In the teachers’ room of AMIT Atidim in Or Akiva, you will find something very unique – 15 teachers who left their previous high-ranking and lucrative professions in order to educate the next generation.
Dr. Dina Filikovitz was previously a dentist and is now the head of the biology and chemistry department at the school. “I switched to education for ideological reasons”, she explained. “Through teaching, I have experienced personal and professional empowerment. I recommend it to everyone – leave everything and come teach. The teaching profession changes the lives of children, the lives of their parents, and most importantly, the lives of the teachers”.
Filikovitz’s story is not unusual among the AMIT Atidim teachers. Among others, there is also Liraz Mizrachi who left her job as a lawyer to teach Civics and Udi Barak who was previously a software engineer and now became a biology teacher. “I chose teaching because I wanted to work in a meaningful profession and to contribute to society,”, said Barak.
“I was looking for a place to make an impact on the next generation”, explains Shlomi Yitzchak who was working in real-estate and hi-tech and is currently a math teacher. “I figured that I have a lot of life experience which would enable me to be a role model for the students and that I would also find meaning in my work”.
Ettti Laredo, principal of AMIT Atidim, praises these teachers, “They bring with them significant added value in that they can interest the students in other areas aside from the subject they are teaching”.
