Middlebury Magazine

  • Recent Stories
  • Menu
    • Features
    • Pursuits
    • Q&A
    • Podcasts
    • Review
    • Essays
    • Old Chapel
    • Videos
    • How Did You Get Here Series
    • About
    • Advertising
    • Contact
    • Support
    • Writers’ Guidelines
  • Search

Spring 2022 Q&A

The Making of a Teacher

Hebrew Professor Michal Strier reflects on her life an education—in Israel and the States—a journey that led the Language School instructor to the undergraduate College for the first time this year.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photograph by Paul Dahm
May 19, 2022
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Email icon

Each summer, for the past several years, Michal Strier, a Professor of Hebrew, has traveled from her home in Arad, a small city in southern Israel, to teach research methods to master’s and DML students at Middlebury’s School of Hebrew.

This year, though, Michal will have spent the undergraduate year in Vermont, teaching at at the College. We recently spoke to her about this new experience, a conversation that touched on her career, the idea of a “democratic” school, education in the States and Israel, and, of course, her impression of winter in Northern New England.

What have you been teaching this school year?
This year, I taught mostly 200-level Hebrew classes, and a few students in 101 and 102 classes. I also taught someone who is high-level in Hebrew, but it was an independent study, just her and me. Also, starting in J-term, I began leading a Hebrew Club on Monday afternoons for whoever wanted it, no matter the level. We started with four students, and now we have six. It’s not obligatory. They just want to learn Hebrew and talk a little Hebrew and do things in Hebrew. And usually I bring cookies and cakes for them.

Is that an extra incentive to get students to drop in?
Well, I like to bake, so I need someone to eat it. My husband and I, we can’t eat everything!

How did you get into teaching?
My husband and I established a very unique school 20-something years ago in Arad, where I grew up: we opened a free democratic school called Kedem. It belongs to a string of democratic schools. It’s a school for children from the age of three till the end of high school. It’s like a family, it’s multiage, and you don’t learn by classes. The children decide what they learn, how they learn, with whom they learn.

We opened the school in 2000. We just wanted a school for our children where they would love to learn, where they would love to go to school. When we look back, we see that we actually established a community, like a kibbutz. I didn’t have the patience to wait for someone else to do it, and no one else wanted to. We decided there was no time, so we did it.

How does the democratic school model work?
There are rules. The children make decisions together with the community—parents are also invited. Every week there’s a parliament. People suggest rules and everyone votes about it and talks about it. Even children from kindergarten can speak at the parliament and suggest rules. It’s from very simple daily stuff to voting on the budget. It’s everything except what to learn or not to learn, because everyone can learn everything.

The model started in Poland with Janusz Korczak, a Jewish educator and doctor and journalist. One of his famous sayings was “The children have a right to die.” He didn’t mean it in a macabre way; he meant for adults to stop telling children “Don’t do this, don’t do that, because you might die.” So they climbed trees and did whatever they wanted.

A.S. Neill did something similar in the 1920s in England. His school is alive and kicking today. If you search for “Summerhill” on YouTube, you’ll find lots of movies about it.

Did you always want to be a teacher?
I never wanted to be teacher. I wanted to be a graphic artist. But for my children, when we started this school, I decided I had to have at least a teaching certificate. I studied intensely to get three years of study into two years.

I was the principal of the school when we started it, and for about eight years after that. After I stepped aside, I went on teaching part time, and I started working at Kaye College for Academic Education, a training college. There, I worked at a center that tried to help communities and educators establish youth programs for citizenship and involvement in the community. I finished my master’s in public administration and nonprofit management at Ben-Gurion University. I kept working in the college because it was nice. Also, they needed someone to deal with their website and social media. I said, “Okay, for a few months until you find someone.”

I have an idea where this is going.
[Laughing] Yeah, that lasted for a long time, many years. I also helped with their fundraising, something I did for the democratic school. And I learned for my fun, but for them too, how to build websites, and they used my graphic skills.

What was Kaye College like?
It’s in Beersheba, in the south of Israel. What’s interesting is there are lots of Bedouin settlements in the south. Even in Arad there are Bedouins and there are Muslims and there are Jews and there are Christians. We have refugees from Sudan and Eritrea. And in this college, it was almost half Bedouins. It was a great existence, because you could see how coexistence really works on a daily basis. Even the language of the teachers in the staff room, you’d hear Arabic or Bedouin teachers speaking among themselves in Arabic with Hebrew words in it. And you’d hear the Jews, the Israelis, the non-Arabic teachers speaking Hebrew among themselves, and you’d hear Arabic in it. All the languages were mixed.

