Page 17 - Ebook hey-vav part 1 140118 HTML5

17

When she was in third grade, she won second place in the
National Competition. "I was very excited. Today I do karate
to improve myself and not to compete with other people. To
win is not the goal."

- What did this do to your self-confidence?
"A lot. When I was a child my face was distorted for some time
because of my problems, and it was very hard for me with the
children in school. Here I felt that they accepted me, that I
wasn't some alien. I learned not to give in to the stigmas of
society. Because of karate, I understood that there is no reason I
should sit and hide at home."

- Did you also have failures, moments that you wanted to stop?
"There were ups and down, but I learned to cope and not to
break. That is one of the things that they learn here."

- Roni, did you take Noa as a personal project?
"Noa is first of all my daughter; she is not a project. I stand at
the head of an educational system and I cannot allow myself to
reward my children more than others. The opposite – I can say
that the two of them passed tests much more demanding than
any other student. As a parent, certainly I gave them all the love
and support that one needs to give."

- Was it harder for Noa than for others?
"Physically it wasn't hard for her. After all, she has always put in a
lot of effort. Children who have negative experience with
achievement put in more effort, because they are thirsty for
success. It is understood that unlike the formal education system,
here she received encouragement and the ability to realize herself."

- And what happened in the formal education system?
"It’s no secret that the system is unable to cope with the unusual.
There is no manpower, no budget, and no desire to cope with

RE4 All rights reserved to Ulpan-Or (www.ulpanor.com) Do Not Copy!
Jerusalem: 02-561-1132 Tel Aviv: 03-566-1493 New York 1-646-393-4709