On Thursday, September 1, at six in the morning, Dan Ziv will wake up in his apartment in Holon.
Like every morning, he will eat cornflakes with yogurt, drink a cup of coffee and organize quickly, in order to make it to line 76 leaving from the nearby station, just as the clock strikes 6:45.
Ziv will take his place at the front of the bus, headphones on his head, the mythical backpack by his side.
Three quarters of an hour's drive, and he will get off at Abba Hillel Street in Ramat Gan, near the municipal museum, and from there he will make a journey of about 300 meters to the gates of Ahel High School there.
At 8:15, right after the first bell, Ziv will greet his students with a "good morning" blessing for the new school year.
At the age of 76 and a half, Ziv, the oldest teacher in the country who works full-time, does not think of going anywhere next year either.
"I have a clear opinion about the statement that at the age of 67 teachers should go home," he said when we met for coffee near his home in Holon.
"I have friends who were well-known, good, significant teachers, who had to leave, because when you retired you were no longer worth it. It's as if you no longer have any personal or financial value, and I ask - why? Age 68 is different from age 66? Fortunately, the Ramat Gan municipality was smart It's enough to understand that there is room to extend the work in case the principal requires you. That's why for ten years, at the end of the school year, I receive a dismissal letter in one hand and the invitation to teach next year in the other. That's how it works."
Did you have to convince them that you were able to work?
"I should have said, 'Guys, sitting in retirement and looking out the window? It doesn't suit me.' Four high school principals have changed since I retired and they all asked me to continue, because I'm majoring in geography. It's built on me. I don't want to quote the famous sentence." I will rest in my grave', but rest is really not suitable for me. If I don't prepare for next year, everything is missed for me. After all, what does retirement do? A person who stops thinking. But at my age I have to play mental ping pong with 17-year-old children, whose brains Young and fresh. I have something to get up in the morning for."
Goes up and down the sands like nature's gym.
splendor,
What about material fatigue?
"What kind of fatigue are you talking about? I've fallen short of giving definitions to the world's population, but for me the work has never been a burden nor has it been difficult. I'm not scared of a full class. Crises? Sometimes the class doesn't go well, but in no case did I say I was fed up and that I was leaving teaching." .
long distance education
Ziv was born in Ramat Gan on December 30, 1945, even before the state was established.
When he started working in education in 1975, MK Yariv Levin, Alona Barkat and Yuval Samo advanced to first grade, the band Queen released the single "Bohemian Rhapsody", and in the USA an assassination attempt on President Gerald Ford failed.
"Originally I wasn't a teacher at all," he laughs.
"When I was released from the IDF, I went to a course for road guides, because since I was a child I wanted to see the world.
I started working in tourism until the Yom Kippur War broke out.
We returned after six months from the dunes of Sinai and there was no work.
Towards the year 1975, a friend met me, who said that they were looking for a pedagogical director for the Ort Abu Kabir school.
I said I had nothing to lose, even though I had no idea in the field.
I worked there for two years, until the manager fired me for not giving me tenure.
Later I learned that I was the fourth he had done the same exercise to.
The supervisor came and said 'it's good that he fired you'.
I looked at him with an 'eat him' look, and then he suggested that I build a school.
He sent me in 1977 to establish a vocational school in the Tzirifin camp that was called 'Ort Tzirifin - Car Mechanics'.
An old British shack, made of wood, which was also a workshop, a manager's room and a classroom, all in one.
Poor, but at least mine."
It didn't take long until senior officers from the Israel Defense Forces (Rehabilitation and Maintenance Center) at the Tel Hashomer base drew Ziv to them to establish another school in collaboration with the Ort network, due to a lack of young workers.
The students were mainly the sons of local workers or children who were not accepted in other schools.
Ziv worked there for 19 years until he was called to manage Eshkol Pis in Ramat Gan, and from there he was transferred to Ehel High School there.
"They asked me when I left the group, 'What would you like to do?', I said that I had already proven that I knew how to manage and now I wanted to be a teacher, so I became a literature teacher," he said.
"Eight years later in high school, one day, in the middle of a trip, students turned to me for help. Ehel Shem is a high-level school that usually accepted students with high grades. A problem arose for those who could not find a subject for five units. I met with the principal and suggested that I start a geography major , because it came easily to me. He said 'Go ahead' and we set off with two classes. Today there are already 12 classes studying geography. I realized that I could be a solution for students who are having a hard time. I know how to handle it. I said to the principal, 'Do you have a problem with a student? Send him to me'".
Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan's visit to the school, photo: Yossi Zeliger
They say that geography is a profession that is disappearing.
