[etni] Fw: re: Close the language gap
----- Original Message ----- From: "sbshai" <sbshai@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
Subject: Re: Close the language gap


Can I assume that when you say that you are both "professionals", you mean
that you are certified teachers?
If so, there's a one word answer to your question: BUREAUCRACY.  Like other
enlightened countries, Israel likes to think of itself as a nation that sets 
standards.
It seems that one of these is that ESL teachers must be able to conduct
their English classes in Hebrew!

I kid you not: Just sit in an English classroom (for non-native speakers)
and note the percentage of English (versus Hebrew) that is used for
explanation.
And then the 'experts' wonder why students' proficiency in the language is
so low!

Interestingly, the ulpan system is (or, at least, it used to be) based on
learning Hebrew by using this language exclusively.  I can testify from my
experience that this method is far more successful than working with a
private tutor who translates and explains everything in your mother tongue.
(True, you have to work harder on your own, but as teachers we know that
there's a direct correlation between effort and outcome!)

So keep trying -- there must be someone out there who realizes the value of
teaching English in English!

All the best,
Batya


Lori wrote:
With the short comings in the Israeli Eng. Educ. System, why will you not accept professionals like myself and my husband, who want to live and teach English in Israel? My husband's Hebrew is limited and mine is null, but our heart's desire is to teach English in Israel; even if it is only for a year. Why is it so difficult to get an English teaching job in Israel? Lori and David McNiel 


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