USSR
In 1991 I graduated from the Moscow Pedagogical State Institute (currently Lenin’s MSPU). Got diploma of a teacher of physics. Was going to proceed with post-graduate studies in the history of physics field. However Georgia, the country I came from, had separated already from the USSR to that moment and I became foreigner in Russia. Definitely, I didn’t possess those 54,000 rubles MPSI had demanded from the foreigner for the three years of these studies. Thus, I was forced to leave Moscow and at the end of 1991 returned to my native Sukhumi.
The stay in Georgia was not long-lasting: in August 1992 there began Georgian-Abkhazian war. We first moved temporarily to Moscow and in summer 1993 emigrated to Israel.
Israel
First I thought maybe to proceed with teaching profession. However, several reasons – weak Hebrew, some peculiarities of the teaching process in Israel (you can’t expose a pupil out of the classroom, for example, so you are quite restricted with your tools arsenal for discipline maintenance) and relatively low salary – pushed me to the other way: career of the professional physicist. And I didn’t return to the teaching issues for more than fifteen years.
I worked quite a lot on the side with private lessons during these years in different countries (Israel, USA, Russia). Was a lecturer assistant four years at the Hebrew University, while moving towards my PhD degree. But it was not until 2009 that some ideas about physics teaching had ripened in me. At the end of 2009 I moved to Russia, trying to get out from the crazy atmosphere that had lined up around me that time in Israel.
Russia
In Moscow I was going to stay for a while. Got position at the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia and began looking for the opportunity to test my teaching ideas in practice. I came to a preliminary agreement with the Moscow physics-mathematical school #2 (now State Lyceum “The Second School”) about optional course in physics for the next 2010-2011 year. But my fate followed me very attentively: within couple months the rumors about my arrival had spread all over Moscow. In February-March I already felt myself very unpleasant in this city and decided to leave it soon.
I made another two attempts to get rid of the rumors tail. Moved first to Tomsk and then, after the story had exactly repeated there, to Naberezhnye Chelny, Tatarstan. Of course, the situation around me made it impossible to think about teaching. Besides, I could not stay anywhere for a long time. In Tomsk I had felt “It’s enough with me” in three months. Naberezhnye Chelny was just a place for me to stay and to think “What to do if there is no place for you to live?” Return to Israel? Thus in May 2011 I went to Canada with a slight hope to remain there.
Canada
Canada was my last attempt to escape the pursuit of rumors. Quite predictably the trick didn’t work and all eight months I spent in Canada in the usual crazy ward. The walls of this ward looked as follows.
Yet in Russia, while staying in Naberezhnye Chelny and preparing to the trip to Canada, I called one private teaching company in Toronto and asked if I can teach physics and mathematics upon arrival. I needed to earn some money till I arrange the driving job. This teaching work didn’t imply high school lecturing, just a private tutoring of pupils. The woman with an Indian name, representative of the company, told me: “In general there are no problems with that. Call me when you are in Canada”. And I called, spoke with the same woman. Everything went well until at some inevitable moment she asked me:
– What is your name?
Bad anticipation began to stir inside me, but nothing to do:
– Boris Grits, – answered I, not too confidently.
A silence set on the other end of a wire for several moments. Then the voice pronounced:
– Oh my God!
After that I was quickly informed there are no job vacancies right now and our conversation finished. What has India to do with me? What do they know about me? But that was the usual atmosphere around me wherever I appeared.
With all that I continued trying to put into practice my teaching ideas and took some steps in order to contact Canadian teaching community. I addressed several specialists at the University of Toronto. One of them, Larry Bencze, at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), named several persons who might be interested in contacts with me. The reaction of these people was quite predictable. Indigo Esmonde, the director of the Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education (OISE), when I tried to speak to her, looked at me with an insane glance and literally ran away. So, I had pleasure making acquaintance of this lady mostly from the back. Another guy just hid when I came to meet with him.
