TALMA Volunteering: The Israel Program For Excellence in English

This past summer I had the opportunity to teach English in Israel through the TALMA fellowship. I had never taught English to non native speakers, and had never been to Israel previously. I was nervous due to my lack of experience in that specific area but still wanted to apply because I felt that from my educational background and expertise, I could be flexible, adapt and really make a difference with the help of this program. Once accepted to the TALMA program, my hesitations faded. I found a safe and supportive environment that helped me grow professionally and personally. The program was efficiently managed, supportive and well organized. I was connected with professionals from around the world that helped me grow in all aspects of my life. TALMA was well balanced, allowing me opportunities for excellent educational experiences in and outside the classroom as well as many other amazing opportunities. I had time on the weekends to travel within the country and got to explore the best of what Israel had to offer. I enjoyed the professional development that TALMA provided as it was relevant to my experience in Israel but also applied to my teaching career back in the US. TALMA is the perfect program for educators who aspire to achieve excellence in their teaching, are adventurous, and have a desire to make a difference in the lives of ALL students. TALMA provided me with plenty of tools, professional development, mentors and leaders who supported me throughout the journey. I truly felt as if I was part of a family who cared for one another and collectively shared a common goal: to improve the lives of every student with whom we had the privilege of working with. This was the most rewarding summer of my life, I fully intend to apply to return next summer.

I was so beyond lucky to go on the TALMA summer and full year programs. Both programs were phenomenal experiences both in and out of the classroom. I am so grateful for the chance to have been a part of this amazing program that is bringing so much good to Israel.I was sad to have to leave the program early due to a broken leg, but they were beyond amazing that entire process. They supported me in ways I didn't even realize I needed. TALMA is more than just a program it is a family. Your life will be changed in such a real and amazing way. I am counting down the days until I get to go back on a TALMA program. The most important gift they gave me was confidence and growth as a teacher. I am truly endebted to TALMA for making me the person I am today.

TALMA, which started out as just a small summer teaching program, has grown year after year and become a major part of my life.

I co-taught fifth graders going into sixth grade with TALMA in the Summer of 2015 and 2016 in the Jezereel Valley up North. My co-teachers each year were a little bit different and assumed different roles in the classroom - discipline, planning, parallel teaching, etc. We were living in a hotel, dorm style living with one roommate. Meals and transportation were provided. We had experiences with social entrepreneurship and professional development as teachers throughout the summer, as well planned community weekends and free weekends to explore Israel on our own. As the summer program is growing, there are new opportunities arising to teach in different areas of the country, different types of schools, and to have different experiences through this amazing program.

After my second summer with TALMA, our wonderful director proposed a new full year TALMA program, TALMA 2.0. Offered to the alumni of the summer TALMA program, TALMA 2.0 is stationed in Mitzpe Ramon in the middle of Negev of Southern Israel. 15 of us teachers moved to the middle of the desert to an area that has VERY few, if any English teachers. Each of us is in a different school, or two (as in my situation). Unlike the summer program, we work with or without co-teachers, teaching whole classes, small groups, or individual students. Apartments with laundry, wi-fi, and a wonderful apartment-mate are provided with furniture. Transportation to school is also provided for us. One of my schools is in Dimona, about a 50 minute bus ride from Mitzpe. 8 of us go together in a mini-bus that drops us off and picks us up right from our schools. We are all provided a stipend for the year to cover other expenses (food for example). Once a week we head to Be'er Sheva for Ulpan (Hebrew class), provided by the Ministry of Education. We also had the opportunity to take a course at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, learning about where we live and the populations we work with. We have community Wednesdays where we meet up with our Israeli counterparts as well to do an activity whether professional or just plain fun! We also have had a number of weekend community events outside of Mitzpe to get to know the country as a whole.

As the year is rapidly coming to a close, I have fallen in love with Israel as a country, the people, the environment, all because of my experiences with TALMA and am excited to say that I am making Aliyah at the end of the summer! I have friends now all of over Israel and I am excited to start the next chapter . . .TALMA 3.0: Morim Olim!

