A weekly dose

A Weekly Dose

by Tanya Mirsky and Eitan Rick, Amal Aleph Comprehensive School, Ramla

On Friday mornings, 11th graders of Amal Aleph, Ramla, get their weekly dose of driving theory. They learn about road signs, right of way, and the do's and don'ts of driving.

In order to obtain a driver's license, 17 year olds have to pass a theory test. 11th graders are taught one hour a week all there is to know about traffic rules and road signs.

Sounds like a wonderful idea, doesn't it? So we went to see one of these lessons for ourselves. The lesson began 20 minutes after the bell. The teacher had to wait about 10 milnutes for quiet. Even then, the students did anything but study. The came and went as the pleased, read newspapers and talked among themselves. They didn't seem the least bit interested - just like a free period. When asked about this situation, Danny, the instructor replied, "Mostly the students study at home. I'm here mostly to give them extra details and broaden their horizons. Once they get their driving licenses, they will mature and understand the imprortance of the material learned in my lessons."

We asked 11th adn 12th graders to take a small test to see what they remembered from their theory lessons. The average grade of teh stduents was 64.6%. We also asked some of the teachers to take the same test. Their avarage grade was 54.6%. Dan Segev, vice principal, feels that the results are inexcusable. "In my opinion, any grade under 100% is a failing grade."

So it seems that even though the theory lessons are almost ignored by the students, something does sink in, and they do learn something from it. Yossi Twino, history teacher, thinks that this proves that students should be given more credit. "The students understand the importance of the material and therefore they remember more than the teachers."

We hear on talk shows, TV commercials and radio programs that traffic accidents are the number one killer in Israel. Everyone agrees that the solution lies in education. Here in our own school, the future drivers are being educated.

There seems to be quite a lot of disagreement over the findings. The obvious question seems to be, are these lessons productive? Should they be continued no matter what? We believe that this material is far too important to be left out. Perhaps part of the problem lies in the presentation of the material. The importance of these lessons must be stressed and emphasized. Or perhaps, the students have to understand that driving theory lessons could be the most important lessons of their lives... In the meantime, students, be careful! There are teachers driving out there!

This article previously appeared in The Amal Sun - The Student Newspaper of Amal Aleph Ramla, May 1998.

For related materials, check out the Road Safety Project, Stop the Bloodshed, and/or Teenage New Drivers Homepage.

Amal Aleph Ramla school site