There is a November Dilemma: Thankful for the “Schechter Difference”

Funny Thanksgiving Hanukkah 2013 Greeting Cards from Zazzle.com
Funny Thanksgiving Hanukkah 2013 Greeting Cards from Zazzle.com

It has been too long since I have written about the “Schechter Difference”.

The Martin J. Gottlieb Day School is a proud member of the Schechter Day School Network.  And because we write about what that means in our handbook, and even have a picture of Solomon Schechter on our walls, I assume that many, if not, most of our parents are aware that as a Schechter school, we adhere to the norms and practices of the Conservative Movement when it comes to how Judaism is lived in our school.  I am less confident, however, that some, if any, of our parents could speak more affirmatively about what the impact of being a Schechter school has on the overall educational philosophy of our school and educational impact on our students.  I am less confident, for example, that they realize that much of what our school does and stands for: 21st century learning, Hebrew language immersion, Community of Kindness, Zionism, etc., etc., come as a direct result of what I like to think of as the “Schechter Difference”.

And the once-in-a-lifetime confluence of Thanksgiving and Chanukah, presents an opportunity to see the Schechter Difference in action.  Not so much on Thursday…but on “Black Friday”.  Because the ease with which we conflate “Thanksgiving” and “Chanukah” into “Thanksgivakkah” provides an opportunity to refine our understanding of what it means to have an “integrated curriculum” and makes it fair to ask if the dissonance between our shared cultural heritages does, indeed, produce a November Dilemma.

What does it mean to have an “integrated curriculum” and what does the “Schechter Difference” have to say about it?

Let’s define our terms.

I have always felt it useful to think of this in terms of a dialectic between the two poles of the most common attitude taken towards curricular integration and that is to be “rejectionist”.  A “rejectionist” attitude simply rejects one part of the curriculum when conflict arises.  If there is a conflict between, for example, what “Science” and “Torah” say, it is clear that one is authoritative and that resolves the conflict.  Whether it is the General Studies or the Jewish Studies that is viewed as authoritative depends, of course, on the school.

Other prevailing attitudes towards integration include “Judaizing” – the felt need to apply a Jewish view to every general studies topic otherwise risk students will view general studies as the more relevant – and a new attitude, not prevalent during the beginnings of the day school movement, which one could call “assimilationist”—where Jewish studies as defined in the school’s mission clearly takes a backseat to the general and any clash between values is left unmentioned and unexplored.

Thanksgiving provides us with a much better “dilemma” to see the “Schechter Difference” in action than Christmas does because regardless of which attitude a Jewish day school takes, it almost surely isn’t going to integrate the ideas and values of Christmas into its curriculum. Thanksgiving, however, especially if you take a hard look at the phenomenon of “Black Friday” and American consumerism, allows us to see how complicated integration can be.  Consumerism with its focus on individual material attainment is not consonant with Jewish values.  So what is a Jewish day school to do with that aspect of Chanukah in today’s America?

Being “Jewish” and being “American” is not the same thing.  However proud we legitimately ought to be of both our identities, we are not being intellectually honest if we claim they are identical and never in conflict.  Please keep in mind that the choice not to choose between is itself a choice.   Celebrating the consumerist aspects of Chanukah without acknowledging their conflict with Jewish values is to claim that such a conflict does not exist.

The “Schechter Difference” is that we are neither rejectionist nor assimilationist.  Nor do we feel so threatened by general society that we have to make everything Jewish.  We strive to be interactionist—our philosophy which can be seen in everything from our mitzvah trips to our blogfolios—seeks to allow the Jewish and the general to interact naturally as it does in the real world.  We believe guiding our students through authentic interactions is what will produce serious, committed, affiliated, literate and involved Jews capable of succeeding in a modern world.

So, please, celebrate the historical and secular significance of Thanksgiving with food, football, and gratitude.  And please, celebrate the historical and religious significance of  Chanukah with joy, festivity, and yes, presents.  But this and every year, let’s not forget our Jewish values of tzedakah (charity) and kehillah (community).   Along with your normal gift-giving, consider donating a night or two of your family’s celebration to those less fortunate.  Our Middle School focuses on “Turkey Tuesday” – where we go out into the community and deliver turkeys to families in need – not “Black Friday”.  By doing so we send a powerful message that there are times when our Jewish values command us to set aside the values of secular culture and that not only is that okay, but sometimes it is both necessary and appropriate.

