Israel School Strike Internet News Support Forum Created

By Israel News Agency Staff

Jerusalem ---- October 21, 2007...... As Israel enters its second week of striking junior and senior high school teachers and empty classrooms, an Internet forum has been opened for teachers, children and parents.

The strike news and support forum which is named Israel School Strike is located at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/israelschoolstrike.

"Whenever there is a crisis, people should be able to turn to the Internet for real time information, news and support," said Israel PR crisis communications consultant and Israel school strike community news forum creator Joel Leyden.

"Israel school teachers make a meager 4,500 NIS or 1,000 USD per month, barely enough to survive on. Israel is listed among the bottom of all nations for compensation for teachers. These dedicated professionals work from early in the morning to late at night grading papers. They have advanced university degrees but are treated like dirt by the government. Only the voices of concerned parents will end this strike and provide a better quality environment for both teachers and students. After Israel's security, education must be realized as the second most important priority."

According to Israel Education Ministry figures, the strike has closed down 1,200 Israel high schools and over 40 percent of Israel's junior high schools.

Many junior high school teachers belong to the rival National Teachers Union and not to the SSTO. The NTU is not striking because it has already signed a wage agreement with the government, offering higher pay for more weekly work hours.

An Israel Education Ministry hotline continues to function between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily, and can be reached at special phone number 1212-234567.

According to Israel ministry figures, some 1,200 parents and students called the hotline during the first day of the strike.

"As a veteran teacher of 17 years duration, with a BA from Northwestern University (a "Top Ten" University in the USA), who won the prize in 2007 as High School English Teacher of the Year from the Education Ministry, and earns 4500 shekels a month for full time employment, let me just take a
moment to clarify a few things that have been said," said Jodi Schenck.

"The strike is not against your children, it will benefit them in the long term. It is your children who suffer from overcrowded classrooms (41 kids in one of my classes, 39 in another etc.). In my district, your children's English hours were cut from 6 per week down to as low as 3 in some classes. Native Speaker classes are in danger of extinction in many parts of Israel and fresh, energetic young teachers are leaving the field in droves, if they were foolish enough to enter it in the first place."

Schenck continues: "As a full time teacher who also has worked as a homeroom teacher and English
coordinator in my school to supplement my pitiful salary, I am expected to be available until July 15th (the date of the Matriculation makeup exam) and to return by August 15th for meetings. 4 weeks vacation (not 4 months) is about what my husband gets in high tech-but his work ends at the office.
I spend hours every night grading, preparing materials, speaking to students/parents on the phone, attending meetings. Ask my family how much "holiday" time I get-I think you'd be surprised."

"Lastly, regarding school holidays, although it may seem like we get an exceptional amount of time off, according to the OCED (an international body which compares the educational systems of more than 40 major countries yearly) Israeli teachers work 42 weeks a year compared to 38 in England and America. Many women go into teaching in order to work the hours their kids are in school and to be available to their children when they are home."

Schenck concludes: "Contrary to the popular saying, 'those who can do, and those who can't teach', I can and do many things-I choose to devote myself to improving the system from within, but it would be a lot easier and a whole lot more effective with your support."

Jerusalem Post editor David Horovitz comments: "The main teachers' union, the Histadrut's National Teachers Union, has already signed a salary hike and reform package with the Treasury, which the government is reluctant to jeopardize by offering better terms to the SSTO. The SSTO's leader, Ran Erez, is, to put this gently, not the most charismatic or articulate of advocates for his members' cause. The education minister, Yuli Tamir, is politically weak and seems embarrassingly irrelevant to the whole dispute. Parents, to judge by my own experience, have not been assiduously wooed to help press for the teachers' demands - not even unassiduously wooed, come to think of it. And at the same time, the union says it has prepared strategically for this resort to labor action, and will stay out for months if necessary."

"Low pay means embittered, unmotivated teachers, and keeps charismatic new blood from joining the educators' ranks. Classrooms overflow with 40-plus students and classroom hours have been inexorably cut back, so kids aren't actually learning so much as desperately being crammed for exams in which they are faring ever more poorly. Schools are collapsing physically, because of inadequate budgets. And the people of Israel just don't seem to care."

Horovitz concludes: "I'm furious that my son's not gone back to school since Succot, but I have a lot more sympathy with the teachers, having spoken to some of them, than I did a few days ago. And a lot less for their splintered union representation and the government suits who have allowed things to deteriorate this far. I don't know if they're going to prevail in this struggle. I'm not even certain that their demands go far enough to address the devastating root problems. And I think their spokespeople have done a lousy job of elucidating what is at stake. Yes, it takes a lot to shake the public out of its inertia. But these are teachers, after all. They ought to be better at getting their lesson across. Still, if we don't heed it, the failure will be all of ours."

In related news, University lecturers in Israel will not open the academic school year Sunday morning.
The lecturers met for five hours Saturday evening with Israel Education Minister Yuli Tamir and Finance Ministry representatives at the minister's office in last-ditch efforts to prevent the strike.