Hill of Secrets: An Israeli Jewish mystery novel by Michal Hartstein Page A
Authors: Michal Hartstein
Ads: Link
me why I wouldn't go in, I told her I'd go to these lectures if they also gave us lectures about military service.
I graduated high school with excellent grades, except for bible studies, not because I didn't know the curriculum, but because the teacher didn't like my answers. I was the ideal candidate to receive the award for excellence at the graduation ceremony. Hanni received it.
Maybe that's the reason for my sour smile? Was I jealous of Hanni? I imagine I was.
I remember my mother was very disappointed that I didn't get the award, although I fully deserved it. Throughout my whole life, I managed to disappoint her so many times because of my stubborn opinions and "inappropriate" behavior, as she called it. If there was one action where I succeed in bringing her some joy, it was my scholarly achievements. She was eventually compensated by diplomas of excellence in the army and in university, but to this day she never forgot that I should have gotten that award at my high school graduation—and didn't.
I didn't recall if I was disappointed myself or for her, but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth from that ceremony, where Hanni was crowned the best student and I was left behind, with a pathetic smile and an ordinary diploma.
Chapter 9
Friday, 5.22.2009
I wanted to meet Ariel's teacher at his school. Batya Gantz had a free hour every Friday morning. She waited for me in the principal's room and looked like everything I remembered from an elementary school teacher: she had short graying hair, wore wide and outdated clothes, and wore strange silver jewelry, most of it the craftwork of amateur artists. She gestured for me to sit on the chair on the other side of the table. On her arm was a bracelet fashioned out of a fork. Even her tone of voice was that of a teacher. When she spoke, she only showed her bottom teeth.
The lady in front of me got lost somewhere in the eighties . She introduced herself as the homeroom teacher of second grade number one, one of the boys' classes. She had been teaching at the school since it was founded, before that she taught in a school in Petach Tikva .
" I have no words to express to you how shocked I am by this whole story," she said and blew her nose. "I couldn't sleep for two days, I'm just exhausted right now. I've been a teacher for thirty years and I've never gone through such a horrifying ordeal."
I told her that if it was difficult for her, we could meet when she’d calmed down, but she wanted to proceed with the questioning, and wanted to help as much as she could .
" Arieli was a beautiful boy," Batya said lovingly. "He had big, intelligent eyes." Batya broke down in tears again and I nudged the pack of tissues in her direction .
" Was he a good student?"
Batya smiled timidly. It was obvious that she was finding it difficult to speak ill of the dead. "He was very smart, but he didn't reach his full potential ."
"Why?"
" I'm no expert, but I do have thirty years of teaching experience. I think the boy had an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder."
" Can you expand?"
" May I know how this is relevant to the investigation?"
It was still unclear to me, too, but I wanted to get to know the late Danilowitz family as well as I could .
" Mrs. Gantz, I ask the questions here," I said and smiled to soften her up, and she went on :
" The boy had obvious difficulty sitting down in class. His notebooks were a mess. He had a hard time reading, he was way behind everyone in math."
" Maybe he wasn't smart enough?"
" I think he was very smart. When I sat with him alone and explained it to him, I saw that his comprehension was excellent, even above average, but his attention disorder got in the way of his ability to advance."
" Was he diagnosed as
I graduated high school with excellent grades, except for bible studies, not because I didn't know the curriculum, but because the teacher didn't like my answers. I was the ideal candidate to receive the award for excellence at the graduation ceremony. Hanni received it.
Maybe that's the reason for my sour smile? Was I jealous of Hanni? I imagine I was.
I remember my mother was very disappointed that I didn't get the award, although I fully deserved it. Throughout my whole life, I managed to disappoint her so many times because of my stubborn opinions and "inappropriate" behavior, as she called it. If there was one action where I succeed in bringing her some joy, it was my scholarly achievements. She was eventually compensated by diplomas of excellence in the army and in university, but to this day she never forgot that I should have gotten that award at my high school graduation—and didn't.
I didn't recall if I was disappointed myself or for her, but I was left with a bitter taste in my mouth from that ceremony, where Hanni was crowned the best student and I was left behind, with a pathetic smile and an ordinary diploma.
Chapter 9
Friday, 5.22.2009
I wanted to meet Ariel's teacher at his school. Batya Gantz had a free hour every Friday morning. She waited for me in the principal's room and looked like everything I remembered from an elementary school teacher: she had short graying hair, wore wide and outdated clothes, and wore strange silver jewelry, most of it the craftwork of amateur artists. She gestured for me to sit on the chair on the other side of the table. On her arm was a bracelet fashioned out of a fork. Even her tone of voice was that of a teacher. When she spoke, she only showed her bottom teeth.
The lady in front of me got lost somewhere in the eighties . She introduced herself as the homeroom teacher of second grade number one, one of the boys' classes. She had been teaching at the school since it was founded, before that she taught in a school in Petach Tikva .
" I have no words to express to you how shocked I am by this whole story," she said and blew her nose. "I couldn't sleep for two days, I'm just exhausted right now. I've been a teacher for thirty years and I've never gone through such a horrifying ordeal."
I told her that if it was difficult for her, we could meet when she’d calmed down, but she wanted to proceed with the questioning, and wanted to help as much as she could .
" Arieli was a beautiful boy," Batya said lovingly. "He had big, intelligent eyes." Batya broke down in tears again and I nudged the pack of tissues in her direction .
" Was he a good student?"
Batya smiled timidly. It was obvious that she was finding it difficult to speak ill of the dead. "He was very smart, but he didn't reach his full potential ."
"Why?"
" I'm no expert, but I do have thirty years of teaching experience. I think the boy had an undiagnosed attention deficit disorder."
" Can you expand?"
" May I know how this is relevant to the investigation?"
It was still unclear to me, too, but I wanted to get to know the late Danilowitz family as well as I could .
" Mrs. Gantz, I ask the questions here," I said and smiled to soften her up, and she went on :
" The boy had obvious difficulty sitting down in class. His notebooks were a mess. He had a hard time reading, he was way behind everyone in math."
" Maybe he wasn't smart enough?"
" I think he was very smart. When I sat with him alone and explained it to him, I saw that his comprehension was excellent, even above average, but his attention disorder got in the way of his ability to advance."
" Was he diagnosed as
Similar Books
