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Everyone Told Me I’m Crazy but Duty Called
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Everyone Told Me I’m Crazy but Duty Called

Ma’ariv, Israel, September 1

Today will be my first day as a school teacher, and I will come full circle. I was a bad student, the one who cracks jokes, who doesn’t come to school, and only spends time on sports and friends in the afternoon. When I was told in the 10th grade that I wasn’t accepted into high school, suddenly, for the first time, I felt like I was in trouble. It seemed as if everything my parents warned me about became true. Suddenly, I became different; an outcast. In the 11th grade I already dropped out. I was kind of a “street child” — a refugee of an education system that was unable to get anything out of me. In the twelfth grade, a month after the beginning of the school year, a friend called me and told me that there is a school called “Naamat” in Tel Aviv that provides 12 years of schooling. I came to interview with the school principal together with my mother. The principal told me immediately and without any doubt: “I know what you went through in school, you are not to blame, I see that you are a smart child. We are giving you here a one-time and last chance to get a high school diploma. You will have to work hard for it. It will accompany you for life. Grab this opportunity with both hands and we’ll support you in return.” It took me a while to fathom the fact that I was being cared for. My new school accepted me as I am. It gave me the feeling that someone believed in me, that I’m accepted with all my flaws. It worked. I completed my entire course of study and even had fun. I also made friends for life. This made me realize that there’s always a second chance. I realized that I could be myself and still be successful. Today I am a major in the reserves, after a long military career. The spirit of that school went with me everywhere. It taught me to set small goals for myself and pursue them. I started working at the electric company as a contractor in the security department. I quickly became a permanent employee, and today I am the one who trains and guides new employees. Over the years, I went to college, got a bachelor’s degree in political science, and even obtained my teaching certificate with a specialization in special education. I’m now wrapping up my master’s degree in public policy with a specialization in national security. This year I did the unfathomable and left my role at the electric company, a safe place by all accounts, in order to go become a high school teacher. It was very difficult for me to come to this decision, but all the stars pointed in that direction. I felt that I wanted to do something of significance. I feel that I will be able to bring the administrative skills that I have gained into the education system. I feel like I can foster a sense of belief in students, give them hope, accommodate and understand their needs and, above all, accept them as they are. I want to try to give them the tools they need to stand up for themselves, just like the tools I was given when I needed help. With the backing of my new principal at school, I decided to give up the safe future in order to try to bring students like me to a better place. Making money will come later with the help of hard work. Everyone tells me I’m crazy, but I’m confident in my steps. I know I can do for my students what my teachers have done for me. – Yuval Avishi (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)

TheMediaLine
WHAT WOULD YOU GIVE TO CHANGE THE MISINFORMATION
about the
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR?
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