Talk with any secondary teacher about what subjects you should choose in Senior, and you will find our responses predictable and cliché. We all think the subject we teach is the most important – and… some of us would be right!
We are all passionate about what we teach and engaging students in conversations around our learning areas. But how often do we actually get the opportunity to be students ourselves and delve deeper into our areas of interest? We regularly preach life-long learning, but then get bogged down in the business of work and family commitments, our passion can, at times, fizzle and we can lose sight of why we became specialists in our field.
With that in mind, I am beyond thrilled to announce that I have been selected amongst 20-30 teachers across Australia to represent the College and participate in a fully-funded study tour of Israel over the 2018-19 Summer Break.
The International School for Holocaust Studies is a program hosted by Yad Vashem (The International Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, Israel) that gives teachers the opportunity to delve deeper into the history of the Holocaust. It is an opportunity to learn from renowned academics and scholars of Jewish history and a chance to hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors (some who were among the first to migrate to Israel as refugees after WWII).
It is an incredible opportunity to learn more about the people, policies and events that led to the Holocaust. Not to mention, the program includes numerous tours of modern Israel and Holy Sites, insights into the challenges Israel faces as a relatively young nation and the opportunity to meet and speak with people living on either side of the current conflict between Israel and Palestine.
While it will be hard to say goodbye to my two little girls and husband for three weeks, the wealth of knowledge from this experience that I can bring back from this tour is immeasurable. I cannot wait to implement what I learn into the classroom and share the experience of my journey with students at GCC in 2019.
Bobbie Briggs, Head of Humanities