ETAI– For a lifetime of shared professional development
The school year started. And stopped for holidays. And started again. And for the Jewish sector it stopped again for more holidays. And then started again. And now, for all of us living within 40 kilometers of the Gaza strip, school has stopped again. But even for everyone else, life isn’t exactly normal either. One thing that has become apparent during the past few days is the importance of being able to communicate in English. The news stations are busy broadcasting and interviewing people in English. Social media is full of international interaction in English. The diplomatic talks and contacts are conducted in English or translated into English. Knowing English is important, and we English teachers are important facilitators of that knowledge.
Being part of ETAI is a way to support and take pride in the important work that everyone in the English teaching profession does.ETAI started off the year with an event in Jerusalem on October 9that the American Cultural Center in Jerusalem. Attendees were treated to a lecture by Ms. Leslye Orr, who, legally blind from birth, is a champion for rights of people with diverse learning needs and a role model in her own right for educators everywhere. Following the lecture was a screening of the movie “The Brooke Ellison Story.” The film tells the true story of a young woman who, after being severely disabled in an accident as a child, goes on to beat tremendous physical and societal odds and, with the support of her family, achieves academic success in high school and at Harvard. She becomes a role model for able-bodied and disabled people alike. Thanks to Susan Bedien and Eleanor Satlow for organizing the event and to the American Cultural Center for hosting us. It was a stimulating and thought-provoking evening.
The second ETAI event of the year was held at Oranim Academic College. On November 13ththe second northern ETAI students’ conference was held. The conference was organized entirely by the student presenters and participants, with the help of Jackie Teplitz and Fran Sokel. Following the conference Fran commented, “The atmosphere was terrific,… the presentations were superb, the organisation was faultless …What more could we ask for? I am very proud of our initiative of having a students’ conference…Apart from promoting teacher professionalism, putting such conferences together provides a wonderful opportunity for the colleges to work together.” We are certain that the southern ETAI students’ conference on January 20th, 2013 at Achvah Academic College will also be exciting and successful!
We are also excited about being part of the centennial celebration for the Reali Hebrew High School in Haifa. The ETAI winter conference will be held there on Monday, December 10, 2012. There are 20 presentations planned for two sessions, in addition to the three plenary talks to be given by Judy Steiner, Elisheva Barkon and Penny Ur. Download the program from the ETAI site: www.etai.org.il. Members can take advantage of pre-registration by December 3rdand get a discount. Teachers who are required work on that day, and therefore must arrive late, are eligible for a reduced entrance fee at 16:00. Don’t miss the conference! We’re anticipating a very worthwhile afternoon.
Other events ETAI events are being planned. The ETAI spring conference will be held at the Herzog High School in Kfar Saba on Monday March 13th 2013. Mark your calendars! The annual mini-conference in Nes Tziona is also in the works, to be held on Tuesday February 5th. We hope that other minis will be held in both the north and the south of the country. If you are interested in planning and hosting an ETAI mini-conference, please contact Karen at the ETAI office –etaioffice@gmail.com, 02-5001844.
And there’s more! Beginning December 7thand running for nine weeks, SEETA will be running another closed course exclusively for the members of the SEETA Teachers’ Associations. The course, called “Write On”, is a practical workshop focusing on developing your own tasks and materials for improving learners’ writing skills at different levels. Samples will be given of writing activities for participants to use and assess. A Certificate of on-line Attendance will be awarded upon completion of the course. More information about how to enroll will be available soon. You must be an ETAI member to participate in this course. For a taste of SEETA online courses, join the open course on E-Safety running now on SEETA,http://www.seeta.eu.
Wishing you all a quiet, peaceful school year and I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming ETAI event!
Michele Ben, ETAI Chair