Hi everyone!

Hi everyone!
This week was like any other week in our busy Ulpan, packed with a variety of students from all different places. We have students from Holland, Italy, Germany, France, Canada e.t.c.
I am obliged to remark that it is simply delightful to host here all these people. I like to chat with them and listen to their stories and about the things that we have in common between our cultures and not. I really enjoy hearing what they think about us and what they like about Israel.
Every one of our students has a unique story. As teachers we are in the position to relate to and use their life experiences as part of our teaching strategy to figure out their learning styles. How they relate to themselves and their self image, really effects how they are able to learn Hebrew.
I believe that a positive learning experience is the key to success! On this basis, if a student comes to our Ulpan at the age of 35 and in their school they had a negative learning experience this really effects how they approach learning afresh and often are inclined to feel like a failure.
We are in the position to change all of this. We can make a profound effect even with simple positive words of encouragement. We have the strength to give our students a new learning experience and change the way they look at learning anything new.
A student who leaves their class feeling positive about learning Hebrew also leaves positive about learning full stop and then, well then the sky is the limit!
Have a great week full of positive, encouraging words!

Saray

Hello everyone!

This week has been unusually wintery here in Israel. It's easy to get confused and assume that one is in Europe!
This week though was especially warm and pleasant though, here in our Ulpan. I really like the wintery atmosphere outside when it is so comfy inside and our teaching really pleases the students.
We had training for the teachers this week in Jerusalem. It was a lot of fun to travel abit and to have a change of atmosphere. It was also really nice to see the teachers in Jerusalem and to exchange stories about the differences in experiences in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. It was interesting to speak about and see the personalities of the different students that come to study in Jerusalem as compared to the personalities of the students here in Tel Aviv.
The great thing to see was that how the style of the city and the life there really attracts people with a similar personality. With regards to Tel Aviv, I can say that our students are really like the city that never sleeps. They are practical and are looking to study the language fast but not just Hebrew rather the language of the Israeli people. They want to become Israeli with a real Israeli accent and to be able to control their lives here. I personally like the practical nature of our students here in Tel Aviv and I think that it is a healthy and correct way to approach the Hebrew language. For this reason I very much enjoy studying with them.
Over the past few days we have been celebrating the birthday of Eliezer Ben Yehuda and so I thought to read a little about him in order to learn things that I didn't know already. It was interesting to discover that Ben Yehuda added around 300 words to the language such as; pedestrian street, train e.t.c His life work really took off after his death and I think that we are also proof that his life's work was correct. I don't want to think what life would be like without a special language of our own!

Shabbat Shalom and of course a warm and healthy winter,

Saray

Hello!!

This week has been an especially busy week…. Lots of work.
I have a student who is herself a language teacher-she teaches Italian, thus the experience with her has been unique. It is very different to study with and to teach a teacher; their ways of thinking are different and yet similar to my way of thinking as a teacher. Studying with her is pleasant, the lessons flow smoothly and I am really enjoying our classes. I also enjoy hearing about a different culture. She has a very small dog that would never hurt a soul and she brings him to class where he sits with us and learns Hebrew!
Additionally I have a student from London with whom I have a really nice and natural connection. I discovered just how much passive knowledge can exist within us and how much the barrier to talk in public can prevent us from getting out and using Hebrew. With her, I really saw a process similar to blossoming.
Just like how a flower that closes at night begins to slowly open as the day creeps in, this also happened with my student. At the beginning she was very nervous and there was a need to break the language barrier slowly and carefully. And with a lot of courage, she broke the barrier and was a great success. I discovered a real flower. Her ability to master the language and vocabulary really impressed me.
The lesson that can be learnt here is that we must not judge our students on their first attempts at speaking. Rather we should give them a little time to open up and blossom which then gives us the chance to see the potential which is contained within.
Last week a good friend of mine got married which was very exciting and afterwards we got to spend the "Shabbat Chatan" in Tiberius, at the foot of the lake giving us breathtaking views.
And so until next time,
Shavua Tov,
Sarai

Hello all!

This week we lit the first candle of Chanukah! Chanuukah in Judaism is a time that miracles happen! Always, when the festival arrives, I make a concerted effort to think about the miracles that I would like to happen; after all, everything is just a matter of faith.

This week was very nice in Ulpan here in Tel Aviv. We got two new students and the interesting thing was that both of them spoke Hebrew very well! You could even say that both of them spoke Hebrew like Israelis and the situation was a little amusing because it felt like I was teaching Hebrew to native Israelis. I guess that it wasn't just the language rather it was the Israeli mentality that they have acquired in recent years which gives them the sense of being Israeli.

