Adi Harpak

Age: 52
Years in Beit Ruth: 15
Education:
Teachers college “Oranim”. Certificate in special education.
Academic level courses in the Hebrew language and literature.
Roles in Beit Ruth:
Remedial teaching of Hebrew reading, writing and learning skills and strategies
Diagnostics and didactic testing in the areas mentioned above.

About myself:
I was born and grew up in a Kibbutz. I worked in the Kibbutz as a Hebrew teacher for volunteers who came to Israel from many countries, talking a variety of languages.
After my marriage I moved to Haifa and for seven years I was teaching Hebrew for new immigrants from Russia, Ethiopia and other countries. Teaching Ethiopian Jews, who came from the villages in Ethiopia, gave me a chance to meet a different culture, completely new to me. I had to use nonverbal communication with my Ethiopian students before I could teach them Hebrew. This experience enriched my teaching skills as well as my sensitivity to my students.
In the family circle one of my daughters had difficulties in the acquisition of reading and overcame these difficulties due to the professional help she received in Beit Ruth.
My personal experience in teaching students of cultural diversity as well as my experience in my family with my daughter motivated me to learn special education. The area of special education requires a different way of thinking and the ability for an ongoing process of learning to find the specific methods that fit each individual child.