International Education: On Location in Israel
Mich. Superintendent Shares Views
By Rodney P. Green, Ph.D.
Gail and I were privileged to be a part of the Superintendent Delegation to Israel sponsored by the America-Israel Friendship League. This was a tremendous “once in a lifetime” experience for us. We were able to learn many things about the political system, the religious system and the educational system of Israel. We especially enjoyed the time spent at the Western Wall and the old city of Jerusalem. We’ll never forget the view of the Mount of Olives and the old city from a nearby lookout.
We had great visits with many important people during our visit, but the highlight had to be the Bialik Rogozin School in Tel Aviv (urban multi-cultural school). We especially enjoyed the music classes and the performances of the students. One of the things we noticed over and over in our visits to the schools and speaking with staff and students is how similar Israel schools are to U.S. schools. Students in Israel seemed very much the same as students in our home districts. One big thing we take away from our trip to Israel is that even though we’re from different parts of the world we have more in common than we realize. Students and staff from Israel and the U.S. are more similar than they are different.