[etni] Re: My two cents
- From: Ruthi <rsheffer@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: mckopels@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:32:44 +0200
Ariella I don't know you personally but thank you for your letter which
shows very clearly what a dedicated and conscientious teacher you are. You
have spoken for many of us out in Etni Land.You put the problems and
frustrations we go through daily very succintly.
Well Put
Shabbat Shalom
Ruth
On 18 February 2010 22:01, Ariella Kopels <mckopels@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I apologize up front that this is very long. I have been following the
> various threads on the discussion list for some time, and it seems to me
> that they have one point in common: English teachers want to feel validated
> ? professionally and yes, financially. I think that there is a large gap
> between what we want out students to achieve and how the system helps us to
> accomplish our goals.
> Recently a number of former 4 point students have approached me to improve
> their Bagrut points by taking the 5 point exam. Several have told me that
> their chosen institutions of higher learning have suggested upgrading
> English because Math and Hebrew Language would be too difficult. ?You just
> need a 95?? A piece of cake - after all English isn?t one of those serious
> subjects. You know - if you can use the Internet (in vaguely discernable
> language) and understand movies (whose level of grammar and vocabulary isn?t
> any better) you too can ace the 5 point modules. Does anyone take us
> seriously anymore?
> Every one of the points discussed relates to our professional credibility.
> L D dispensations have become the Wild West. There are no standards. No one
> is monitoring who gets what and few parents trust our opinions. Last week
> one of my students told me ?I don?t need to learn vocabulary, I have
> ??hakalot?.? The number of students who have dispensations has grown by
> leaps and bounds over the past ten years; yet I consistently see students
> who have real problems denied help because their families don?t have the
> ability to pay for testing. True, there are many students whose
> dispensations are legitimate, but many are not. Then there is the matter of
> how these dispensations are applied. Why is it that in every other subject
> the students can by tested by a ?neutral tester? who write the answers for
> them; are English teachers not trustworthy?
> And, if we are talking about standards, why is it that there are no
> definitive guidelines for administering the modules? I appreciate the notion
> of independence, but there is a large gray zone out there. In an attempt to
> make our department more efficient, our co-ordinater has spoken to four
> other schools to see how they run their Bagrut program. Not one of them gave
> the same answer. Then we have the matter of the yearly grade, the kids still
> call it a ?magen? and that?s how they see it. It seems to me that there is
> something intrinsically wrong with a system of examinations that needs to
> have a ?shield? for the students to do well. In the years I have been
> teaching for Bagrut I have been questioned by homeroom teachers, cajoled by
> students, threatened by parents (?If my son commits suicide you are
> personally responsible??) and offered cash, which was turned down and
> reported to the administration - so it?s not all about the money .
> Why are some of us looking for remuneration for the projects now? Simple
> because we didn?t know any better. It was part of the job. I didn?t know
> that other departments are paid for all sorts of tasks that we do for free.
> Call it the Anglo-Saxon work ethic ? and it doesn?t matter if you are
> Israeli or European born, if you teach English you are guilty of
> association. I don?t want more than teachers in other departments; I just
> want the same treatment.
> As for the HOTS, yes they are very important. They are also time consuming
> and very puzzling to students who don?t know the concepts in their L1. This
> is not only my humble opinion. I have spoken to colleagues from History and
> Science, who are also being pushed HOT and heavy into the program and have
> students who look at them cross-eyed because they truly do not know what is
> expected of them. You can dress the program up with bells and whistles, You
> Tube and worksheets, but nothing can replace solid preparation in the
> elementary grades.
> I think I am a good teacher, I know that my colleagues are. I just want to
> be able to do what I do best and be respected for those efforts.
> Shabbat Shalom,
> Ariella Kopels
>
>
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