For the first time, CWB brought a group of top private-school headmasters, principals and administrators from Pittsburgh on an educational seminar to Israel. Although the program followed the successful model created by Dr. Tsipy Gur in previous Israel study tours for teachers, changes were made to suit the needs of this special group.
Some of the most significant aspects of the seminar, which enhanced the learning experience dramatically for the participants, were the meetings with their Israeli peers. Starting from day one, the group met with leading Israeli educators from the Jewish and Arab sectors. There was also a panel discussion with three Palestinian educators in East Jerusalem.
The ethnic diversity of Israel became rapidly apparent as the participants were exposed to the diversity of the country, as encapsulated by Haifa. A visit to the Baha’i gardens and lunch in a Druze village opened up new vistas on Israeli society from the very first day. The seminar participants found much common ground with their Israeli and Arab peers, such as the conflicting interests posed by the demand to achieve high scores on exams versus the desire to achieve their educational vision (critical thought, going into depth, thinking outside the box, etc.).
Some of the highlights of the seminar came from encounters with these varied aspects of Israeli society. In the Galilean town of Karmiel, the group visited the Children’s Village. There, normal, highly functional Israeli families adopt 10-12 additional children coming from dysfunctional backgrounds, providing a strong and warm environment for them. This unique model astonished many of the participants. In Tel Aviv, the group interacted with two members of a special Israeli-Palestinian organization advocating reconciliation, both of whom had experienced personal tragedy stemming from the Arab-Israeli conflict. Seminar participants met with an Israeli man whose mother was killed in a suicide bombing and with a Palestinian-American woman whose husband was killed by Israeli Border Police. Needless to say, the program was powerful and heartrending.
The Israel Seminar exposed the group to the complexities of ancient and modern history, the “Holy Land” and its religious/spiritual impact, the lengthy conflict and a modern democracy ensconced in a highly un-democratic environment, struggling to maintain its values.
All of the participants emerged with a thirst for more knowledge and re-energized for the coming school year. One of the added benefits that is common to all of CWB’s seminars, but was surprising to the headmasters of so-called “competing” educational institutions, was the resultant desire to collaborate. Most of the participants emerged from the seminar motivated to work together in the future with their newfound colleagues and friends.
“I was told that this Study Seminar in Israel would be life-changing. I now realize the true meaning of that descriptor, as it includes changing my knowledge of history, geography, and archaeology; my attitudes toward culture, personal narrative, and resilience; my ways of thinking about conflict, continuity, and trust; my ways of feeling about who I am as an educator, a Catholic, and an American – in short, changing the very foundation of my ground truths. I truly experienced the mission of Classrooms Without Borders first hand.”
— Robin Newham, Director of the Ellis Upper School
Next Study Seminar: June 15-27, 2014