The Ivrit B'Ivrit Conundrum
One of the big problems in MO elementary school education is the confusion over the role of teaching in Ivrit b'Ivrit ("IBI"). IBI is the process by which all Judaic studies classes, from Chumash and Navi to Halacha and Talmud are taught entirely in Hebrew. So, for example, a pasuk in Chumash will be translated by the teacher into other Hebrew words rather than into English. Even outside the texts, teachers are required, under the IBI system, to speak in Hebrew.
IBI is more an offshoot of MO/Zionist ideology than it is a workable teaching methodology. Even though the overwhelming majority of MO families have no intention of moving to Israel (and would in some cases be horrified if their kids moved), for ideological reasons they want their kids to speak fluent Hebrew and are willing to sacrifice real learning to accomplish this. (These people are what I refer to as the Shabbat Shalom Brigades; even though their parents said 'good Shabbos' and they grew up saying 'good Shabbos', they would rather say Merry X-mas than say good Shabbos. It's Shabbat Shalom or nothing!).
IBI can work in some of the more modern MO yeshivas (where boys and girls are not separated) and the kids (even some of the boys) will actually come out knowing Hebrew. On the other hand, the children will generally leave school without knowing much Torah or having much Yiras Shamayim. Amazingly, many of those schools don't teach Torah or give over Yiras Shamayim and the kids still can't put together a sentence in Hebrew. That's quite a trick and I haven't figured out exactly why they are such dismal failures. I'm open to suggestions.
The problem is exacerbated in schools that do separate boys and girls but still insist on teaching IBI. In most instances the girls will learn some Hebrew but the boys will learn zero Hebrew despite the best efforts of the administration. The reason is simple. In schools like that, there are usually two conflicting goals: On the one hand, IBI, and on the other what I call "the Geshmakness factor". While at the same time they want their kids to learn Hebrew (for the aliyah they are not contemplating), they also want their kids to be exposed to geshmak teachers (so that they can at least have a taste of geshmak Yiddishkeit that is lacking in most of their homes).
As a result, the schools hire geshmak rebbes for the boys and geshmak morot for the girls. Unfortunately, the geshmak rebbes are virtually illiterate when it comes to conversational Hebrew. Even some of the morot are sorely lacking in that department. And no amount of Ulpan or workshops is going to change the fact that these teachers are not comforatble teaching IBI.
On the other hand, forcing these rebbes and morot to teach in IBI results in the kids: (a) not learning Hebrew, (b) not learning Torah and (3) frustrating the teachers and reducing the very geshmakness factor for which the school hired them in the first place.
Instead of just letting these morot and rebbes teach the kids Lashon Hakodesh through the learning of vocabulary, working out texts inside and developing dikduk, their ideologic ties to the Hebrew language get in the way.
If you want your kids to learn Hebrew, move to Israel. I assure you that within a year they will be fluent. If you want them to learn Torah, make sure their school hires exciting, competent and geshmak teachers and lets them teach.
One of the big problems in MO elementary school education is the confusion over the role of teaching in Ivrit b'Ivrit ("IBI"). IBI is the process by which all Judaic studies classes, from Chumash and Navi to Halacha and Talmud are taught entirely in Hebrew. So, for example, a pasuk in Chumash will be translated by the teacher into other Hebrew words rather than into English. Even outside the texts, teachers are required, under the IBI system, to speak in Hebrew.
IBI is more an offshoot of MO/Zionist ideology than it is a workable teaching methodology. Even though the overwhelming majority of MO families have no intention of moving to Israel (and would in some cases be horrified if their kids moved), for ideological reasons they want their kids to speak fluent Hebrew and are willing to sacrifice real learning to accomplish this. (These people are what I refer to as the Shabbat Shalom Brigades; even though their parents said 'good Shabbos' and they grew up saying 'good Shabbos', they would rather say Merry X-mas than say good Shabbos. It's Shabbat Shalom or nothing!).
IBI can work in some of the more modern MO yeshivas (where boys and girls are not separated) and the kids (even some of the boys) will actually come out knowing Hebrew. On the other hand, the children will generally leave school without knowing much Torah or having much Yiras Shamayim. Amazingly, many of those schools don't teach Torah or give over Yiras Shamayim and the kids still can't put together a sentence in Hebrew. That's quite a trick and I haven't figured out exactly why they are such dismal failures. I'm open to suggestions.
The problem is exacerbated in schools that do separate boys and girls but still insist on teaching IBI. In most instances the girls will learn some Hebrew but the boys will learn zero Hebrew despite the best efforts of the administration. The reason is simple. In schools like that, there are usually two conflicting goals: On the one hand, IBI, and on the other what I call "the Geshmakness factor". While at the same time they want their kids to learn Hebrew (for the aliyah they are not contemplating), they also want their kids to be exposed to geshmak teachers (so that they can at least have a taste of geshmak Yiddishkeit that is lacking in most of their homes).
As a result, the schools hire geshmak rebbes for the boys and geshmak morot for the girls. Unfortunately, the geshmak rebbes are virtually illiterate when it comes to conversational Hebrew. Even some of the morot are sorely lacking in that department. And no amount of Ulpan or workshops is going to change the fact that these teachers are not comforatble teaching IBI.
On the other hand, forcing these rebbes and morot to teach in IBI results in the kids: (a) not learning Hebrew, (b) not learning Torah and (3) frustrating the teachers and reducing the very geshmakness factor for which the school hired them in the first place.
Instead of just letting these morot and rebbes teach the kids Lashon Hakodesh through the learning of vocabulary, working out texts inside and developing dikduk, their ideologic ties to the Hebrew language get in the way.
If you want your kids to learn Hebrew, move to Israel. I assure you that within a year they will be fluent. If you want them to learn Torah, make sure their school hires exciting, competent and geshmak teachers and lets them teach.
posted by MoChassid @ 11:13 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home