That’s the Schechter Difference.

Happy Turkey Day & Chanukah from my family to yours!

The Transparency Files: Homework Wars

home-work-close-up-1-1126726-mThis is the 150th (!) blog post of “A Floor, But No Ceiling” and amazingly, to me, in a search of all my blog posts, I cannot find one that deals with “homework”.  I guess denial is not just a river in Egypt…it is a river in Jacksonville, Florida!

Disclaimer: In addition to being the head of school, I am married to a public school teacher and am a parent of a 3rd Grader and an Kindergartner.  “Homework Wars” do not describe my parental situation with homework.  Whether that is a function of my children, their particular teachers, our particular family dynamic, or blind luck, I couldn’t say, but “homework” is not a daily or any other kind of struggle in my household.  (Knock on keyboard.)

Why the disclaimer?

I guess because I want to be sensitive to any unconscious biases I may bring to the table in this conversation.  We have excellent teachers who do not have children of their own.  But I think it would be dishonest to suggest that lacking a parent’s perspective never has consequences for teachers who have not lived at home the impact of schooling.  There are some things you can only learn through experience and if not through experience, through the willingness to learn from other’s experiences.

So I admit that as a parent, I am presently satisfied with the amount and the quality of homework being brought home by my children.  That does not make it objectively true.  As a head of school of a K-8, however, I am well familiar with concerns and complaints about both the amount and the quality of homework.  And the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School is in an excellent position to tackle the subject…

Important Segue:

I have used this blog to document our school’s 21st century learning journey and all the associated initiatives we have taken on to get from there to here to the future.  For anyone who has not been along for the ride, in celebration of my 150th blog post, here is my starter’s collection to be fully caught up with who we are and where we think we are going:

The MJGDS 21st Century Learning Journey in 13 Blog Posts

Transparency
Standardized Testing
edJEWcon
Inclusion
Financial Sustainability
Gaming Theory
Habits of Kindness
Reflective Practice
EdCamp
Learning Target
Second Language Acquisition
Experiential Education
Blogfolios

…here in year four of our work together.

It is reasonable to conclude that there are various philosophies about what the purpose of homework ought to be and that there is ample research to be found supporting just about them all.  For our school, however, the conversation comes with a context.  Considering who we are and what we believe to be true about teaching and learning, what ought to be the role of homework here?

Like all preceding vital conversations, this one has begun with our 21st Century Learning Team and will continue on with our teachers, parents and students before being concretized in final form.

 

What is our current policy?

We have a simple 10 minutes per grade level (outside of reading) formula for estimating the appropriate time it should take a typical student to complete his or her homework.

Part of the impetus for taking this on is that not only does that policy seem not to hold true often enough, it fails to address the why’s and what’s of homework.  It only speaks to, “how much?”  We can do better.

 

The purpose of the MJGDS Homework Policy, once re-imagined, will be to provide guidelines for teachers, provide for consistency through the grades, and to educate parents who have questions about homework.  A school policy regarding homework, along with clear expectations for teachers as to what constitutes good homework, can help to strengthen the benefits of homework for student learning.

This policy will need to address the purposes of homework, amount and frequency, and the responsibilities of teachers, students, parents, and administrators.

The MJGDS Homework Policy will be based on research regarding the correlation between homework and student achievement as well as best practices for homework.

Without having had all the conversations we will be having, I do think based on the conversations we have had, that there are philosophical conclusions consistent with who we are that we can put up front that will inform the policy once complete.

The philosophy at the Martin J Gottlieb Day School regarding K-8 homework is that homework should only be assigned that is meaningful, purposeful, and appropriate. Homework will serve to deepen student learning and enhance understanding.  Homework should be consistent with the school’s “Learning Target” and strive to incorporate creativity, critical thinking, authenticity, and student ownership.

We understand today’s busy schedules and demands on parent and student time.  Most learning is done in school, but as is the case with our learning of a foreign language and learning to read, reasonable and age-appropriate practice and repetition is exceptionally beneficial in other certain subject areas.

There are also some commonsense practices we believe will help to increase the benefits of homework while minimizing potential problems.  Homework is more effective when:

…..the purpose of the homework assignment is clear.  Students should leave the classroom with a clear understanding of what they are being asked to do and how to do it.

