Meet Dan Crystal: once a teacher - always a teacher, but a little different...
At a time when many people are moving into teaching, Dan Crystal took the opposite route. Crystal started as a teacher and educator and left the education system after two decades, to engage in organizational development. Before the start of the school year, we checked with him what is still going on with him from his years as a teacher, except for the eyes in the back, of course.
After two decades as a teacher and educator, Dan Crystal, 51, decided to leave the school and move to work as a freelancer. He lives in Ramat Yishai with his wife and three children. Crystal graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and a master's degree from the University of Haifa. At the same time as studying for a doctorate in history, he is also currently doing a master's degree in business administration.
What did you take from 22 years of teaching?
"I don't see it as something I "took", but things I won and received, such as an in-depth understanding of learning processes. Today I have the ability to build a curriculum and adapt it to the target audience, even while on the move.
Can you tell about a student who was particularly significant for you?
"Over the years, I have taught hundreds of students, all of them different from each other. I have taught three classes, entire cycles from the 10th to the 12th grade, and different students have entered my heart. It would be an injustice to mention one special one. I think the students who are particularly significant to me are these that came to my heart, both in real time and afterwards. Those who, after finishing, stayed in touch with me, called to consult on various points of life (from the officers' course, or those who came afterwards to debate about studies and more...)
An Israeli teacher and educator...
"What's more," says Crystal, "as an Israeli teacher and educator, I was privileged to lose 3 students I taught in terrorist attacks and operational activity in Lebanon: Anat Ron that I taught history at "Hogi" high school - in the attack on the Matzah restaurant. You Adi Dahan, who was her educator and her history teacher, at "Ort Afula" high school, who was killed in the bus attack at the Megiddo junction on 5.6.2002/XNUMX/XNUMX. and you I'm with Iloz, who I taught history at "Ort Afula" high school, who was killed in Lebanon in an operational activity.
What do you think was your greatest teaching achievement?
"I don't know if I would say that this is my greatest achievement, but without a doubt I had the ability to motivate and bring different people to success, even when they gave up on themselves. And in the height of modesty - there are people, who are graduates today, for whom I personally sign their matriculation certificate and the matriculation exam which I taught them for, was the first exam they succeeded in."
"Where to begin…?"
Many people believe that schools need to undergo a fundamental change. What do you think needs to change?
"Wow. Where to begin to answer this question? On a physical-pedagogical level, the Israeli school concept needs to be completely changed: instead of the class waiting for the teacher - the class comes to the teacher. Each teacher has a professional learning space that the students come to. This is how they enter the world - Knowledge, and for a window in time when everyone is inside this world of knowledge. To build the classrooms completely differently that will create a stimulating learning-environment. No, putting inspirational sentences is not the intention. It is better to build the classrooms so that they will be learning groups of a maximum of 15-12 students 15 participants is the maximum in the "world of groups" (I also guide groups) for a medium group. More than that, it is already a "large group" with other processes.
At the content level, the professional matriculation exams must be abolished. It is an anachronistic relic of an old world. Need to focus on learning-oriented skills acquisition. For example - learning research in groups and acquiring skills that are required today in the world of work - the ability for self-learning, dealing with changes and uncertainty, working in a team with human diversity, inquisitiveness, flexibility (agility) and more."
Instead of matriculation exams
Crystal explains that instead of matriculation exams in one subject, 2-3 interdisciplinary research projects, which summarize learning processes, and in which the student has to combine different subjects, in different forms and levels, are much preferable. There is no problem then, that the project will be built by an interdisciplinary team of teachers, and each professional teacher will contribute his part to it, and will also evaluate it."
"For example," Krystal explains, "my daughter wrote the research paper, which constitutes 30% of the grade in English, about Coco Chanel, which she studied as part of her graphic design studies. The research she did, on which she wrote the paper, had historical and sociological aspects. She incorporated Also theories she learned in social science studies, and... all this was in English. You can take this idea and reproduce it, as thematic research projects. Once she was allowed to research and write about what interested her, she was engaged in learning and created a quality product. The teacher in this case, Changing one's hat from "know-it-all teacher" to facilitator-of-exploratory-learning-processes, and that's already something else."
"The age of uncertainty did not start with the corona virus"
Is there anything you miss from your school days?
