Patience Is Not A Virtue

ADHD
 Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder.
After watching some of my posted videos, I am sure you aren't shocked that a majority of Israeli children are medicated with Ritalin.  When I tell the teacher a student was doing well in class, she says, "That's because he took his meds today."  I am not sure if it runs in the blood, or what..But I honestly don't mind it that much.  You could say I have a lot of patience.  With them at least.  I mean, I am definitely not patient about other things.  Yet I guess that's a defining quality of a respectable teacher-- the tolerance one has with their students.

Open Mic Night In Tel Aviv

A few weeks ago I attended an open mic night at a bar on Dizengoff called Giora.  I came across this lovely talented woman by the name of Leora and approached her at the end of her set to find out where I could see her perform again.

Here is a video from the show.  I couldn't get her cover of Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman out of my head ALL WEEK! 6:00 minutes into the video she begins this song:

This Is Why I Call My Students My Little Monkeys

Meet Hannaleh

This is my two and a half year old little sister from my host family.  She likes when I put stickers on her forehead.  We call her Hurricane Hannah.  She is a tyke on wheels.  Maaaajor handful.  Anything she touches gets destroyed.  And yet, I love her to pieces.  The main words in her vocabulary are, "Mine," "I don't want to," "Give me," & "Why?"  She has even picked up some English from me!  Life is more colorful with her around :)

Trendsetter

The other day I wore two mismatching socks to school that were clearly visible with the shoes I had on.  It looked really bad, I must admit, but I honestly didn't care and since it was Purim I figured I could get away with it. My student Oshrat ran up to me disgusted by my fashion faux pas and was very vocal about it.

And well, well, well....what do you know?  The very same girl who criticized what I had on ran up to me at school today to show me that she had patterned socks on that showed out of her boots.  It's funny how people are quick to criticize what they admire deep down.

Purim Parade

Another reason why I love the city I live in:  Community and tradition.  I left school for my lunch break and was pleasantly surprised by the boulevard outside my apartment being blocked off.  Children were parading in their costumes with teachers and friends.

PURIM DRESS UP TIME

Masks.

Superhero costumes.  

Bright colored wigs.  

Tutus. 

Fairy wings. 

Face paint.

Swords.

Groggers.

Balloons.

& Most importantly....Friends :)

A Quote From To Kill A Mocking Bird:

“Sometimes the Bible in the hand of one man is worse than a whisky bottle in the hand of another... There are just some kind of men who - who are so busy worrying about the next world they've never learned to live in this one, and you can look down the street and see the results.” 

In other words:  Whether it's alcoholism or the practice of an extremist religion-- a vice is a vice.  What gives one human the priority to judge what is "right" or "more holy" over another human? Have we forgotten about objectivity?  Religious societal cohesion comes with its own nationalistic pride that results in an inflated sense of entitlement.

Experiencing tension between religions with differing perspectives in the Middle East first hand; I can relate to the notion of looking down the street and seeing the results of these vices, to the extent of terrorist attacks.  (no big deal)

To take an authentic look at religion and injustice,

we would need to delete the adjectives,

and unveil the facts.

Purim To Do List

A girl needs some doe!

Therefore she picks up her hustle in the local park. 

In order to have options.

Because the American Dream told her to go out and get what she wants & the Law of Attraction told her she could get it based on taming her thoughts..............so why not?

Truth.

I Question My Sanity On The Daily.

Recess with my monkeys <3  תלמידים

Power Point Success

Since PowerPoint seems to be working out so well, I have spent countless hours finding pictures for the following topics-- which by the way is so fun because every class I can expose the children to new things (and I think that's one of the most important things a teacher can do!)

-American Tv Shows
-American History
-American Legends & Heroes
- Famous Cities:  New York, Hollywood, Washington DC
-American Holidays
- American Traditions
-American Culture
-Natural Disasters in America
-American Theme Parks
-Disney Characters
-Family Life
-Slang
-American Games
-Animals
-Transportation
-The Body
-The House
-Nature
-Instruments


Looks like my students and I have a full schedule in front of us!

