
In early January 2018, all of Revivim's current students and pedagogic staff participated in a full day educational tour of schools in the Maale Adumim area and Ein Gedi. The students each visited one of three schools: Ort Air and Space High School in Maale Adumim, where the visit began with the pupils' morning lineup (most of the pupils in this school are cadets in a technology training track), and heard about the unique features of the school from its principal. The Revivim students observed history and math classes in the tenth and eleventh grades, met with a group of teachers and were impressed by the staff's commitment to excellence and concern for each and every pupil; The Community High School in Kfar Adumim, established in 2014, advocates joint education for students from a variety of Jewish identities and backgrounds. The school promotes learning which generates dialogue and sensitivity to others and encourages every child to form their own Jewish identity. The Revivim students met with the school's principal, Yael Sapir, a graduate of Revivim's third cohort, observed Jewish Philosophy classes in the twelfth grade and participated in a panel of teachers and pupils. They were impressed by the level of the classes, the openness between the teachers and pupils and the pleasant atmosphere in the school. They left with a feeling of having visited an educational utopia; and The Maayanot Junior High School in Kfar Adumim, where the Revivim visitors met the principal and observed Bible classes in the eighth grade, in which two of the teachers were Revivim graduates – Shani Shaked and Moria Picard of Revivim's ninth and eleventh cohorts, respectively. The Revivim students participated in a fascinating discussion of seventh and eighth graders who talked about studying in a school that integrates students from different Jewish backgrounds. The very high level of the classes and pupils, and the realization of the school's ideology, deeply impressed the Revivim visitors. In the afternoon, the full group visited the regional school in Ein Gedi where Ben Erely, a graduate of Revivim's sixth cohort, is principal as of this year. Ben shared the many challenges he faces with the Revivim students along with his vision for revolutionizing the traditional methods of study in the school. The visit evoked discussions among the Revivim students about measuring success in a school, changing existing educational patterns and transitioning from passivism to activism in learning, acknowledging the complexity of the process for students and teachers alike.
Each of the schools, and the many educators and pupils the Revivim students met throughout the day provided opportunities for the Revivim students to contemplate and discuss many issues pertaining to their aspirations as future teachers, the challenges that await them and the possibilities that the teaching profession offers. It was particularly meaningful and inspirational for the students to meet so many graduates and to see them interacting with their pupils in school.