Is this the norm for Israeli schools?

ImaInIsrael

Fri, Jun 28 2013, 7:47 am

I've been very unhappy with the lack of discipline that I see in my childrens' classrooms. Two of my sons attend a Talmud Torah and my daughter goes to a mamlachti dati school and whenever I visit any of their classrooms I'm shocked at how noisy and rowdy it is, with kids yelling during class and jumping around. Is this normal in Israeli schools? I particularly get the sense the my sons' rabbayim's have no idea how to discipline the student and so just send kids home when they are unhappy with their behavior so that they don't have to deal with them.

We are moving to a new town next year and I'm looking for good schools for my kids, particularly schools with a serious learning atmosphere, but I'm wondering if such schools even exist. We visited one school (mamlachti dati) that was highly recommended by several parents that I spoke to but there was so much noise in the hallway, with kids running around and fighting and teachers standing around and not doing anything (such as making the kids go back to class) that I was really turned off. So what I'm wondering is, is this the norm and should I just give up trying to find something different or are there actually schools where teachers are able to get kids to sit quietly during class and learn?

mandksima

Fri, Jun 28 2013, 11:55 am

From what I have observed here, at least in the boys schools, roughhousing is pretty normal and not considered serious enough to intervene. It is normal to let kids sort out the smaller fights themselves and teachers step in when they cross the line (perhaps blood is one???) It is a different culture here to teach kids to fend for themselves and not let anyone walk all over them. Some of that is good for them but part of it causes more fighting in school than foreigners are used to.

I have one gentle son who avoids the roughhousing and another one (still young) thath I see could be a potential leader of the fighting so I am sort of glad that it is tolerated here because in the States we walked around on eggshells fearing the teachers would complain about our kids. Here, we hear only praise so something is going right in the school systems here.

Sanguine

Mon, Jul 01 2013, 5:00 am

mandksima wrote:

(couldn't decide which part to quote) - That's how it is here. Schools are less "formal" here. The kids are taught Derech Eretz and all sorts of midot but kids are allowed to be kids (especially the All Boys schools). The informality (they even used first names like "Rav Yaakov", not "Rav Cohen") makes the teachers "real people" which lets the kids learn by example and not just rules.

My kids have gotten in trouble when they overstep, but overall they like going to school and respect the teachers. There's more to school than 'Reading and 'Riting here. Some schools are bad but it's better if you speak to other parents in the school and see what they say than judging by your American standards.

It's different methods but in the end the "product" comes out great

amother

Mon, Jul 01 2013, 6:53 am

michalk wrote:

mandksima wrote:

My kids call their Rav by their last name. It's something that I personally like. And our cheider takes violence seriously B"H. However, they are working against the culture here. Boys here are not disciplined as well at home. And forget about respect and manners.

ImaInIsrael

Mon, Jul 01 2013, 11:08 am

Well the problem is that my sons have a hard time concentrating in the classroom because it's so chaotic and I believe that a chaotic environment outside the classroom follows that kids back into the classroom. I'm not sure if it's an issue of the Rabbayim letting "kids be kids" or that they just can't discipline them. My kids are frequently coming home injured from being scratched or hit in class by other kids, and quite a few kids have been hospitalized throughout the year from playing too roughly during recess with minimal supervision.

I've been hoping to find a boys' school that was more strict in this regard because I feel my kids would learn a lot better and be a lot happier if they didn't spend half their time defending themselves against other kids.