Little Children Are Actually Permanently Drunk

Take a peak at the unbridled awesomeness I call my students:

‘Sit down before facts like a child, and be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever and to whatever abysses Nature leads, or you shall learn nothing.’

— Thomas Huxley

Such is Life

Sometimes I feel menaced by some of the popular girls in sixth grade.  I know, ridiculous right?  I am the teacher, how could it be possible?  But trust me, it is.  Kids are mean and they are not afraid to show it.  One girl in particular is constantly giving me the hairy eyeball, looking me up and down.  Sometimes I will look up and notice it from across the room.  It makes me feel small inside.  It takes everything within me to not do the same thing back. I am overcome with a resentful energy that triggers what it was like growing up with ridiculing classmates.  Then I remind myself that I am the adult.  I also have to remember that not everyone is going to understand or like me, and there is nothing I can do about it.  All I can do is just ignore and pray for the ignorant.  And then I think of one person who inspires me:  The Dali Lama.  The Dali Lama loved his enemies.  And so, next time a popular sixth grade girl tries to undermine my worth, I will send love her way- knowing that it's coming from her own insecurity.

Louder Than Words

 This photo was taken at the end of the Holocaust.  It is of a group of Jews who survived a concentration camp. After the atrociousness that the Jewish people endured; after being stripped of their religious practices and denied their birthright of freedom; after starvation and inhumane torture; after watching loved ones get brutally murdered right before their very own eyes-- this pictures says it all: Cohesiveness.  Strength.  Nothing can tear us apart.  At the end of the day, we know who we are.  During the holocaust, our ancestors never forgot that.  At the end of the day, the Jewish star lives on.  

Practice Emergency Drill

There was a bomb shelter drill at school today.  Protocol was to lay down on the ground and put our hands over our head.  After this, the sixth grade students with bright yellow traffic vests directed the children into bomb shelters underneath the classrooms.  Below ground there were big heavy duty doors.  The shelter was painted light blue, child friendly, with some toys and chairs and rugs.  We crammed into the room and sat down Indian style waiting for directions from the principal.  Looking around the room, I noticed that the students were participating mindlessly, just as I would have done during an earthquake drill when I was younger.  Some were playing hand games, some were giggling with friends, while others were being reprimanded by screaming teachers.  (It's normal for teachers to scream at the children).  I wondered if these kids even knew what was going on; if they understood the repercussions of living in a war zone in the Middle East.

After the drill, school resumed.  It was recess.  The children went outside to play.  The rest of us went on with our day.

Irony

I went to the gynecologist office and sat in a waiting room full of Muslim women dressed head to toe in Burkas.  Isn't that funny?  These are the same women who come from a culture where they are required to hide their identity behind dark clothing everywhere they go.  So apparently, I soon came to realize, that the only time they are allowed reveal themselves is spread eagle in a stirrup of a male gynecologist's chair.

 I wonder what this must feel like for them.  Is it awkward?  Are they uncomfortable? And why aren't they being accompanied by their husbands? 

Dot.dot.dot.  Definitely one of the most iconic experiences I've had in Israel.

What Goes On Outside Of The Classroom

Let me tell you about the student who lives across the hall from me.

There have been at least two or three times that I have heard an alarming amount of verbal and physical abuse coming from my pupil's apartment.  The first time it came to my attention, my roommates and I all stood in the hall spying on the family trying to figure out what was going on, but the shouting was all in  Hebrew, so it was rather useless.  I called the head teacher and told her about what was going on.  She called the principle to report it.  She said the principal knows about the abuse in the family and that the school is not allowed to get involved with it; and that if it got worst to call the police. Although, she adamantly advised me not to get involved.  That night when I was in the hall, the other neighbor on my floor came home and walked into his house completely ignoring what was going on.  I was stunned.  I knocked on his door.  He opened it and his two toddlers were standing in the doorway with him.  "Don't you hear what's going on? Does this always happen??  Shouldn't we say something," I asked.  He told me that this is old news and shrugged it off.  I urged him to come into the hallway with me and he obliged, standing there with a nervous smile on his face as we absorbed the ruckus.  In a social psychology course I took in college, we learned about a phenomena known as the bystander effect.  The bystander effect occurs when there are a bunch of people present at the scene of an emergency and no one steps in because they all assume someone else will intervene.  The current situation felt much like this phenomena-- the domestic abuse was something everyone in the community knew about, but didn't talk about.  