One of the things that I think is the most special about our Ulpan is that we take Hebrew learning to a very practical level. I really like to get to know the students and their interests and according to this, I can then give them texts that they will find interesting. This makes their Ulpan studies a real learning experience. The student feels not only that they are learning a new language, rather, that they can find themselves within their new language and feel more at ease with Hebrew. I can see in their eyes that when they speak about something close to their hearts, or about themselves; the fact that they can speak about it in Hebrew moves them.

There is nothing that makes me happier than when a student manages to break the language barrier and successfully passes the challenge that they have set before themselves. More than once have I seen in students of ours, that following a successful course, the student not only changes their perspective on learning a new language but also their whole outlook changes.

I wish you all a happy Chanukah and may all our wishes come true.

Sarai

Hi!

Hi!
Almost a week ago I returned from a month far away up North. There is no need to say that it is an excellent place to live, the views from the kibbutz and the community atmosphere were wonderful but is good that it lasted a month and not more because I missed my life in the big city.
And so I returned a week ago and it was simply great to return to the Tel Avivian lifestyle; to the Dan busses and above all to all my students at the Ulpan whom I love very much.
This week I got a new student who came from Eastern Europe and despite the fact that I have been in the Ulpan quite a while and taught many basic courses, the feelings with her were different. Something, whilst teaching and studying with her, was done differently. People from Europe are from a very different culture from us Israelis and it therefore is often expressed during their studies. They need to understand every little thing, it is hard for them to simply "go with the flow", something which is very natural amongst us Israelis. Not that this is a bad thing, the opposite, it is simply that the culture and education are very different.
Her studies were exhaustive and I felt like it had been a long time that a student at such a basic level (A-B) had succeeded to challenge me academically despite it being a course that I have taught a great number of times. This is precisely what I love about my work here at Ulpan Aviv, every time a new student enters the through the door, it is as if a new world has entered with a different culture and conventions. We as teachers need to take it into consideration and to use it to guide their studies and our teaching. I find this all extremely fascinating.
This week I did something that I haven't done before; on Tuesday I carried out an evaluation and initial meeting with someone who was interested in studying with us. The meeting itself was carried out in Hebrew which was a little relief for me and it went simply excellently. Immediately we scheduled classes, she paid and this Sunday she will begin.
I really enjoyed the experience of selling! It wasn't just due to economic reasons; the opposite, defiantly not for economic reasons. I enjoyed it because I know the fine nature of the product that I sell. I know that it really is as good as I say and not simply words coming out of my mouth- double satisfaction!
Have a great weekend everyone and Shabbat Shalom!
Saray Pentzak
Ulpan Aviv - Teacher

Shalom lekulam! Ma shlomchem?

Well time is really flying by and I only have another week and a half up north before the project ends. It has been a really interesting experience for me and one that I will not soon forget. With the students being so young and so far away from home, I have often felt like a mother to them and not just their teacher. It has been really important for me to remember to ask them how they are, how they are feeling, how things are going for them and generally to be available to listen if they needed to talk. Studying psychology has proved invaluable at times!
In Judaism there is a very important principle for parents and teachers regarding education, it is that the left hand pushes away while at the same time, the right hand brings closer. It is very important to remember when we are angry with a student or a child that we mustn’t only punish him but we must also bring him back and restore him!
All this said, I am really looking forward to getting back to the Ulpan and normal life. Kibbutz life is so different from being near Tel Aviv where people dress in clothes other than what looks like pyjamas and where you see life, shops, cinemas and restaurants, etc. I guess I am just more of a city girl at heart………
Shabbat Shalom,
Saray Pentzak
Ulpan Aviv - Teacher

Shalom, Shalom! Ma shlomchem?

Shalom, Shalom! Ma shlomchem?
This week I am writing this blog in between my Australian students' lessons up in the Kibbutz near Galilee. It really is a beautiful day and very hot for the month of November. The Kibbutz looks lovely in the autumn sunlight. Everything is going well here and I am getting used to the rhythm here on the Kibbutz. It is great fun to have Efat here with me to share the experience. Last week was a very special week. It had 2 major events in it. My new little nephew's Brit Mila (circumcision) and a friend from work's wedding. Both are very significant moments in our lives as Jews and especially here in Israel. Both were very special and moving moments in their own very different way. With so many moments of uncertainty, sadness, or fear here in Israel, it was very touching to be able to celebrate life and its joyful side, twice in one week. On Thursdays, I am still teaching at the Ulpan in Tel Aviv and was really happy to welcome back one of our students, Bram, whom you may have read about in one of our recent newsletters. He continues to make really great progress and had a job interview this week. We really wish him all the best with his interview and every success. Bechazlacha Bram!

I hope you all have a great week and look forward to writing my blog next week. Shavua Tov le kulam!
Saray Pentzak
Ulpan Aviv - Teacher