[etni] Fw: teacher mentoring

----- Original Message ----- 
From: laurie ornstein - laurenmadeline@xxxxxxxxx
Subject: teacher mentoring


Hi All,

I just read the article on Michigan's mentoring program for new teachers. An 
excellent idea!

I started out teaching in this country, very young and inexperienced. I'm 
ever so thankful to Ruth Benziman , who took me under her wing, at Arlozorov 
Elementary school in Jerusalem. (The school no longer exists) We sat 
together every week, often on Saturday afternoons in her home, and she 
helped me plan all my lessons. All my "free" lessons were spent in her 
classroom observing. I learned all about classroom management just watching 
her in action. Better than any textbook or class I've ever taken! Her 
methodology took me a long way and I'm indebted to her for life!

This was, of course, voluntary and in no way funded by the Ministry of 
Education.

When I made the move to high school, again, a colleague stepped in to guide 
me, Marsha Gerber. That made all the difference, too.

Today, I'm a counselor, working with Bedouin teachers as many of you already 
know. This is a mentoring position funded by the Ministry. Presently, I'm 
working on my own, with no other counselors. There are tens of schools and 
many, many teachers in need of help. I've tried unsuccessfully to find new 
counselors to join me. Perhaps, if the Ministry put counseling higher up on 
its list of priorities, more veteran teachers would consider such a 
position. I'm considering asking the Ministry to foot the bill for my next 
set of tires as I've left a lot of rubber driving on dirt tracks to village 
schools, not to mention over pot-holed roads in the towns.

I truly believe that a serious mentoring program, as the one described, 
should be implemented in Israel. Let's help those teach who really see 
teaching as their calling. I'm certain we'd have less drop-outs!

Laurie



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