"If there was someone who knew which professions would not exist tomorrow, I suppose he would be very successful in his field. One can assume that some of the more laborious professions will disappear because the machine will replace the person, but they will always need someone to give instructions, to supervise. It is clear to me that English is important as an international language, And subjects such as mathematics and physics are also important, but I maintain that a person should have an ideology, or a connection to the place where he lives. It is difficult for me with an Israeli people who do not know how to speak Hebrew well, and do not know the history of their people."
Do you notice the differences between the students of today and the students of then?
"Sure. For example, language - in the past there was no difference between the language you speak and the one you read. You knew how to read texts and understood them. Today they teach 'reading comprehension', because some students do not know what good and eloquent reading is. A situation has arisen where a student does not know how to read his own language And he stopped reading books, because it's hard for him. I'm talking about the inability to read Hebrew even in high school. In my time, we all knew, memorized. I knew poems by heart, proverbs. Today I don't feel this knowledge."
Is it because of the superficiality of the new age?
"You can give a lot of reasons for this, but this is the result. It creates people with a poor language and low reading ability. Not all of them, of course there are also excellent guys, but in the past even those who went to vocational education knew Hebrew by rote, because the spoken language and reading were same language".
Is this generation less quality?
"No, he will be at least as good, depending on what they do with him and how they influence him. You take raw material and the question is how you handle it. That's why I'm anxious. There are wonderful children."
Today, "reality star" is a sought-after profession.
"True, because these are the stars of culture. Of course I would like my children to earn well and get on well in life, but I'm talking about building the human figure. That's what interests me and I have a lot to contribute in this field."
Dan's finger
Surely you have already come to know for yourself that Dan is an impressive person, some would say - above your level.
Still, I wondered how he overcomes the age gap.
I was convinced that today it is easier for 16 year olds to connect with teachers who dress like them and like the same kind of music they like.
I didn't expect his response: he immediately pulled out his cell phone and showed me pictures of shirts his students had made over the past few years.
He is, surprisingly, the central theme of the piece.
"The Princesses of Dan" was written on one of them.
On another was a stylized painting of him.
His image emblazoned on them, with sunglasses and a big smile, is young in spirit and completely "vocal".
Something between runway end shirts and rock star merchandise.
I ask him about a picture with a student, in what no doubt looks like Purim at school.
"Once a student dressed up as me, it was on Purim about six years ago," he recalled.
"I arrived in the morning and one of my students walked in front of me. I looked and suddenly I realized it was me. It was definitely a surprise."
Something between runway end shirts and rock star merchandise.
The drawn and printed gestures of Ziv's students, photo: Yossi Zeliger
"Ask yourself what is the relevance of a 76-year-old guy to a 16-year-old guy? It's a fact that it works. I'm relevant to all grades from 3rd to 12th, because they see me as someone who brings them to sit, study, and be calm.
It just seems that the current generation does not respect adults.
You have to understand that this is no longer the generation of the past, which gave respect to knowledge, today the respect is not for knowledge.
These kids can find the knowledge I have in every corner of the internet, they respect me for who I am.
A man who has seen the world, who has something to say.
One who knows how to hold a class.
These are things that, if you don't come to them prepared, you are in the terrible frustration of a beginning teacher, when the class is noisy and he is unable to silence it."
What do you mean?
"This profession wears out those who are not built for it. Those who do not take it in the right proportions. I now see great people who come to teach from high-tech. They say, 'We have made a career, we have proven ourselves, we are coming to contribute ourselves'. After a year or two, they leave Why? They are not ready for this. They may know the material well, but they do not understand the struggle. I will never raise my voice or shout. I run the class with the clicks of my fingers. My hand works instead of the mouth. What do you need? That the student Whoever sits in front of you will look at you and accept you as a professional, authoritative. Someone with charisma who can manage him and sometimes as a character to identify with. A man, and I emphasize the word 'man', because in quite a few cases I encountered - the students lacked that."
A man more than a woman?
"Certain children, for all kinds of reasons, let's say family, don't get a figure to identify with. Two days ago, I received a video from my 16-year-old students, who were on their way to Eilat with the Scouts. It was the middle of the holiday, a month after they hadn't met me, and it was important to them that I see them. I asked, 'Miss you?'
They said 'Yes teacher, but to you'. These words mean a lot to me."
How do you explain that?
"It starts with psychology. First of all, understand the student. Let's play a small role-playing game. I'm an intern entering the class. 35 faces, 11th grade, sit in front of me and look at me.
Do you think I will feel safe, know what to do?
No.
That's the point.
When I enter the classroom, I don't start teaching.
First of all, I go through the students, give a small tchafa, ask 'what's up, what's the face Tisha B'av, what happened?', refers to them.
The student knows that I am thinking about him, that he is interesting to me, and then he opens up.
I can do anything with him, even if he plays tricks in class.
I won't raise my voice, I'll just look, I'll give a little note that he won't forget when he leaves.
Food for thought".
Have you never encountered violence against you?
