[etni] Re: Meitzav
- From: "David Graniewitz" <graniewitz@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "'ELEANOR ZWEBNER'" <eleanorz541@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <tsuravi@xxxxxxxxxxx>, <etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 8 May 2007 01:19:50 +0300
Thank you Eleanor for understanding the point I was trying to make (and for
correcting the typo that I made - I wrote renumeration instead of
remuneration.)
Standardised tests in all subjects at all levels are one of the biggest
banes of the educational system. At elementary school level, it is even
worse. Having spoken to teachers of my own children, it seems that they are
required to mark all the exams each year for free. When I told them that
high school teachers don't do it as we simply refused to do so back in the
early '90's, they shrugged their shoulders and said that there was nothing
that they could do about it. We should consider ourselves lucky enough to be
in a union that has done something about it. The Histadrut doesn't seem to
mind that its members are being taken advantage of in such a fashion.
Avi Tsur - it would be nice of you to enlighten us, poor ignorant teachers
as to the benefits that the Meitzav exams actually bring to schools,
teachers, pupils and to the educational system in general. I agree totally
with Eleanor about not wanting to use the exam as a semester test (what
happens if you teach a weak class, for example?) And if the exam is being
checked externally, then no pupil will know his/her grade. Why should pupils
have to waste precious lesson time taking a test the result of which will
remain guarded from them? How are we as teachers supposed to encourage them
to take it seriously? Many pupils get worked up over exams - why should they
get stressed out unnecessarily over an irrelevant exam?
I apologise for not having any reliable source for my information. As
Eleanor has pointed out, it just makes sense. During my 17 years in the
system, I have developed a streak of cynicism which I have found tends to
keep me sane at times. Perhaps you could tell us why the Ministry in its
infinite wisdom has decided to place this extra burden on its already
overworked and underpaid teaching staff.
Keep well,
David
_____
From: ELEANOR ZWEBNER [mailto:eleanorz541@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Monday, May 07, 2007 8:25 PM
To: tsuravi@xxxxxxxxxxx; graniewitz@xxxxxxxxxxxx; etni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [etni] Re: Meitzav
According to the Irgun ( call them, fax them or email them for a letter for
yr school administration) marking standardized tests for the Ministry (or
Manhi or anyone...) without proper remuneration is one of the items for
which we are striking . They forbid us to grade Maitzav exams until the
issue has been settled.
Re: making it the test for the semester grade -- I personally object. I
want to send pupils home with specific items to STUDY, LEARN and prepare for
a test. I hate : "tomorrow is an English test so let's go to a movie..."
already in grade 8. Unseen material (reading or listening or writing),
should be only a small per centage of their grades at this stage
As for Mr Graniewitz's source of information --it simply makes sense -- or
dollars and cents: if the tests are important to the Ministry, then they
want someone to mark them. If they had the funds -- they would hire someone
to do the job.
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