Tel-Hai Magazine 2022

“The two-month preparatory program at Tel-Hai, for students with learning disabilities were the most incredible two months of my life” “Those two months turned out to be so significant. I looked inwards and realized why I had failed at school. I sat with one of the experts at the CLD and told her I couldn’t read, that the letters just jumped off the page. She worked with me and, at the age of 25, I managed to read for the first time in my life. That success made me realize I should continue. I enrolled in the BA program in the Ed ucation Department and began the first semester as a regular student - but I didn’t feel like one. I started having pan ic attacks.” The panic attacks accompa nied Maoz throughout the whole of the first semester, however, CLD staff pro vided both emotional and academic sup port. When the exam period arrived, although Maoz thought he was failing, he discovered that he was not simply passing his exams but excelling. “I devel oped learning techniques and even led study groups before exams. I became an active participant in class and, for the first time in my life, I discovered I had abilities I never knew existed.” Maoz wanted to continue this momen tum and enroll in the master’s program in education. However, he could not do so without passing English, and his learn ing disabilities had made this extremely difficult. Nevertheless, with help from the college, Maoz received an exceptional exemption from this requirement, from the Council for Higher Education and completed his master’s with great suc cess. “My experience could help others” “My years studying at Tel-Hai were amazing, and I even completed my de gree with honors. I decided to continue my studies and also felt I should share my experience with others. I thought I could serve as proof that it was possible to de velop self-confidence, overcome chal lenges and learning disabilities, and

Tel-Hai’s Support Center

Recognizing the danger in letting potential languish, Tel-Hai established the Support Center in 1995 as part of its commitment to making higher education accessible to all Israelis. Tel-Hai’s Support Center for Students with Learning Disabilities and Medical Limitations (CLD) breaks new ground by providing personalized guidance to students from diverse backgrounds, facing a wide range of challenges. The Center’s remarkable success draws students from all over Israel to Tel-Hai, where their talents and motivation are fully appreciated and they are given the tools needed to realize their dreams. Nothing comparable exists in any other institution of higher learning nationwide.

a child’s ability to succeed can make all the difference Maoz is currently working on a play based on his life-story, ‘Diary of Dys graphia’. The play presents the stormy emotional world of a student with learn ing disabilities, who experiences school as a threatening, anxiety-provoking place. Performances are scheduled to be gin next school year; its intended audi ence includes teachers, parents, and stu dents. “The play focuses on one of the greatest things that happened to me at Tel-Hai: learning how to explain my difficulties,” says Maoz. “I was a little boy, failing in school and always having to make excus es. Only as an adult, did I understand that I had objective difficulties that the system had been unable to handle.My message to parents and teachers is that children need to know that at least one adult has faith in them. Sometimes, that person only turns up later in life, but bet ter late than never.”

achieve success.” Today, Maoz is the principal of the Ma’on Gilam Residen tial School, a framework for youth re moved from their homes by court order. “At Ma’on Gilam, we accept youth in serious crises, after all other frameworks have given up on them, and no one seems to have believed in their ability to succeed. We do everything we can to help them break the cycle. The residen tial school is their last option before jail. Through therapy and much nurturing, we help them turn their lives around, find their strengths, and the power to de velop their skills and abilities. They dis cover new worlds and new options for their future. I believe they can all gradu ate from high school with a full matricu lation certificate. My faith in them helps them to believe in themselves. We also encourage them to attend a premilitary preparatory program because, if they do so, their criminal records will be erased, giving them a fresh start.” Even one person believing in

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