"Not at all. And even when a student is terribly angry, I never turn it into a personal fight. I don't put a student in a corner and always give him the opportunity to get out of it with dignity. I say, 'What would I call your behavior at this moment? A disgrace. Come show us that you know behave differently.'
"I used to have a laser pointer that I used to mark things on a presentation. One day a student pointed and said 'I have a question unrelated to the lesson. If I touch the tip of your finger, will your mind transfer to me?'
At that moment I thought to myself - either he wants to make fun of me, or he is completely stupid. I answered 'Yes, but for that you have to answer two questions correctly'. After he answered, I let him touch. This funny incident was seen by the whole class, and slowly- Slowly it also became an issue, 'Dan's finger'. Dan's finger has power, because Dan does not shout, he does everything with his hands, talks with his hands. Be careful that Dan does not point the finger at you."
"I have to take care of the student population that comes to me. It's fun, and I think I contribute a lot to it."
Ziv and his students, photo: Yossi Zeliger
At your age, how do you deal with this permissiveness, with the blurring of boundaries?
"First of all, I don't get excited, because I always know that a 16-18-year-old boy is standing in front of me, with emphasis on the word 'boy,' and I don't care if he's taller than me. Through a look, or a small statement, you lower the big outburst, which quite characterizes This age."
No more respect
Today, many teachers complain about their problematic status.
Many believe that it is only related to money, but Ziv has additional insights on the subject, apart from the matter of the low salary for teachers in Israel.
"After all, what does the concept of 'teacher status' consist of?"
He asks and answers, "From the appreciation that the students and parents give to his work. When I was a student, the teacher was an authoritative figure. I don't remember a parent coming and arguing with a teacher. Today, a parent is a friend of his child, and if there is a conflict, he joins the side that is against the teacher, a partner in assertiveness and conduct Disrespectful that may end up harming the child, because he does not have an authoritative figure. There are teachers who have already proven themselves and come across a system that sometimes you fight them, harassing them. Fortunately, I am not approached, but I am aware of the fact that these are not the conditions of the past. The generation has changed."
Where is the change, in the younger generation of parents?
"Yes, absolutely. A young generation of parents who are more friends with their children and contain them even when they are not well. To a large extent, they identify with them, which is not good."
I remember not being able to look the principal in the eyes.
"that's what I'm talking about".
There is also a claim about the quality of the teachers, which is the problem.
"I don't believe that today's teachers know less than the teachers of the past. They learn the material and today it's easier to learn because there are more options, technology helps. For example, geography teachers are on a certain network, connected in a WhatsApp group. They pass on information, work. They share and renew themselves. That's why I believe that the problem is completely different and it lies in control in the classroom, something that the system does not teach. This is already the third year that I have been mentoring teaching interns from Bar-Ilan University. When they come, I say, 'I will not teach you geography, I will only teach you one thing - control.' This is not taught at the university. I'm talking about practice. You need people who will show you the daily dealings and how to give answers."
With a better salary it would be possible to attract better people?
"Unequivocally yes. Many left the schools this year and moved to other places, or retired completely, and not only here. What will attract a teacher, if he has neither salary nor status? A large number of teachers leave. The training process for new teachers is not carried out overnight , and therefore I predict that there will be a shortage in many places, especially in the periphery. There must be some kind of incentive for a seasoned, experienced guard to return to the system. This year, the system is entering a serious problem that will take several years before we see its solutions, depending of course on how many governments change and how often. The state of the system It will get worse before it gets better. For a beginning teacher, the salary certainly needs to be improved, and also for veteran teachers, maybe not by the same percentages, but one must not think that they are settled."
Did a teacher ever live more respectfully?
"Salary was never the issue in the education system. People came with an ideology, and to this day I have concrete examples of people who come and want to give of themselves despite the salary - I don't want to call it the poor - but the low one a teacher starts receiving."
Do you feel a mission?
"I don't like that word, I feel a need and a connection. A need to take care of the student population that comes to me. It's fun and I think I contribute a lot to it."
Cyber Geographic
The classroom today is completely different from the classrooms that existed when Ziv began teaching in the mid-70s.
He says that in the tent there they have now demolished an entire floor and are building classrooms in it, separated by transparent partitions, so that you can see what is going on in each one, and their design is completely different.
"I already pointed out a certain problem and we gave it a solution," he said.
"I said that students with attention and concentration problems have enough when a cat walks by and they are distracted, so in classrooms that are built like that? Therefore there will be some kind of screen that can be taken down and then I and my students can talk however I want and in other subjects each teacher will do as he sees fit. The shape of the class will no longer resemble what we are used to There will be a bar table, there will be a corner to sit around, there will be learning groups."
Are these changes in place?
"I like challenges. I haven't tried it, but I'm open enough to face it and in the worst case I'll take them all, sit them down together, say what I have to say and everything will be fine."