As a TALMA teacher, you have the privilege to change the lives of children, adults, and entire communities through teaching and building authentic relationships. In turn, your life is sure to be changed as you learn about new cultures, new teaching practices, and new ways of living. All throughout the process you'll be supported by inspiring mentors and teachers. Additionally, through TALMA you will get to experience Israel as a person living and working here which allows you to get to know this beautiful country and rich culture in a new way. Every aspect of TALMA is a thoughtfully planned with love.

I taught for TALMA last summer at an Orthodox school in Kiryat Malachi. I didn't know what to expect of the Israeli but was prepared for the worst, as warned by experienced participants. When entering my classroom, all the students stood up and waited until I asked them to sit down before they would sit. This was not the horror experience that I had mentally prepared for. My summer with TALMA continued to positively surprise me. I did not realize the impact 3 weeks of teaching would have. It was amazing to see the excitement and pride on the children's faces when they were able to communicate in English with me. They especially enjoyed teaching me Hebrew and laughed as I was unable to pronounce the words the were saying. Outside of the classroom, I experienced even more growth with TALMA, both professionally and personally. TALMA offers professional development and we had many seminars with social entrepreneurs, all of whom were inspiring and enlightening. They really showed me that anything is possible, and it all starts with an idea and believing in yourself. The social aspect of TALMA is another part of the program worth acknowledging. The friends I made through TALMA are now some of my best friends. The community weekends are so well planned and fun doesn't quite describe it. The meals (delicious Shabbat dinners), the activities (surfing) and the company is amazing. I cannot wait for TALMA 2018!

For me, TALMA was a dream come true. The TALMA program treated us very well. We were housed in the center of Jerusalem, given a stipend for food and living expenses, treated to cultural and social experiences and even housed in beautiful hotels at the beginning and middle of the program.
Teaching in an Israeli school with an Israeli co-teacher was certainly beneficial to my teaching experience and I learned lessons to take home with me to the USA where I am an ESL teacher.
The TALMA experience has definitely been one of the highlights of my life which I would recommend to everyone.

I have taught English as a Foreign Language with TALMA for the past two summers. Both years I served underprivileged students in the city of Jerusalem, and can't wait to return for a third summer next year! TALMA is a well-organized, professional development program for young teachers seeking a meaningful teaching experience during their summer off. Participants participate in an enrichment program and professional development workshops while also co-teaching in an Israeli classroom. The balance between work and play is appropriate, and participants can choose from a number of different "tracks" to suit their traveling preferences. In Jerusalem, the most independent track, TALMA teachers live in an extended-stay hotel in the heart of the city (close to the markets, shopping, and night life), and grow to feel like residents of the city. We get two free weekends to travel, and two organized weekends to share experiences with the TALMA teachers stationed in different regions. Both years I have had so much fun, developed meaningful relationships with Israeli teachers, built strong connections with my Israeli students, and improved my own teaching/reflective practices to boot! I highly recommend it!

I don't even know where to begin with all of the positive things I could say about TALMA. The leaders of TALMA get how to run a program that has a clear vision and they select wonderful people to turn the vision into reality. Having the opportunity to teach in the periphery of Israel will allow you to see the country through a new lens, build new relationships, and undoubtedly grow both as an educator and as a person.