Do you know how awful of a feeling it is to sit back and let this assault occur to one of my students that I care about?  How could I let this happen?  After all, I am not helpless.  I am the kind of girl who stands up for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Tonight I heard the abuse occurring again.  I opened the door and nudged my friend who was over to come with me into the hallway.  We heard crying and shouting and banging.  We stood there in disbelief and went back into my house to finish our meal.  A few minutes later I get a knock on my door.  Two police officers were standing before me.  Someone had finally reported my student's family.  I told the police they were at the wrong location and pointed to the direction of the drama.  I watched the officers as they walked into the family's apartment, shutting the door behind them.  

 Sometimes you don't realize the things that hit home with you the most until you experience it first hand.  This situation got me thinking about what I want to do with my life and the compassion I have for victims of such circumstances.  Being on this program has not only shined light for my knack and love for children, but also points me in the direction of pursuing social work for childhood welfare. 

Unusual Punishment

Today I caught my student Idan drawing during our English lesson.  I told him that if he is going to draw pictures or pass notes during my class, he is going to have to translate them them into English as punishment.  Take a look:

Spicing It Up

Today I pulled out my two 5th grade regulars and showed them a powerpoint on hippies, as I had promised.  They had no idea what they were in for.  I told them this was Burning Man; one of the biggest Carnivals in the world-- and if the world were to end, this is where I would want to be.


Here were some of their responses to the photos:

Intro Slide.  I explained to them that Burning Man is known for lighting a tower like structure of a Male up in flames.  They asked me if it was a real man burning, and I said, "No! Of course not!  That is inhumane!"  

It takes place in a Desert in Black Rock City, Nevada.  I showed them it's location on a map of the United States.

It is a five day festival.  The community builds a City to live in.

People bring their Families.  The Hebrew word for family is "Mishpaha" 

(a very important word to know).

People ride around on auto buses.  They know the word auto bus because it is a Hebrew cognitive.

People also ride on an a man made elephant.  Elephant is one of the first English words that Israeli children learn.

And of course, there are fire dancers.

They got all excited when they saw the astronauts.  Astronaut is also a Hebrew cognitive.

People climb on countless structures, such as this butterfly.  I taught them the word climb because they are into Spiderman.

This is one of many examples of what a person wears to this kind of festival.  The first thing out of my student Idan's mouth was, "AIDS" (as in the disease).  AIDS for some reason is a word in his vocabulary, that he finds funny and shouts out often.  I shook my head and told him she was dressed up as a dinosaur.

This is a typical costume for a male.  The kids relentlessly teased me about this picture, shouting out that he is my boyfriend.  Very funny, but I don't think so.

And most importantly, Burning Man has a "Leave no trace" policy.  Members of the community are required  to keep their waste and bring it out of the desert.  Then I taught my kids the importance of not littering.

It is safe to say my students minds were blown.  They asked me if I have ever been there, and I told them that I would be going for the first time once I got back from Israel.  They were excited for me and asked me what I would dress up like. I told them I would be a ballerina mermaid fairy.  I will be testing them on the vocabulary they learned in this powerpoint.  I am hoping that the visuals will assist them in remembering better.

Winter Time in Tel Aviv

Okay. so not every day in Winter is like this-- but on the ones which it doesn't rain, you know where you can find me!  Hanging out by the Mediterranean Sea with a journal in hand.

In The Negev

The Israeli desert is referred to as the Negev.  It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.  It is especially magical, because from the top of the mountains you have access to a 360 degree view of Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.  I would recommend to anyone who comes to Israel to take make a day out of hiking in the Negev and explore its natural wonders.

A view from the top!

My friend Zoe and I a midst its serene vastness.

Quiet Time.