"No. Like in nature, life goes forward. It doesn't look back. Neither with rage nor with nostalgia."
Today you are engaged in training, could you explain about this and did the training prepare you for this.
"Definitely. The truth is that I have been involved in training and organizational learning in companies and organizations in the "corporate-business world", for several years in parallel with my teaching work. Indeed, in recent years I have only been involved in this. Today I develop, manage and guide organizational development processes through targeted and precise learning and training processes - Focused on content, people and goals, methodically accurate.Processes that lead to improved human and business performance.
When talking about the "era of uncertainty", which was flooded to the surface following the corona crisis, it is important to remember that this era did not start with the corona. When you talk about "hybrid learning" and "digital learning" and the need for learners and organizations to adapt to it, it's a little funny to me, because I've been doing it for 20 years. In the various schools where I was - whether as a teacher or as a teacher-teacher in teacher training courses, I led processes of assimilating e-learning, already 15 and 20 years ago.
"A teacher remains a teacher, it's in the soul"
There is a popular saying that "a teacher remains a teacher, it's in the soul". It's probably true, only today it's upgraded, and the part of the "educator" has dropped. If there is one thing that all my activities have in common today, it is that I bring people to improve professional and human performance, which also affects the organizational and business performance of the places where they are located. I realize this in several arenas, in courses and professional training programs and studies - where I continue to do what I have been doing for 15 years in various organizations and courses - developing management skills for managers at different levels of management - from team and department managers to directors and senior vice presidents. In accompanying programs and organizational development - Businesses in businesses dealing with the era of uncertainty - here too this is realized within a common dialogue, and the construction, management and implementation of focused and precise learning and training processes - focused on goals, people and results and methodically precise."
Do you think there is enough quality personnel in the schools?
"From my familiarity with the system and with the teachers, and not only in the schools where I worked, I trained teachers all over the country, I gave and went through further training with teacher-colleagues from all over the country, I know that like in any large public system, there are excellent, good, mediocre and bad teachers. Just like there are doctors , lawyers, engineers, social workers and more.
The challenge: proper management
The challenge of the system is not in the quality of human capital but in its proper management. What is meant by? I will give one example of this - on the one hand, every year hundreds of future teachers graduate from the colleges and departments for teacher training in the universities. Most of them are young, imbued with motivation and a desire to enter, contribute and make a difference. On the other hand - the system does not allow teachers who want it and have reached the age of 50, after more than 20 years of experience, to retire which would allow them to live with dignity. And so, on the one hand, there are many young teachers who do not enter the system, and on the other hand, many teachers who want to leave and cannot, so they stay and wear out, and when there is no turnover, then "the water stagnates", and such a situation is not healthy, certainly not for long
I had the privilege of working with Dan Crystal for several years. A man full of values and giving for his students. Dear Dan touched with great wisdom and sensitivity on all the points that require improvement in the education system.
Good luck dear garden
Lack of discipline, lack of discipline, lack of discipline.
Forget paying respect to the teacher, who even asks for that? A teacher's lesson today in an average class is like a survival operation. Teachers are busy surviving when most of them will testify that the situation borders on feeling like rape. The dirty name for this is burnout.
So let's hear a secret. There is no such thing as burnout. Burnout is a situation in which you are no longer able to tolerate dealing with disciplinary issues. You just ran out of power. This is the most hidden issue in the education system. Everyone wants you to be a Bibisiter, and if you have to lower the level, then also side with the cancellation of the matriculation exams, and the progressive theories that have failed in the West.
I had the privilege of working with Dan, a teacher and educator of the highest order. The education system and especially the children of Israel won him and I am sorry that he is not part of it today. But understands his heart as a teacher.
Dan Crystal touched on an important point. Worn out teachers should retire with dignity. A professional framework can be established under the Ministry of Education that will give them professional guidance and financial security during the training period for professions in demand in the economy. Even at the age of 50, it is possible to retrain for high-tech professions. I personally know a kindergarten teacher who trained as a software tester, and a teacher who became a training program developer in an international company. It is possible, and it respects the teachers.
I agree with everything that was said, I would also add the importance of the social-emotional issue, what is called SBL - Social Based Learning
Good luck Dan, continue to guide more teachers in your way
Fascinating writing and as an educator I relate to Dan's concept.
