although they are not part of the trio.  These girls are like floaters.  If a popular girl is absent one of these girls can take their place.  Then on the bottom rung, are all the other girls.  When the popular girls want to cheat, they ask girls on the bottom rung for the answers.

As a kid, I was always on the bottom rung. Now I look back and want to kick myself in the face for ever wanting to be anything but that.  In truth, I think the students who aren't caught up in social statuses are the happiest.  Focusing on school is way more attractive in the end and will carry a student much farther than their looks or lame personality.

Stigma of a Learning Disability

Though I had taken classes in Psychology and my whole life been of aware of learning disorders, I never quite understood what they were until I started teaching.  I couldn't wrap my brain around the fact that no matter how many times I went over the alphabet with one of my fifth grader's, she still couldn't pronounce or write the letters properly.  This frustrated me.  I have first graders who know English better than she does.  I wasn't sure if it was me and the way I was teaching or if it was her.  So, I consulted the teacher:

"Listen, my student is so stubborn.  She doesn't even try.  She cheats and opens her notebooks when I ask her questions."

The teacher told me she has a learning disability.  She said she has short term memory loss.  Okay, I get it. But that is no excuse-- my student doesn't practice and this isn't going anywhere.

I started to reflect inwards. I thought about how when I was at the height of my depression, certain family members just did not get it.  They thought I was lazy and that the chemical disorder was something I could turn on and off .  But it wasn't.  I remember feeling like the black sheep that was looked down upon as a hassle.

It's hard to believe that a certain condition exists when you are an outsider looking in on something that you already have a biased view toward.  And I'll be honest, I still don't totally get the complexity of a learning disorder.  But I do know what it is like to be misunderstood for a behavior that is beyond my control.  And I do know that the most I can give my students is the benefit of the doubt.  I can view their disability with compassion and be empathetic towards their own struggles.  I can sit them down one on one and give them the attention and respect that they deserve-- regardless of high or low achievements.

Listen Up

To all the 6th grade boys who are to cool for school:
& more importantly too cool for English.....You'll regret it later.  You will regret it when you are in the army and you have two weeks off to escort a birthright trip, and all the pretty American girls will flirt with you but unfortunately there will be a blatant lack of communication on your end.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

Yours Truly,
Teacher Paige

Powerful Message

People keep asking me what it was like to live in the eye of the storm during the Hamas terrorist attacks a few months back.

I don't know.

I went on with my life, just like everybody else did.  That's the Israeli way.

 Think about all the wars we've endured to maintain our homeland.  The Jewish people; we are Hazak.  Hazak in Hebrew translates to Strength.  It's in our blood.  We have withstood all this violence for the past thousands of years and we will continue to do so, endlessly. Do you know how much pride there is among our people?  No one could ever drive us out.  The Jewish community would rather die in their own homes, protecting their own land, than succumbing to outside evil forces.  We cannot be destroyed.

My entire life I have heard about the tension in the Middle East from 10,000 miles away, but wow- how surreal to experience this upheaval first hand.  To hear ear splitting sirens going off in the surrounding cities.  To feel and hear the big booms of the explosions.  To witness shrapnel flying off of targeted buildings.  To have bomb shelter drills in school instead of earthquake drills.  To having a minute and fifteen seconds to seek refuge into a bunker before a missile hits.

All scary stuff.  But guess what?  Israelis are desensitized to it, just like Americans are to earthquakes or fires.  Life moves forward.  The Israeli people stand strong.  We live every day like its our last.  We all have each other.  The love in our community withstands all evil.  For this we are blessed.  For this we are the children of God.

Afternoon Rendezvous in Jaffa

Jaffa is located right off the beach of the Mediterranean Sea and is an inviting place to peruse.  Its winding streets and alleyways are flocked with eclectic hole in the wall shops, carrying an array of classic Israeli souvenirs such as mezuzahs, shawls, hamsas, hookahs, rugs, jewelry and menorahs.  Working down prices and making deals are definitely in your favor!  Really glad I got to spend my mom's last day in town here.

Clock tower in the center of town 

One of many side streets full of shops

Came across this gem during our afternoon adventure.  How could I not take a picture with it?