Did you go beyond your Master’s degree?
Yes, I did my PhD, also at Ben-Gurion University. I got my doctorate in the field of political socialization. It’s not political in the sense of political parties. It’s about being aware and involved and caring and being part of the democratic system. What I was interested in, because of the democratic school, was trust. Trust the children, trust the parents, trust the teachers, and you trust them to make very important decisions, and you trust them to take care of themselves, but you also trust them to call you if they need help.

Rabbi Danielle said you come from a very creative family.
I used to paint in oils and stuff like that. Before I became a teacher I studied graphic design. My mom was a teacher, but she was also a graduate of Bezalel Art Academy in Jerusalem. She taught me calligraphy and drawing. Now my passion is animation.

My sister is an artist. She has taught beginning Hebrew at the Language Schools, and she taught art to everyone. My daughter is a pastry chef, and my son is a musician. I’m not modest about it: my son is a very good musician. He plays any instrument you can think of. He plays with the most famous band in Israel, Hadag Nahash.

What is your impression of Vermont?
I love Middlebury. Middlebury is like arriving to quiet and peace, and it’s an amazing, beautiful place, with very friendly people. We come from the desert, beautiful desert. But here everything is green and there’s lots of water. It’s amazing. So beautiful. I can’t stop taking pictures.

What did you think of our long Vermont winter?
It wasn’t long for me. I’m like a child, you know. I look at the snow and I’m like, wow, it’s so beautiful. And every snow is different, and it’s amazing. It’s so beautiful.

People warned me about the cold. I said, “What can I do? I’ll dress warmer.” And I realized it’s actually colder for me in Israel, because there I don’t have the right clothing or the right boots. And our houses aren’t warm enough over there. But on the other hand, in the summer in Israel, everyone has air conditioning. Here, it’s really difficult because there isn’t much air conditioning. And the mosquitoes are the worst.

Are you doing any other extracurriculars besides the Monday Hebrew Club?
Yes. I did an art class, because students asked for it. And I did calligraphy once. We are always talking about Israel during these classes, so now we’ve started kind of a series of Zoom lectures on different subjects in Israeli society. People are always talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, so there’s no need for me to do that too. I try to talk about some other things that are in Israel. You know, it’s not only the conflict.

And I always invite students to my home, because my husband is an amazing cook. So when they feel in need of a home, I invite students to come over for dinner or breakfast or lunch or a cake. They asked how to do falafel and pita and hummus, so we’re doing that tomorrow. And we’re starting something on Thursdays—not only for the Hillel students but for whoever wants to join. We’ll meet and we’ll just talk or see movies and talk about Israeli art and Israeli music and any questions that come to mind concerning Israel. And not necessarily in Hebrew.

If people from Hillel or people who have connections to Middlebury and to the College and to the town have ideas they think I can help with concerning Hebrew and Israel and art, then they’re invited to approach me. I’m not formal. Totally not formal. And I love new ideas.

It has been fascinating talking to you. Your curiosity and love of learning are palpable.
One of my mother’s friends, she’s a very funny old lady, once she told me, “A good day is a day that you learned something new, you laughed, and you did something good for someone else.” And I don’t know why it stuck in my head, but whenever that happens, I say, OK, I can check that off.

[Laughing.]

I have to learn things all the time; the day that I don’t learn something new is a really boring day.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Stories

Features

More Than a Game

In a critically acclaimed work of nonfiction, Abe Streep '04 introduces readers to the Arlee Warriors, a high school basketball team on a Native American reservation in Montana, where life's challenges are abundant.

By Alexander Wolff
Photograph by Devin Yalkin
October 21, 2022

Munya Munyati Has A Few Stories to Tell

Catching up with a young filmmaker who is rapidly making a name for himself at Vice.

By Mara Dolan
Film stills by Munya Munyati
September 16, 2022

Reverberations

A transcontinental move, a career discovered, a landmark speech studied and translated—and an identity reshaped.

By Clara Clymer, MA Translation '22
Illustration by Anna Gusella
April 2, 2022

The Road(s)

A little over a year ago, a writing student headed south to Florida for no other reason than J-Term was forced to go remote. She soon found herself reporting on an environmental justice battle that was roiling the state.

By Alexandra Burns '21.5
Illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg
March 2, 2022

Dispatches

Japan Wants to Dump Water from a Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean

Middlebury's Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress thinks that's a terrible idea.

By Sierra Abukins
August 11, 2023

When Mini Golf Meets Reproductive Justice

A summertime staple becomes a first-of-its-kind teaching tool.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photographs by Todd Balfour
June 30, 2023

Welcome to All Things Scottish

Toward the end of the academic year, a group of Midd students turned Battell Beach into a setting that more closely resembled a Scottish moor.