After I had spun several laps among different people at different levels, I arrived finally to the Division of Physics Education at Canadian Association of Physicists (DPE at CAP). Well, that was at least something. This should be exactly the place, I thought, where I can contact right people. The discussion on the right people’s forum was basically on the level: some student complained he/she took the course “Electricity and Magnetism 1” and was wondering where he/she can find supporting material. After a month of my attempts to organize more serious talk on the forum I appealed to its administrator, Donald Mathewson, and asked if there is an opportunity to discuss the topics I’m interested in.
Donald was turned on friendly and said there are weekly Skype meetings I can participate in. But, he added, “the guys experience right now some difficulties with time for communication” and he will let me know when the things fix up. Since then I never heard from Donald again. At this point my attempts to contact Canadian teaching community finished.
Israel (summer 2012)
I knew well what was waiting for me in Israel. But, since I didn’t succeed to find a job – for this a separate thanks to the Canadian trucking companies – I had to leave Canada. And in April 2012 I returned home.
First several months I was looking again for the opportunity to test my teaching ideas in practice (an optional course in physics at some school with preferably advanced level of physics study). Or, in general, for the physics teacher position in a school or college. Here how I was able to realize that in Israel.
Altogether I addressed like 15-20 places, schools and colleges. Among those:
– Mofet system schools (Mofet and Mofet makif alef);
– “Kfar Yarok” school in Ramat Hasharon (Vladimir Tartakovsky);
– Rishonim school in Rishon Lezion (Yaffa Liba);
– Amit high school in Beer Sheva (Gadi (Gennady) Daichman – for physics, Evgeniy Kanel – for computers);
– Levinsky College of Education (Levinsky College);
– The Sami Shamoon College of Engineering (Ravit Shabtai);
– Ilan Ramon Youth Physics Center at Ben Gurion University (Victor Malamud);
– Kaye College of Education, Beer Sheva (Gila Katsir);
– The Technological College of Beer Sheva;
– Israel Air Force Technological College (Air Force College).
No response or no result.
In the “Kfar Yarok” school in Ramat Hasharon with enhanced physics study the story was as follows. Head of the physics learning program – Vladimir Tartakovski – was satisfied with my test lesson, but had to verify the appointment with the school director, Kobi Neve (alias “Sisco”). When I called him a week later he explained me in apologetic tone their director does not like “russian” teachers and thus he has to deny me.
Kobi Neve, “Sisco”
I’m not going to concentrate on this personage (Sisco) here. Who wants may google “ד”ר קובי נווה (המכונה סיסקו)” and read about interesting details of the “Kfar Yarok” economic life. Like the Neve’s salary 40,000 shekel/month and four other top executives’ salaries in this school around 25,000-27,000 shekel/month (true for 2014). Also shall not pick on the strange “nationalist” reasoning: “Neve doesn’t like Russian Jews teachers”. Was it Tartakovski’s hasty translation of Neve’s “What?! This man here?! Have you lost your mind?!”, or really Sisco prefers “ours” – does it matter? Both sounds great and, anyway, I didn’t get this job.
Usually there was no response at all. In some cases, however, school representatives had to react somehow. Dov Trigerman from the Ministry of Education organized my meeting with Yaffa Liba, director of the “Rishonim” education center of the name Ilan Ramon (Rishon LeZion). I had addressed Dov shortly before, asking to help me in finding a job. The result was as usual: Yaffa took my documents and said she’ll contact me later.
The same story repeated at the “Amit” high school (Beer Sheva). I was presented there by Evgeniy Kanel (computer science class), who was familiar with our family. Still, the situation was resolved quite easily: after I gave a test lesson, Victoria Gonionsky, the teacher of physics, said she’ll cal me later.
I could not play these games infinitely: the Canadian epopee had eaten my last savings and I had to find something quickly. Thus, for the next two years I switched to the simplest options: caring for elderly and security jobs.
Israel (summer-autumn 2014).
To be continued…
Boris Grits 