…..it does not discourage and frustrate students.  Students should be familiar with the concepts and material.

…..it is on a consistent schedule.  It can help busy students and parents remember to do assignments when they are consistent.

…..it is explicitly related to the classwork.

…..it is engaging and creative.

…..part of the homework is done in class.

…..it is authentic.

…..feedback is given.  Follow-up is necessary to address any comprehension issues that may arise.

…..it is differentiated.

…..it reviews past concepts to help retention over the course of the year.

 

This is not to suggest that we are not presently trying to live up to the above in our current practice.  But it is to suggest that our written policy fails to provide teachers, parents or students with sufficient guidance to insure that all students in all grades are doing appropriate homework – appropriate quality, appropriate content and appropriate length.

As with every other initiative or project we undertake at MJGDS, our conversation and conclusions about homework will be done collaboratively and transparently.  We look forward to our local conversations, to doing the work, and to sharing it out when done.

Martin J. Gottlieb Day School Middle School Retreat 2013 Part I – The Storify

Martin J. Gottlieb Day School Middle School Retreat 2013 Part I – The Storify

Each year, we take our Middle School for a fall retreat at Camp Ramah Darom. We spend four days playing, praying, learning, adventuring and building community. This year our theme was "derekh eretz" and how to strengthen our Community of Kindness.

  1. It all begins with with a bus ride from Jacksonville, Florida to Clayton, Georgia!
  2. (The days and times for the Flckr images are not accurately labeled.  They are slotted appropriately.)
  3. We leave so early that we always stop on the side of the road for some “roadside davening”!
  4. A meal in a kosher restaurant is always a treat!
  5. We take advantage of driving through Atlanta each year to take educational field trip.  This year?  CNN!
  6. The final stop before Camp…Walmart!  Here are a few girls enjoying a creative “ice cream campfire”!
  7. Our theme was “derekh eretz” and we had three educational activities to explore it.  The first one divided our students into “Hokies” and “Pokies” – two cultures with many differences that had to learn to get along.
  8. Hokies and Pokies had to work together to cross the raging river!
  9. Later that day we hiked to Telulah Falls…there it is!
  10. Martin J Gottlieb DaySchool is on our way to zip-line…we are doing our best to balance visual updates with edited video and pictures…be assured that all is well! #MiddleSchoolRetreat
  11. Our second educational activity required Planet Kreplach, Planet Gefilte Fish and Planet Matzoball to identify which Jewish values they needed to barter from each other to resolve serious issues facing the Council of (Jewish) Planets!
  12. Our second major outing was tubing!  The best part was watching how many pairs of students who never really interacted prior to the retreat, sharing rides and enjoying the beautiful day.
  13. Our third educational activity was trust walks and conversation about how one builds trust and loyalty into our community of kindness.
  14. After a night of #Schnupencup dreams and a morning friendship circle, the Martin J Gottlieb DaySchool #MiddleSchoolRetreat is on the bus and headed home to Jacksonville!
  15. A final campfire, a night of final finding, and a final friendship circle took us onto the bus and back to school…and now the real test will begin.  Will the magic stay at camp?  Or will it come with us to school and help deepen our community of kindness – not just within the Middle School, but throughout the entire school?  We hope so!  But only time well tell.

    Watch this space!

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My First Twitter Cloud

Every now and again, I find it refreshing to focus my blog post around a visual image – sometimes it is a picture that explains better than any words I could choose about a powerful experience taking place in our school.  But it sometimes is a word cloud.  A “word cloud” takes any piece of written text and represents it graphically in a way which highlights frequently-used words.  It is a fantastic device for visually summarizing the essence of a written text.  Many of the programs that create word clouds allow you to enter a website, a blog, etc., and it will go ahead and create a word cloud visually summarizing which content mattered most over a bounded period of time.

I have used Wordle to create word clouds of this blog and analyzed the results.

I have used Tagxedo to create a word cloud of our Parent Handbook and analyzed the results.

Today, I want to use Tweet Cloud to create a word cloud of my Twitter feed.

Why?

Because I use Twitter exclusively for professional development and I am interested and seeing what it reveals about what I have been interested in since the beginning of this school year.

