[etni] The Strike and the Future


After the demonstration at Kikar Rabin I dared to hope that in the end 
something would work out. It also seemed to bring us all together, both Irgun 
and Histadrut members. I thought that surely someone somewhere would get the 
message. How naïve of me.
 
Having watched the press conference yesterday evening, I have for the first 
time lost all hope. Ran Erez was right when he said that forcing teachers to go 
back to work without a suitable agreement will not make them better teachers. I 
would like to think that, years from now, those people in the government and 
the Treasury will look back and hang their heads in sorrow when they realise 
how they undermined and crippled education in Israel. However, the chances are 
that they will be as detached from reality then as they are now...
 
Where will it all end? It seems to me (and we are seeing the initial signs of 
this already) that private schools will spring up, offering the kind of 
education that government schools are unable to give. I would imagine these 
schools would offer more competitive salaries than those offered by the 
Ministry of Education (not a particularly difficult task). Students who come to 
these 'extra-curricular' classes will also become less motivated during their 
regular school studies (if they come at all) assuming that the private teacher 
will make up for what they don't listen to in the morning. Moreover, the 
teaching of English will be totally exam-oriented with none of the 'fun' extras 
that we try to allow ourselves in spite of the heavy workload. And worst of 
all, good education will become a privilege of the rich. 
 
I sincerely hope that I am terribly wrong, but the future looks very bleak to 
me at the moment. It has been a long time since my ideals as a teacher and 
educator have 'gleamed'. At the moment they are 'flickering' and I am expecting 
them to 'vanish away' pretty soon. Or perhaps I should relate to another "oldie 
but goodie" from the literature shelves and just come to terms with the fact 
that I am watching my star go out.
 
Finally, I have to say that when I look at our students of today, they are 
generally speaking good kids with a lot to offer. Unfortunately the older 
generation – the one that so patronisingly acts as if it knows best – is giving 
them a very raw deal. I hope our children remember this and give their younger 
generation the best education they can. The education they deserve.
 
Andrew Wilson
                                                    
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