My Co-Volunteer

This is Dalit and I.  Dalit is also a volunteer from Oranim and teaches English at my school.  She teaches different classrooms than I do.  I often see her out in the halls with a white board and 6 students, trying to rile them down as they blurt out the answers and hop out of their seats to do cartwheels.  I tell you, these kids have an excess amount of energy- more than Dalit and I put together!

During recess, Dalit and I make our way to the teacher's lounge to drink coffee and discuss our day.  We will talk about what teaching methods work with our students, and which one's don't.

Dalit and I have a plan in the works to start a  hip hop dance class during recess.  The Israeli children LOVE hip hop dancing.  We think this will help improve the children's conversational skills outside the classroom, while also acquainting them with popular American musicians.

I am really fortunate to have been partnered up with Dalit.  I look forward to our future endeavors at Ben Zvi Elementary.

Student Spotlight- The 5th Grade Girls

This is Hila.  I absolutely adore her, if you can't tell by the way we are hugging one another.  She is 10 years old and is almost as tall as me!!  I recently found out that her name translates to Halo.  I told her that when I grow up and have a child I am going to name it Halo after her.  She blushes whenever I remind her of this.  She constantly makes me laugh, with her expressive personality.  Sometimes I walk her home because her house is on the way to mine.

This is my little sweetpea Uval!!!  She is the ittiest bittiest little thing!  The teacher says we look alike because we are both petite and have big eyes.  She is very silly.  Whenever she is bored in class she will make funny faces at me.  I have to turn my head because if I don't I will start to laugh.  

This is Lir.  She loves American music.  Whenever she sees me she runs up and sings Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked it," or Beyonce "All the Single Ladies."  She likes to pretend that she has a twin sister named Talia.  Some days I call her Lir, and she tells me she is not Lir, she is Talia; and that Lir is sick at home.  Lol.  She likes to hold my hand and walk with me around the playground during recess, and confide in me about her personal life.

I seriously can never get enough of my students.  They are big bundles of joy in my life.  

Say Hello To My School!

Welcome to the elementary school Ben Zvi.  It's known for being an arts magnet.  I am so proud to be part of the faculty here.  Come take a peak:

The entire school is painted with murals.  Here is one by the entrance.

This is somewhere you don't want to end up!  Its the building of the principal's office.  

Looking up at my students in the fifth grade classroom.

Ben Zvi is located in this neighborhood.  I would not call it aesthetically pleasing. 

 Regardless, it is still a place I call home.  

I've come to realize that there is not always going to be nice living conditions around you-  I'ts up to you to find its beauty.  I hope one day, you will all find beauty in the simple things in life, such as I have found mine.

Field Trip!

Spent the entire day in Jerusalem with my mother and a fabulous tour guide.  I was overwhelmed by the immense amount of history that has occurred on its holy grounds.  Jerusalem is a region chalk full of controversy between different religions, the rises and falls of empires, crusades, miracles, and the search for God.  It has had such a hideous history, yet it is one of the most holiest places on earth.  Jerusalem is such a fascinatingly complex and mysterious enigma; it paralyzes my brain to even begin to process it all!  Although I must say, there is something in the air amongst the corridors of stone at the site of its ancient ruins that is quite romantic.  There is a constant wave of discoveries- new tunnels and artifacts and pieces of information on a daily basis that changes the perspectives of the holy scripture.  It just goes to show that history is not a be all end all discussion.  It is not written in the hands of just the victors or the people who were driven out.   Human perspective is dangerously skewed to the point where people kill one another over it, and it's sad :(
 All we can count on is tradition and the respect we should all put forth towards everyone's preferences in cultivating their individual relationship to God.

A view from the Jewish Quarters in the Old City of the Western Wall and Dome of the Rock

A view of a predominantly Arab neighborhood from the Ancient city of David, stunningly carved into Jerusalem's hillside.

The Ancient city of King David is under arduous excavation.  Beneath and within the ruins you see in this picture, we explored through caves and tunnels that the Jew's would hide in during various Crusades during the rise and falls of empires.

Climbing up some boulders by the Western Wall.