I can't speak highly enough about this program! I was lucky enough to spend the Summer of 2016 teaching in Northern Israel with TALMA. There was nothing more inspiring than spending time planning, discussing, and creating with such incredible and passionate educators. I will be a far better teacher in my career in the U.S. because of my fellow TALMA teachers. My students reminded my why I got into education to begin with. I will never forget the relationships we formed in just three short weeks together (despite our language barrier!). My favorite memories will always be playing soccer in the hot Israeli sun during recess with the students practicing their English by telling me the score and complimenting each other, or when one of my students who had never taken English before approached me the last week to ask to use the bathroom in perfect, unprompted English.
Beyond teaching, I feel so lucky to have made so many special friendships with like-minded, passionate educators who shared this incredible experience with me. Our location in the North was a great way to feel like part of the community and explore a part of Israel I would normally not have the chance to. After school and planning, we would go swimming at our Kibbutz or take a bus to any of the many neighboring areas for hiking, shopping, dinner, drinks, dancing, and more. And of course, experiencing a new culture means learning some of the language, and eating lots of the local food. Our two free weekends were an awesome opportunity to travel with new friends or visit old friends/family in Israel. I spent one weekend in Tel Aviv exploring the cities and incredible beaches and the other renting a car and hiking/wine tasting in the Golan Heights, visiting Haifa, and camping on the beach. In four weeks, I experienced so many new things and was pushed (in a good way) out of my comfort zone. I'm so happy I chose to participate in TALMA because of all the positive impacts it had on me as well as the benefits of our students having English immersion classes. I left Israel a far better teacher, a more cultured person, a more creative and innovative educator, and a truly better human.
I'm so excited to return to Israel and TALMA again in the coming Summer(s).

My name is Debra and I have had the privilege of watching TALMA grow since its inception in 2014. I first visited TALMA as a Teach for America alumna on a Professional Development program in Israel. That summer, Israel was in the midst of Operation Protective Edge - the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict that began after three young Israelis were kidnapped and murdered. The country was hurting, but when I visited TALMA in the North of Israel, I witnessed diplomacy in action. Young American and international teachers coming to Israel during a time of war, working side by side with Israeli teachers, and CREATING a distraction, a summer of fun and learning, for young children in Israel's most impoverished communities.

I returned to Israel the following summer to help pilot TALMA in its second location, Jerusalem. As a participant, rather than observer, I learned that TALMA is much more than meets the eye. Not only is it a teaching fellowship, but it is a transformative community. It is one thing to be a teacher who works within a school community of other teachers, it is another thing to live within a community of teachers - sharing apartments, cooking, planning, exploring, living...and yes, partying together. We shared our experience in the classroom, our knowledge of best practices, our love of hummus and Mediterranean food, and above all, a passion for what in hebrew is known as 'tikkun olam' a desire to repair the world and make it a better place for EVERYONE in it.

As my summer with TALMA came to a close, I knew I wanted my involvement to go beyond the summer. Fortunately, upon arriving back on US soil, I received an email stating that TALMA was in search of a Recruitment Director. Without hesitation, I applied. Last summer I helped recruit 98 teachers from around the world to help grow TALMA into three new communities: Mitzpe Ramon, Kiryat Malachi, and a bedouin community in the Jezreel Valley. Each summer TALMA's impact is growing bigger - and it is CREATING waves in the Israeli education system. Currently, TALMA is ranked the number one education program in Israel.

With the generosity of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, the Steinhardt Family Foundation in Israel, and the Israeli government, TALMA continues to grow, get better, and create...opportunity for the youth of Israel, incredible experiences for the teachers who participate in our fellowship, and a more equitable and loving world where people from different lifestyles and upbringings come together to 'repair.'

This summer, I am excited to continue my work with TALMA as I embark on my second year as Recruitment Director of the program. TALMA has given me purpose and community, and has empowered me to expand my impact leveraging the people, resources and knowledge I've been gifted as a result of participating. If you are seeking an opportunity to grow personally, professionally, and do so while gifting your time and energy to a most worthwhile cause, I invite you to apply to TALMA and join me, next year in Israel!

Debra
TALMA '14 Observer; TALMA '15 Fellow, TALMA '16-'17 Recruitment Director

TALMA was an experience I couldn't have gotten any place else. It threw me out of my comfort zone in the most amazing way. I learned to connect and build relationships with students without sharing a common language. It taught me new things about myself as a teacher and a person. Through my experience with TALMA, I am able to bring back new ideas and techniques to my home classroom. Outside of the classroom, TALMA provides such a warm and welcoming community. My placement was my new home. I found myself missing my musty little room and new family once I left. TALMA also allows some free time to explore different areas or just relax and recharge your batteries. And hummus....need I say more? I left Israel with my heart and belly full.