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Math vs Tuna: First day back at school

Viva Sarah Press

Sep 1, 2020
2 min

Math vs Tuna: First day back at school

00:15 - “Mommy, I can’t sleep.” “Are you feeling okay?” “Yes. Pick a number.” “It’s after midnight, you have school tomorrow. Let’s try and go to sleep and we’ll do the number thing in the morning.” “Pick a number. I figured out a math riddle and I want to see if it works. Then I’ll go to sleep.” This kid. Always thinking. Numbers flying through his mind. I know that if I send him to bed he won’t sleep. He’ll continue testing his riddle. “Okay. 8.” “No. Pick a number and don

3 Reasons Feedback Makes You a Better Communicator

Viva Sarah Press

Jun 29, 2020
3 min

3 Reasons Feedback Makes You a Better Communicator

When I first became an editor at The Jerusalem Post back in the early 2000s, readers’ letters would arrive by the dozen. Real letters. Not emails. These letters were gold. They were the best form of feedback a journalist or editor could ask for. Some of the letters were nasty, nitpicky, mean-spirited, and horrible. (Most of the time, people write to complain not to commend.) But they were nonetheless valuable. I learned from another editor that the best way to learn from thes

There’s no innovation in Israel. But there is hope, love and community

Viva Sarah Press

Jun 24, 2020
2 min

There’s no innovation in Israel. But there is hope, love and community

Asked what Israel means to them, American college students from across the US spoke of ‘home’, ‘Judaism,’ a ‘homeland’, ‘community’, ‘spirituality’ and ‘culture.’ Innovation never came up as a word to associate with this little country that boasts groundbreaking technological solutions in so many fields. The emotional connection to Israel, according to the answers given during a webinar on social initiatives/innovation during Covid-19, is strong. The college students also cit

A story of failure

Viva Sarah Press

Jun 18, 2020
2 min

A story of failure

An email arrived in my inbox with a link to a new trailer for a documentary series on education. And there I am, in a cameo, as my alter ego persona, Oshi. Well, we are both in the trailer. Nose off (Viva), nose on (Oshi). With nearly seven years of television experience and 20+ years as a journalist, my alter ego speedily bumped me to the sidelines and stole the show. Could this be a failure on my part? Oshi is dressed in a red and white polka dot shirt and sports a ridiculo

Here’s what I learned when I taught a Zoom class

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 24, 2020
1 min

Here’s what I learned when I taught a Zoom class

When the Education Ministry can’t decide if distance-learning is good for elementary school pupils or not, the parents step in to keep the morning Zoom talk going. Routine is important. And having a 10 am class chat during this coronavirus pandemic is a lifeline for my fourth grader. When the teacher is allowed to host the chat (in accordance with the ministry’s distance learning policy), he does. When the wishy-washy ministry alters education policy, we step in. Today, I too

Good morning digital classroom!

Viva Sarah Press

Mar 13, 2020
1 min

Good morning digital classroom!

This morning, less than 24 hours after Israel announced the shuttering of schools as part of the country’s measures to curb the spread of the coronavirus, my fourth grader was already online in a Zoom class chat with his teacher. The regular school day would have started at 8 a.m. Today’s class began at 9 a.m. The first part of the class call was to ensure everyone knew how to connect. The rest of the chat focused on how digital learning works, what the teacher plans to do in

Let’s Fail Together

Viva Sarah Press

Jan 4, 2020
1 min

Let’s Fail Together

What’s it like to brainstorm an idea and then make it happen? Amazing! The idea: A duet talk on failure. Yes, sharing a mic. And yes, focusing on failure. Because we come from different fields. Because we are both fascinated by failure. And because we think education, innovation, storytelling, hacking and clowning are good ingredients to stir together to encourage conversation and dialogue. There were dozens of inspiring talks and panels mixing education with entrepreneurship