- HOME
- Table of Contents
- Resume
- Philosophy Statement
- 1. History of Jewish/General Education
- 2. Assessment
- 3. Curriculum
- 4. Language Development/Hebrew
- 5. Personal Development of Teachers
- 6. Collaboration/Community
- 7. Technology
- 8. Learning and Cognition
- 9. Evidence-Based Practice
- 10. Child Development
- 11. Content Knowledge
- 12. Ethics and Values
- 13. Instructional Methods
- Inspiration/Chizuk
- Post-Observation Reflections
4. Reflections - עברית בעברית
I am very thankful for the solid Hebrew-language education I received, and for, thank G-d, my abilities to read, write, learn, and converse comfortably in both Biblical and Modern Hebrew. Probably 99% of my peers do not feel as comfortable learning in Hebrew as I do; I think this has a direct correlation with the fact that I have chosen to continue Jewish learning beyond compulsory schooling, and have even chosen to pursue it as a career.
I also think my confidence in Hebrew has contributed to my enjoyment and feelings of being “at-home” in Israel, and a genuine desire to make aliyah, made more realistic by the ability to speak the language.
Today, we bemoan that students seem to be learning Hebrew even less than in previous years. While many schools claim to be “Ivrit b’Ivrit”, they understand the dearth of teachers who can actually speak fluently in Ivrit, let alone teach –and teach well; therefore we feel a need to sacrifice Hebrew language for the sake of teaching actual Jewish Studies content.
I included several aspects of my job, in which I contribute towards the mission of teaching and/or facilitating Ivrit b’Ivrit learning. As I am an Assistant Teacher, I can not control the usual climate nor the language of the class, but when I do teach, I certainly try to incorporate as much Ivrit as possible. Our administrators encourage us to use as much basic Ivrit as possible in the classroom to promote familiarity and comfort with the language. While we protest that students genuinely do not understand, and therefore need to repeat everything in English anyway, they reassure us that with proper gesturing, engaging lessons, and with time, students WILL “pick it up”.
Included is a great article from Arutz Sheva/Israel National News on spiritual, intellectual, and practical reasons for learning Hebrew.
I chose to attend the Institute’s Summer Ulpan L’Morot course, whose certificate of completion is included. I wanted to strengthen my pedagogical vocabulary, skills, and comfort in teaching in Ivrit. Just the fact that this is one of the Standards for our Portfolio demonstrates that Azrieli considers it a significant value for Jewish educators; however, there is currently no mandatory training. I think an Ulpan, tracked according to students’ incoming levels, SHOULD become a mandatory course among the requirements.