As usual, another busy week at Ulpan has been had. Thank G-d, Ulpan is growing and despite all the hard work it is so satisfying and inspiring to see it bloom. One of the nicest compliments I received this week was when a student arrived and as we started the lesson, told me, "Ah… now I am here I can relax and enjoy". That was wonderful to hear!
Later the same day, I was teaching another student when Sivan, a new teacher, came to observe the lesson. When discussing what she had seen she commented about how much I knew about the student's personal life. I smiled and realised that apparently teaching Hebrew is not just about teaching a language, for me it is a somewhat therapeutic relationship. Since we want students to break the language barrier, we try to use topics that are close to their hearts. This is a very useful communication tool and allows the students to forget they are learning a language and just relax and talk. Even I sometimes find myself bringing my own thoughts to the lesson, taking advice from a student or just talking about my day. I find learning a language in this setting is very useful and I also enjoy teaching like this alot. You'll just have to try it to really understand!
Shavua tov (Have a good week),
Saray Pentzak
Ulpan Aviv, Teacher
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