Before joining the REALITY Israel experience, I was an exhausted first-year teacher who was very ready for summer break. I had made it through my first year of teaching, which I was very proud of, but I did not feel totally confident in my ability to improve in my second year of teaching or my ability to be the great teacher that I aspired to be. . .

After this amazing trip, I am now at a place where I feel comfortable acknowledging my strengths and weaknesses. I know that I need to focus on my strengths to be a leader and surround myself with others who compliment my weaknesses. . . I also feel that I have a new group of colleagues who all share very similar beliefs and values. The REALITY participants, just like my fellow corps members in my region, are extremely intelligent and talented, but unlike the corps members in my region, we have shared an incredible and invaluable experience together in Israel. The idea of joining a group of 57 brilliant corps members would have scared me about three months ago, but I now understand that I can embrace my fellow REALITY travelers because they will not judge me. Instead, they will push me and challenge me to make me a better leader out of the love and respect we have for each other . . .

This trip rejuvenated me and inspired me to make changes in my classroom. After learning the importance of community throughout the trip (from Avraham Infeld’s talk, to the Kibbutz movement, to Yerucham, and much more), I decided that it was necessary to build more of a community in my classroom and with my students individually. I plan on attending more events within their community – whether that be at sports games or at church. I also plan on making more phone calls home, both positive and negative, so that the parents are engaged in the classroom community. With this idea of community, I also want to teach my students about other communities around the world and expose them to other cultures, which is especially relevant as a foreign language teacher. I can do this through music, television, dance, and hopefully field trips. . . .

This trip, the people, and the country of Israel allowed me to grow so much as a person. I feel more mature and more prepared to tackle challenging issues. Now, instead of focusing on other people and how they think or act, I can focus on my values and my beliefs. I have learned that you always need people, your community, to support and challenge you. I know that without a team, no success will be found. But I also realize that unless I can see myself clearly – whether this means understanding my beliefs or recognizing my weaknesses – I cannot reach my highest potential. After this trip, I clearly understand what it means to be a leader and I feel much more confident in my ability to become a leader in my community and to make changes in the world.