So…what does my Tweet Cloud (“t” is for “Twitter”) look like?

Tweet Cloud

What do I notice?

“Habits” and “Kindness” are big ticket items.  This reflects not just what we are doing internally about this, but what I have been reading professionally and asking my professional learning network about – the two primary things I use Twitter for.

What do you notice?  Anything surprising you see?  Anything surprising that you don’t see?

 

Next week, I am off to Camp Ramah Darom for our annual Middle School Retreat.  The last few years I have been able to stay awake long enough on the Friday to edit my video and publish.  I hope to do the same next week!

Habits of Kindness: “Beginning With the End in Mind”

paper-chain-in-the-dark-1215912-mLast month I blogged about how our school had decided to attack “Community of Kindness” through the “7 Habits” – which is how I have come to the appellation “Habits of Kindness” as a shorthand for ongoing kindness activities.  August & September were spent on the first Habit: “Be Proactive” and I committed to blogging each month about that month’s habit.

October has us spending time on the second Habit: Beginning With End in Mind. Students, teachers, and classes have all been charged with creating individual and class “mission statements”.  I invite you to tour the MJGDS Blogosphere for examples.  [For one excellent example, check out Kitah Dalet’s latest blog post.]

So…what is my “mission statement” as a head of school?  I realize that “mission statements” are supposed to be brief.  Any reader of my blog knows that I don’t do “brief” all that well.  So let me be a bit more creative and supply a mission/vision statement…here’s my crack at it:

Statement of Educational Philosophy & Practice

Background

There is no theory or idea that when put into practice works equally well in all or even many situations.  My experiences in the field coupled with my experiences in academia have lead me to conclude that pragmatism is truly the best philosophy.  As I have moved on in my career – from different kinds of jobs (informal Jewish educator/congregational educator/day school head) in all kinds of different communities (Los Angeles/New York/Las Vegas/Jacksonville), I have taken that pragmatism with me. I believe that every educational situation is different, and that to be successful one needs to be willing to try anything and everything to fulfill one’s mission.

Overarching Goals for Jewish Day School Students

  • Students will be academically prepared for advanced and rigorous study at the next school of their choice.
  • Students will see education and Jewish education as life-long endeavors in which they are active participants.
  • Students develop a sense of independence, positive self-esteem, and are encouraged to reach their truest and highest potential.

Pedagogy – Na’aseh V’Nishma

This quotation from the Torah, “Na’aseh V’Nishma” (Exodus 24:7), has been interpreted in many ways in Jewish tradition.  The meaning, which speaks most deeply to me, is: “We will do and then we will understand.”  I believe strongly that children learn best by doing.

In addition, I believe the following:

  • Children learn best through experiences in which they are able to construct personal meaning.
  • Jewish children deserve the opportunity to experiment with authentic Jewish ritual practice.
  • Students learn in different ways and have varying needs.  It is our responsibility to provide a wide array of learning experiences to meet those needs.
  • Each student is unique and benefits from the freedom and responsibility involved in developing his or her own identity.
  • Jewish tradition provides a wealth of wisdom and insight that contributes to one’s whole life; therefore, Judaic and secular curricula are treated with equal respect (if not always time).
  • Family and community are critical partners in a child’s education.
  • An experiential approach to learning compels one to aim not only for students’ minds, but their hearts, bodies, and souls as well.
  • 21st Century Learning – technology, second-language acquisition, global connectedness, collaboration and transparency – is an essential pedagogy for today’s school.

Jewish Education

American values are not necessarily Jewish values and vice versa.  Integration cannot be imposed by the school; it is constructed by the student.  Jewish education does not reflect a synthesis of the secular and Judaic, but rather an interaction.  Academic excellence within the disciplines only serves as a prerequisite.  Schools have a responsibility to let students struggle with authentic examples of these interactions, as they exist in the world around them.

Jewish education has a stake in the choices students make.  Schools must make clear which choices are considered more preferable than others and why.  What those desired choices are and why they should be so desired will naturally differ from school to school. The basic pedagogic principle, however, ought to be consistent.  Students learn best by doing.  Jewish students learn best to make Jewish choices by choosing.

