Today we visited Mechva Alon a educational military base in Galil HaElyon whose purpose is to prepare soldiers to better integrate into Israeli society. We spoke about opportunity with a commander at the base. Opportunities require a common base level of education for soldiers.
I was lucky to meet with Avital a twenty year old base commander. After excelling in English courses in school and spending three months in a camp in New Jersey, Avital was assigned to be a teacher at Mechva Alon. Avital teaches higher level English grammar and literature to male soldiers, 3-4 years older than her. These soldiers often come from hard backgrounds of not finishing highschool, difficult family situations and low self confidence. At first Avital was unhappy with her assignment, but her feelings changed once she began working with the soldiers. She now enjoys teaching because she knows she has the chance to impact the soldiers lives and help them better themselves for once they leave the army. Avital recounted how she personally grew more mature from leading older soldiers with real life problems to solve. One of her most rewarding moments at Mechva Alon was seeing her student who once believed he wouldn’t make it through lower level English, gain confidence through her course and continue to the highest English course.