Is this introduction difficult for you?
"I learn from my students and they learn from me. I also study to teach. I now teach a field called 'Cyber Geography'. What is it? Software that takes information of all kinds and puts it on a map and everything is computerized. I sat down and studied it. It's just as it comes to me New students and the first thing I do is turn the class into a group with a challenge. I tell them, 'I know we didn't all come from the computer field, but look where you can get in the army, or after liberation, and what it will do for you.' I set challenges and it works well." .
how are you with computers
"I didn't know anything and I learned to love it. I said to myself, 'How could the students know more than me?'
It dictated to me that I was going to study. I challenged myself. The teacher's strength used to be knowledge, and today they changed his role. Today, out of a 45-minute lesson, he needs 15 minutes to organize the class, and then activate the students so that they investigate on their own. This is the direction the system is going."
More technology and less general knowledge.
"It's clear to me that not everyone knows where all the continents are and where exactly Southeast Asia is, but take, for example, cybergeography. I let them prepare a paper about their dream trip. Choose a few sites that they heard about from friends or family and build a route, with knowledge, Links about the place, photos, including questions about history and geography. Here is a topic that centers knowledge and innovation. This is how I conduct myself."
I remember I used to collect cards about science and nature.
"You just threw something that reminds me of myself, so how did I get into geography? In the 1950s, the Blue Band company was a card sex department (Gold Band postcards, AL) that had countries like 'Finland', some details and a picture on them.
I asked myself 'what is Finland, where is it and why haven't I been there yet?'
Notice how such a random thing directed my life."
What do you say today about teachers who are not afraid to express political opinions in front of the class?
"In a certain way, I prefer someone whose opinion I know. I can decide if I like her and if I sympathize or not. But when I'm in class, I'll never say I'm on one side or the other."
Rather, geography, borders, is a winning recipe for expressing an opinion on the subject.
"It's not geography, it's more politics. I'll teach about the Land of Israel, but regarding the borders I'll tell you what they look like at the moment. On the decision of where the final borders of the country will be, a teacher can express an opinion provided he also presents the opposing opinion."
"I asked myself 'what is Finland, and why haven't I been there yet?'
Notice how such a random thing directed my life."
gold band postcards,
Retirement is a matter of choice
Dan is divorced and father of three children, grandfather of three, has been living for 25 years in a relationship with Einat Golan, a psychologist by profession.
"I don't want to say she's crazier than me," he laughs, "she's a workaholic in her field, works from morning to night, very successful. We're really compatible."
He does not seek rest in his leisure time.
Dan is a follower of yoga, and during the Corona period he located dunes not far from his home and managed to form a local group with which he goes up and down the sands as nature's gym.
At the beginning of the summer he was on a jeep trip in Turkey, and for Sukkot he had already booked a flight to Nepal.
Ziv was in 76 countries and the hand is still bent.
That is why he will not forget how about a decade ago, right before retirement, when he was interested in whether he could also work in a school in Holon, the local municipality rejected him and explained that age was an obstacle.
"A teacher who doesn't want to continue working - his honor is in his place," he states, "If it complicates the system, simplify the procedures. Say, 'Whoever doesn't want to retire - let him come and let him.' A person is also bad in terms of health, because he has more time to think about every little pip and visit all the doctors. It's a waste on a national level."
Dan showed me a letter from 2012 that Panina Gazit, supervisor of the geography department at the Ministry of Education, sent to Moshe Budaga, director of the education department at the Ramat Gan municipality.
"Dan succeeds in arousing (the students') curiosity, encouraging high-level thinking and developing learning abilities using the innovative technologies in the fields of computers," it says, "to Dan many more years in which he will be able to contribute to the education system in general and the teaching of geography in particular.
I recommend allowing Dan's continued employment in the education system and see this as an important and useful step."
Ziv continues to work with full vigor, now preparing the plans for the next school year.
"In the beginning, in the teachers' room, they were surprised that I still continue to teach, today I don't anymore. It's very nice to work with guys who could easily be my children and who we also have a common language. On the contrary, I try to be involved as much as possible, go on annual trips. In the past, When I was in charge, my school was called 'Field School', because I took a lot of trips in my life."
Do you know other teachers your age?
"My friend moved to manage a school in Petah Tikva and she is trying to integrate a teacher who is close to my age. I try to help, but in order to complete such a process the municipalities need to open their minds."
Age didn't make you miss days of work?
"Tap-tap-tap, no. I come regularly. Touch wood, may the health continue like this."
Do you have any final, absolute end date as of now?
"I don't think about it, and I hope no one will either."
Define September 1 in one word.
"joy".
Why?
"To meet the students I left two months ago. It's fun for me to enter the classroom and exercise my abilities. A day without work is very bad for me."
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