The First Week of Teaching Hebrew In Laquia

Since the orientation meeting at the school in Laqiya, I had been apprehensive about my upcoming assignment to speak Hebrew with students in 7th and 8th grades once a week. During the previous week, I kept thinking about ways to engage the students, and on the evening before my first visit, I went to a hobby store near my home and bought some attractive supplies that might interest the students, just in case.

So, last Monday morning, I left the house early to begin my journey south. When I arrived at the school, I met the other volunteers and the coordinator and went to my classroom. My classroom is located inside the ecological center, a special project designed by our coordinator, Ohad, and maintained in collaboration with the students. Ohad is a relatively young sustainability educator who speaks fluent Arabic and is well liked by the students.

Since it was their first time, he brought the students with him to the classroom. The first group consisted of seven 7th-grade girls. We spent the hour pleasantly. They were happy and cooperative, and when they shared their dreams for the future (becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.), it was clear that they understood the importance of speaking Hebrew and improving their proficiency in the language. Another interesting observation was that, when talking about their dreams, they mentioned that a family member, especially a sibling, was either studying at university or already working in their chosen profession.

I had a similar experience with the other two groups. In the second hour, there were eight 8th graders, three of whom were boys. They insisted on sitting apart from the girls, and Ohad explained that this was their condition for attending the class. At first, I was a bit worried about the prospect of studying together, but after a few minutes, they settled down.

The last hour was spent with four 7th-grade girls. They were equally nice, but since there were only five of us, including me, they felt very comfortable asking me about my personal life, commenting on my blue eyes (they all had brown eyes), and even touching my gray hair. I didn’t mind. It seems that my being 71 years old was quite a sensation, as I was probably older than their grandmothers.

My first lessons in Laqiya were a very positive experience. When we, the volunteers, gathered to share our impressions of the day, it turned out that we had all had good lessons. I really hope this is a good sign for the whole year.