By Caroline Crawford
Photograph by Brian MacDonald
June 30, 2023

Let’s Dance

How can one's digital experiences be interpreted through performance art? Choreographer Maia Sauer ’22 and a troupe of recent Midd grads attempt to find out.

By Alexandra Jhamb Burns '21.5
Photographs by Alexis Welch '22
June 2, 2023

The Repatriation

The Leopard Head Hip Ornament returns to Africa.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Courtesy Middlebury Museum of Art
February 16, 2023

Adventures in Filmmaking

Two professors and an alum have embarked on a journey to take a screenplay from its creation to the end product of a full-length feature film.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Still Photograph from The Swim Lesson Proof of Concept
February 14, 2023

A Night Out

For one evening in December, Atwater dining hall hosted a student-dining experience unlike any other.

By Caroline Crawford
Photographs by Paul Dahm
January 20, 2023

Finding His Way

What happens when your identity is stolen—not by another person but by your own body?

By Sara Thurber Marshall
December 15, 2022

A Natural Selection

For more than a quarter century, Stephen Trombulak— now an emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies—guided students in avian research on a parcel of College land hard by Otter Creek. This preserved area now bears his name.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photography by Paul Dahm
November 18, 2022
View All

Pursuits

Public Defender

On becoming one of the country's foremost cybersecurity experts.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by Neil Webb
April 14, 2022

Q&A

The Making of a Teacher

Hebrew Professor Michal Strier reflects on her life an education—in Israel and the States—a journey that led the Language School instructor to the undergraduate College for the first time this year.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photograph by Paul Dahm
May 19, 2022

Editor’s Note

A Brilliant Fogg

Saying goodbye to a dear colleague and friend.

By Matt Jennings
Illustration by Jody Hewgill
February 25, 2020

Old Chapel

Making Democracy Real

An Update on Our Conflict Transformation Initiative

By Laurie L. Patton
Illustration by Brian Staufer
January 20, 2023

Road Taken

What to Wear Now

Through accrued life experiences, a writer discovers that a common question has become a statement of identity.

By Samantha Hubbard Shanley ’99
Illustration by Naomi Clarke
March 11, 2021

Quotation

A summer immersed in a language can do wonders, as veterans of Middlebury College’s famous language-learning program can attest. The lockdown is clearly going to amount to the equivalent of about two summers, and there are mini-Middleburys happening in millions of houses worldwide.”

—John McWhorter, writing “The Coronavirus Generation Will Use Language Differently” in the Atlantic.

Podcasts

Old Stories Being Told Differently, Part 1, featuring Carolyn Finney

Our guest for episode three of season three is Carolyn Finney, who is a storyteller, author, cultural geographer, and self-described “accidental environmentalist” whose work explores the intersection of identity, privilege, and our natural surroundings. In part one of this two-part interview, Carolyn joins host and president of Middlebury, Laurie Patton, to discuss how her upbringing and family history in Westchester County, New York became the foundation of her life’s work.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
September 18, 2023

Every Book You Write Is a Mystery, feat. Rebecca Makkai, MA English ’04

Our guest for episode two of season three is Rebecca Makkai, MA English '04, a critically acclaimed novelist and short story writer. She joins Laurie Patton to discuss her teaching career, overcoming writer's block, her time at Bread Loaf, dabbling in other genres or mediums for inspiration, and her deep personal roots to Vermont.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
May 30, 2023

The Virus Hunter, feat. Anne Rimoin ’92

Our guest for episode one of season three of this podcast is an epidemiologist who is an internationally recognized expert on global health, disease surveillance, and immunization. Anne Rimoin '92 joins Laurie Patton to discuss what it takes to be on the front lines as an emerging infectious disease researcher.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
April 17, 2023

Review

Editors’ Picks for July and August

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
August 11, 2023

How Did You Get Here?

Megan Job

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Leif Taranta

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Mikayla Haefele

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Videos

Creating Community Through Hip Hop

For three days in March, the sounds, styles, and fashions of global hip hop converged on Middlebury for an electric symposium.

By Jordan Saint-Louis '24
April 17, 2023

Pomp and Unusual Circumstances

As viewed from above.

By Chris Spencer
June 1, 2021

Davis the Owl Returns Home

Having recovered from life-threatening injuries, a beautiful winged creature is released to its natural habitat.

By Andrew Cassell
April 22, 2021
Middlebury College
  • Alumni
  • Newsroom
  • Contact Us
  • icon-instagram

The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the College.

© 2023 Middlebury College Publications.