Vision of How to Lead a School

To be a Head of School is to have primary responsibility for enacting the mission of his/her school as determined by its primary stakeholders: board, parents, professionals, students, donors, and community partners.  Being a Head of School requires infinite pragmatism and the ability to actualize a varied set of skills across ever-shifting contexts. One has to see both the forest through the trees (focus on the mission) and the trees through the forest (focus on the details) in order to be successful.  The job requires one to be comfortable functioning as a bundle of contradictions – knowing when to listen and when to speak; when to inspire and when to be inspired; when to act and when not acting is the best course of action; when to lead and when to allow others to lead; etc.  Context – and the ability to recognize contextual cues – is paramount.

 

Do you have have a professional or personal mission/vision statement?  If you want to begin with the end in mind, you’ll need to create one!

Another Trip Around the MJGDS Blogosphere

It is that time again!1206712_digital_world

How about this week we take a trip through the MJGDS Blogosphere and kvell about some of the excellent projects our students and teachers are engaged in. Perhaps it is too much to expect folk to check all the blogs all the time – especially if they are not parents in a particular class AND with our new website still under construction.  So allow me to serve as your tour guide this week and visit some highlights…

From Our Kindergarten Blog:

Our Latest Creation – A Book!

In conjunction with our literacy program, we have been discussing “settings” for books by comparing one book to another. In this case, we discussed the various settings of the “Miss Bindergarten” series books. Each student created the setting for his/her imaginary Miss Bindergarten book! We have compiled all of these “settings” into our 1st ebook.

Check out our latest creation:

photo    Miss Bindergarten

If you own an iPad or iPhone, you can download the epub file and directly drop it into your iTunes library. Once you sync your device with iTunes, you are able to read our book.

If you are reading this post on your iPad, simply click on the epub link and choose to open in iBook.

If you do not have a device to read our eBook, you can download the pdf  Where Is Miss Bindergarten? , but the children’s voices will not be audible. :(

 

From our Community of Kindness Blog:

Advisory Lunch Groups

Advisory lunch bunch groups have started.  The feedback from the advisors and the students has been extremely positive!  While discussing how they have become more proactive this year, one student  expressed that he does his homework FIRST when he gets home from school.  He said he hasn’t been late on any assignments this year, which he explained is a HUGE accomplishment for him!  WOW!

Most classes have started to talk about Begin with the end in mind, the second habit. During October, the classes will be working on class mission statements and developing personal goals for each child.

The middle school students  wrote down the things that they have started doing this year to be more proactive….

 

From our Fifth Grade Blog:

New Jobs for Kids

This week in fifth grade there are….. New Jobs for Kids!  Mrs. Hernandez looked at our applications online.  After she looked, she picked which person deserved which  job.  I got Official Scribe (by the way, I am Arin).  Emily and Zach got Documentarian.  Ariella, Eliana, and Josh are the Global Connectors.  Ayden is Librarian. Elad and Griffith are the Researchers, and Evan and Jagger are the Kindness Ambassadors. Mrs. Hernandez hasn’t figured out who the graphic designers are yet.

photo 3

Now I’ll explain what all the jobs mean.  Official Scribe writes the blog posts, takes notes, and really anything that has to do with writing.  Documentarian is taking pictures and videos.  The documentarians send me some of the pictures they take so that I can put them in the posts.  Global connectors will tweet, put our Skype calls on our map and a lot more.  Librarian puts some of the new words that we learn on our word wall, updates what we are reading on the wall, and straightens the books.  The designers will sometimes draw visual notes and will do other design projects. Researchers look things up when we have questions. Kindness ambassadors make sure everyone is being kind to one another and don’t leave anyone out.

Meanwhile, we have been reading Out of My Mind.  We are now on chapter twelve.  We just read about how Melody went into a “normal” classroom.  To her a “normal” classroom is a classroom with kids that don’t have disabilities.  She got to sit with one of the only nice kids in that class.  She sat next to a girl named Rose every Wednesday.  Now she can’t go to sleep on Tuesday nights because she’s so excited.

On whole different note, we have picture day today. We took a whole-school picture, a class picture and individual pictures.  Earlier today we had a school picture.  Everyone was smushed into one little area.  The photographer had to take a picture when no one was really ready. I wonder if that picture will be good.

Well, have a great Friday!  Have a great weekend and Shabbat Shalom! :)

photo 1 photo 2

photos and photo collage by Emily

 

From our Third Grade Blog:

Skypportunity… a job they’ve never heard of…

It’s a mystery indeed!

