I’m the kind of person who likes to learn. So in the past year I’ve attended the JEIC ‘Unmasking God’ conference, finished the Matan Bellows Educators Eshkolot Program, finished the Orthodox Leadership Project cohort, become a No Shame on U teen mentor, led a book club in my school on ‘Creative Confidence,’ and tonight I began my newest fellowship, called On the Move.
On the Move will feature virtual visits to three Jewish day schools utilizing cutting-edge pedagogical techniques. I’m very interested and hope to come away with new ideas I can bring to my classroom.
One of the questions we were asked at tonight’s orientation was to provide a metaphor for Jewish education. Here are some of the metaphors participants suggested:
Starting a journey- because it’s about the journey, not the destination
Carving a sculpture out of a block of marble (because teachers put in a lot of effort to uncover the masterpiece within each student)
A spark that lights the eternal flame
Key to an inherited treasure chest
The tree of life/ עץ חיים
The priestly breastplate/ חשן משפט because it is the medium through which we come close to God, each stone is different, and each tribe is represented. It shows each student that they have their own unique דרך (path) to finding God.
A tree with deep roots
The act of questioning
Planting a seed
A road map
I didn’t say any of these, although I enjoyed the depth of thought (and the Tanakh allusions) in several of them.
Instead, I said that Jewish education is a smorgasbord. Imagine a groaning table laden with delicacies, with all different kinds of delicious food and drink represented. My job is to set the table and present the food- it’s up to each child to take what they want.
I think the metaphors each one of us selected speaks to something in us. One of the things I always bear in mind as a teacher is that I will not be the right teacher for every student- and that is okay. Those who can learn from me will take something from the table I offer, and those who need something else will find the person who provides it. The main thing is that Judaism should never be forced. Students need to choose. And they need to feel like I will love them no matter what they choose.
Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik makes this point in multiple places. Here is one excerpt.
When you have questions about prayer, you open up the Shulhan Arukh, Orah Hayyim. A great scholar will find it quickly. Someone who is not advanced in learning will take a little longer. But you will find either the law which explicitly suits this particular occasion or a similar law. When you have moral problems, however, it is very hard to open up an appropriate text. Where do you find guidance?
Apparently, there is a subjective element in making moral decisions. If one is confused, he can ask for guidance and counsel. Many times, I have been presented with moral questions. I never give a yes or no answer. The questions may determine the future of the particular individual. I will explain the options but tell him that the final choice is his. These are occasionally the most important of problems. Many times when my own students ask me such questions, I explain to them what is involved. They have to understand the alternatives.
As a matter of fact, somebody has told me that [Henry A.] Kissinger [b. 1923, U.S. Secretary of State] told him that his job is to break down problems into several alternatives. He offers various solutions and then presents his analysis to the President [Richard Nixon, president 1969-1974]. The decision belongs to the President. This is also true of my counseling of my students. I receive many such questions. I would never give them a yes or no answer. I just explain the alternatives and what is involved. One course of action may produce one result, and another course may produce a second result. The decision belongs to the boys.
I resent very much that certain roshei yeshiva and certain teachers want to impose their will upon the boys. It is against the law. Both ways are correct, the options are correct, and it is up to the individual to make the decision. I cannot make the decision for him. I am old, he is young. This in itself prevents me from making the decision. I do not like to impose my will upon somebody else. Only the Almighty can do that, but not a human being.
-from The Rav: The World of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, Volume 2, page 237
He has another quote that I cannot find right now (if you know it, you can add it in the comments) about how happy he is that his students are all individuals. They aren’t all cookie-cutter replicas of him- they have all learned from him, but they are different from him.
I’m obviously not the Rav. But I love my students. I love how much I learn from them. I love how different and unique they each are, and all their strengths. I like seeing how they grow and develop and the different paths they take. I have students who love halakha and students who are following spiritual paths that are far from halakha. I have students serving in the Marines and students serving in the IDF. I have students at Harvard and students in the YU Honors program. I have students who came back to work with me at MBC last year. My students are many and varied and multifaceted and each one of them has something beautiful inside of them.
Every single one.
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