regevdl Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Hi FDR friends, I am a bit divided on an upcoming job opportunity and wanted to get some feedback. First a bit of a lay of the land on the situation. I am in Israel, I'm an American. I live in a very remote area and my children attend a public school (no other option in a reasonable vicinity). I knew this going in but part of the decision was that our county is one of the wealthiest and invests a lot in the school. It functions at a very high level, not too authoritarian and not as much of the heavy indoctrination that occurs in schools in other parts of this country. If I lived in any other part of the country I would send them to private school. Home schooling here is virtually non-existent. There is a demand for it but the government is a lead foot against it. The other benefit is that since my children moved here when they were a few years old, the public school environment does give them the necessary exposure to learning the language, something I cannot provide to them at home. I supplement my childrens' education with homeschooling. I am not doing a full program, obviously but I 'fill in the blanks' so to speak. I am certified as in ESL which is teaching English as a Second language (or also called EFL: English as a Foreign Language). This country is in desperate need of native speakers as teachers. Most of the English teachers here are Russian and no matter where you go, children constantly complain that they cannot even understand the teacher in Hebrew let alone English. I looked at my nephew's English homework one day and even I was confused. I, not having any knowledge of where he is in his learning, just gave him a few tips and he reported it helped him tremendously. So I have a strong 'poker chip'. Being an anarcho-capitalist I am not interested in being a government teacher. I have made this clear to the county bureaucrats and again, because we are a very small community and given the high demand and low supply, they are very open minded....and many of the bureaucrats' children would be my students so they have personal as well as professional interests in getting me on board. Most people think I am crazy for not wanting the 'secure' gvt teaching job in the traditional sense. Phrases like "Pension!" "Good Pay!", etc are frequently peppered in the conversation when I'm trying to keep the conversation around the topic of "better, more efficient education for your children!" "More natural learning, rather than memorization", etc. Anywho, My hesitant husband quickly agreed with me after I used my logical arguments and understood that the money will come if I get to teach MY way and not be locked in the current method. They seem to think that as long as a native speaker teaches the current method, it will be better. I am sure it will....to a small degree but it's the method that stinks. (and this is the same method most gvt schools use globally in any foreign language). No wonder it takes 10 years and still kids leave school not knowing how to read or write or dare speak in their new language. It's sad. I learned Hebrew (reading, writing and speaking) in 6 months. It's an ongoing learning process but those 6 months gave me so many launch-pads that if I translate that into a full year with KIDS for several years, they will be masters at their new language. I digress. I proposed the idea to the county of hiring me as an independent contractor. I teach my way, I still need to ensure the kids fulfill gvt 'standards' bla bla bla but won't be a problem because. ....they will actually LEARN in my program! The county was interested. My salary will still come from county income from taxation and didn't know if this crosses any ethical lines as an anarchist. Before I went to the county, I did engage with the parents of my community and ALL were on board. I tried to start a private after-school program but...and I know this will sound strange....there wasn't a way I could do it without the county forcing me to get them involved. I looked at every angle and they would shut me down if I went on my own. :-/ I thought about calling their bluff, knowing how much they desire my services but for now I will comply. Funny side note. The county did tell me that their main concern about me doing a private program is that they kids will learn too fast with me and out pace the gvt program. LOL!! So they KNOW the program is much better. I think too that (and I agree) that they see more value for me in the school since it pulls kids from 4 villages in the surrounding area. children I could not possibly have access to with my private program without the costs being too expensive or my availability too limited factoring driving time, etc. So as of now I have gotten consent from (not all) but most of the parents. Those who did not give me consent didn't necessarily disapprove, it was simply I have not met with them or their children are out of school, etc. Anyone I did speak with that have older children that would not benefit from my program (because they are no longer in school) did give consent and were pleased by the idea. I feel that even if my salary comes from taxation I HAVE taken measures to give approval from as many taxpayers as humanly possible that they agree with their money being used for this. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Gibbons Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/15648/home-schooling-a-rarity-in-israel-but-some-like-it/ I just found this article from 2001. Maybe you could get in contact with this woman and ask her about her experiences and see what she thinks about your desire to homeschool but also get your kids involved with others to learn the language. It is going to do you and your kids a lot better to have a close relationship with them at home. I think a recent podcast I listened to Stef mentioned that kids who are homeschooled by parents unspecialized in educating had a higher than average IQ from those who went through public/state indoctrination. If it's a money issue, ask the woman if she's had experience creating a privatized homeschooling club. Maybe some of those who you talked to and were on board would be interested enough in your services, or in exchanging their own services of teaching your children Hebrew or whatever language and skills you value. Ask her what her difficulties were and are with the government, I bet if you can contact her shed be a treasure trove of helpful advice. What is your husbands religious/state bent? Could he provide for the family on his own? How long have your children been going to public school, what have their experiences been like, and can you better serve them? I don't know the ins and outs, but these are some questions I think that would be helpful for you to ask and discuss with your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Gibbons Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 This isn't the podcast I was referring to in my previous post, but Stefan says some pertinent stuff about schooling which I think is also important to think about : FDR Podcast 2935 time: 2:28:33 EDIT: sorry, for some reason my previous post must be approved by a moderator, and will perhaps appear shortly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regevdl Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 THanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Gibbons Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 THanks so much. Ah you're welcome. I really appreciate what you're doing for your children, it means so much to them. I'd be interested in hearing if Sara provides any help if you can get in touch with her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luxfelix Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Is it possible to reimburse non-consenting families to negate the government's force? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regevdl Posted April 20, 2015 Author Share Posted April 20, 2015 In Israel? very unlikely. I WISH. It's all about taxation and 'benefits' to the Jews. I like it here but the tax farm structure is horrendous. They have socialized health care but many people are also buying private insurance and understanding that double paying is not so fun. taxed for 'shitty gvt healthcare' and paying reasonable prices for excellent privatized care. I hope it will catch on to the point that people will demand the gvt just get out of the healthcare business. But I digress. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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