Israeli thoughts

      

       I want to be a teacher, I really do. I think its something I might actually be good at. Yes there are all sorts of teachers, not just the classic school type, however this particular type happens to my aim for this discourse.  A teacher for the most part helps to educate students right? Of course! I guess thats kinda what they are supposed to do. Though, I guess there are exceptions to that standard on account of well we've all had at least one teacher who did nothing but swallow up air and spit quickly forgotten words from their most comfortable spot in the classroom. (not my personal goal)

       When you travel, you meet the most amazing people and you often have the most incredible conversations with them. This summer while amongst fellow staff on the island I worked with a friend from Israel named Shahar. We taught sailing from the cove day after day for a little over two months. Though I think our job at times could be described more like a sortive strange aguatic form of herding boats rather than sailing. Anyway Shahar and I were doing this one day in our chase-boat, however today with the wind being light this hour, conversation was given the opportunity to have a bit more depth. It began like many discussions, focusing around American culture and its obsession with being competitive and materialistic. I usually agree and point out my wish to escape such a world. Then, in his blocky Israeli accent Shahar asked, "Why is it that you want to teach?" I answered my practiced answer, "To help children in underdeveloped countries get an education they otherwise couldn't have." Our words expanded onwards from there and eventually led into to Shahar's thesis, "Wouldn't you then be giving those people an American education? You will be providing an education for people to be successful. They then will then want to make more money,  to be consumers, to be like Americans." It was so strange. For some reason I hadn't ever considered this thought before. I couldn't believe it. "Hmm" I thought out loud. I was stumped and my brain was punching me. Shahar began again, "I think if I taught, I would teach how to be a good man." I like that." I said. Shahar was way ahead of me. He was also already a good man. 

         This is me skipping ahead: I think what I've gathered from this, is that no matter where I go to teach (the United States no longer excluded), I don't aim to make subject material my focus. In whatever ways I can, I will teach and hopefully express the need for us to do what is right and what is in our hearts. When we want more, we usually just make things more complicated, crush each other in the process, and then taking away that beautiful simplicity that is life. Why ruin that?

Well I hope that made sense to you...  it did for me.