Full disclosure, he is my brother-in-law, but regardless I worked with him at Ort Afula, Dan is not a person who believes in templates, his perceptual and visionary space is wider than what the education system offers today.
Undoubtedly a vast knowledge of history and resulted in successes in matriculation.
In the field of organizational consulting he is talented, beyond that he is a knowledgeable, pleasant, witty person and I have no doubt that he can drive events and details to success
After 45 years of work as a selection manager in the management of partnership contracts with international shipping companies, in the English language, in the financial / legal aspect at a large shipping company and after two degrees in English language and literature and public administration at the University of Haifa, upon my retirement I retrained as an English teacher in a high school for grades XNUMX-XNUMX "B for about a decade!
Today, if they were to ask me, I would propose a fundamental change in the ancient and irrelevant study methods for the time, which no longer have any hold on the current need, light years away from the command of the hour;
Today, (and I mean even before the Corona era) the students have no interest in the material taught in class, therefore they disturb and riot and there will always be those who disturb even the students who might want to listen;
Therefore, I would suggest that as soon as the student registers for the new school year in any of the high schools in Israel, Jews and Arabs alike, prepare a questionnaire in the languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Amharic, English to be filled out by every student who wishes to register for grades: 7th, 8th, 9th, 10, 11, 12 to indicate on the form his areas of interest, his hobbies and his game preferences, such as: Lego (and then open an architecture class under the management of an architectural teacher/teachers who will lead and teach the profession in all its branches: building, landscaping, interior design, etc. - while locating and directing those suitable for the particular class / branch according to the inclination of the student's heart); Thus if the student writes on the form: drawing, to open a class for graphic drawing, illustrations, comics accompanied by suitable teachers in each of the above fields; and so if he writes: assemblies and experiments then to open a robotics class accompanied by a suitable teacher from the high-tech field; and so if he writes on the form that his preferences are: correspondence and contact with other peers in the world - then to open a language class to prepare future Israeli diplomats in the world; and if he registers: computer game development - because then, under the guidance of a computer teacher with a lot of experience in the field of hi-tech, he will guide and teach the students: if he registers in the form that the preference is b- to fix objects and computers that will work, then to direct such students to study hardware; and if it is recorded that his inclination is music - because then to open a dedicated class to cover the branches of the field, starting with voice development, learning guitar, piano, violin, etc. - depends on the student's preference, etc., etc. - and at the same time leave some core classes for general enrichment
L M O N I N I M B L B D !
Of course, the matriculation exams will be held by submitting a project in the field of the profession that will be studied - even by more than one student - which will teach them to work in a team - as is required in many workplaces today!
- Another option at the time of registration (which will not eliminate the need for the student to fill out the form according to his preferences), is a directed external diagnosis through specialized institutes to identify the child's innate skills - and based on the findings and records (the forms) to direct the student to the designated class that will match his inclination and skills - as revealed in the survey and form!
Not by force nor out of obligation, because at least if they are not interested in learning the material taught according to the outdated version of the Ministry of Education, which out of complete blindness continues out of inertia to cling to the outdated methods, blind to the dismal situation on the ground - where the frustrated students disturb, scream, kick and sometimes become savages unrestrained;
A scary apocalyptic situation!
In short, we must change the teaching method that may have been suitable for the last century but went bankrupt in front of the needs of the new generation; The Ministry of Education must change the teaching method in high schools; must reach the students by locating their hidden preferences, and developing them by providing appropriate tools for preparing them for the demands of the current and future world of work;
The usual and familiar teaching profession went bankrupt! We must locate teachers from the subject areas I mentioned above, reward them well, and open 7th-12th grade classes according to the students' interests and prepare them for the demands of the world of work in Israel and around the world!
Of course, only the appropriate professional teachers, guided by the teaching drive on the one hand and the love of their profession on the other hand, will mobilize and respond to such a revolutionary challenge, that is, to pass the torch of their knowledge on to the younger generation!
True, such a brave change requires great courage and seems like a doomsday vision;
It seems too idyllic, but if the captains of the Ministry of Education dig deeper and find it appropriate to examine the dismal situation on the ground only then and perhaps find it appropriate to change it for the benefit of all concerned, students and teachers alike, because only then - we may get the long-awaited transformation!
Another teacher who gave up teaching and became a consultant. We have a surplus of counselors but a lack of good teachers