She has patients…

they are not sick…

she is not a doctor or nurse…nor does she work at a hospital…

her patients are women only…

when she is working she has to be on call 24 hours a day…

photo-5

photo-2

3rd graders worked SO hard to figure out this mystery…

but it just wasn’t on their radar… but they will learn about the long history of midwifery while studying the Torah with Morah Liat!

SHE IS A MIDWIFE!

Special thanks to Sharon Schmidt, a Florida Licensed Midwife and a Certified Professional Midwife at Fruitful Vine Birth Center  for this Skypportunity!

 

From our Art Blog:

First Grade

0 1,224×1,584 pixels

 

Color wheel art project from criscoart.blogspot.com

 

Amazing stuff, no?

Why not more from Jewish Studies Teachers?  Why nothing from Middle School?  Why nothing from our student blogfolios?

Got to leave something for the next tour!

Empty Seats: Are We Asking Too Little?

No, this is not a picture from the most recent Jaguar’s home game!seats-1-803275-m

But there is a link between this picture, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and our school’s experience over Sukkot this past week…

I blogged about a year and a half ago about my observations of what happens when a Jewish day school closes for the explicit purpose of celebrating Jewish holidays and finds that a minority of families appears in synagogue.

I want to revisit that conversation, update it, and perhaps offer a provocative solution…

The Issue

I am going to inch close to a third rail during this conversation even though it is not at all my intention to do so.  I am going to run the risk of appearing judgmental although I really do not hold families in judgement.  I am going to name the elephant in the room and point out the obvious.  I am going to ask some difficult questions.  I am going to make some suggestions.  And I will do all of this in the spirit of trying to spark a valuable conversation and furthering the mission of our school and community…and will hope that I have built up enough credibility so that because I believe it is part of my job to raise precisely these questions that the only outcome will be an honest exchange of ideas.

When Jewish day schools close for Jewish holidays they do so with the presumption that families need to be free to fulfill Jewish obligations and to celebrate the joy these holidays bring.  Yet so often, our school closes for holidays such as Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot, etc., and the synagogue remains remarkably free of our students and families.

Blaming families is easy.

The truth is, institutionally we have failed to bring the families of day school students along for the rides they have committed their children to, regardless of their motivations for doing so.  Parents who themselves are unobservant and often Jewishly uneducated enroll their children in Jewish day schools for myriads of reasons – seeking their own Jewish journeys may be one them, but surely not always.

However, without the family – Judaism’s primary and preeminent educational institution – we are too often expecting too much of the children we are educating.  It is not reasonable to expect children to be change agents for their parents.  It is reasonable to use enrollment as the means to reach out to families and help move them with love along the path being carved out by their children.

What is being done?

journey_thru_jewish_holidays2013.pdfLast year we launched an incentivization program that provided an extrinsic motivation designed to ensure sufficient attendance to allow for the much preferred intrinsic motivation of celebrating the joy of Jewish holidays with friends and community.  I admit that I had – and have – reservations about this program.  I worry that essentially bribing children to celebrate being Jewish is not a terrific message and in the long run may, in fact, be counterproductive.  But we had to do something and something we did.

What happened?

Well we had more students last year for the first two days of Sukkot than in recent memory.  And even if the momentum faded slightly for Passover and slightly more for Shavuot – last year’s “Journey Through The Jewish Holidays” was considered a success.  We had more students than ever before AND we offered more programming than ever before.  Lots of children got their Adventure Landing passes and their Jaguars tickets.  And so we decided that we would do it again this year…

Well, now this year’s Sukkot has come and gone…and, although, we did have better turnout than we had two years ago, we did not match last year’s success, let alone build on it.  And I would be naive to think that the fact that this year the holidays were connected to weekends did not contribute to this reduction in attendance…

Okay, so what else can we do?

Before I offer the provocative suggestion, I acknowledge the fatigue that comes with being in the same building day after day after day.  And I am not immune to the ways in which life interferes in the best laid plans.  I know how important extracurricular experiences and family vacations are.  But I also know we can work together make Judaism come alive OUTSIDE the school – in shul and in homes – in powerful ways which only create more opportunities for sacred moments and lifelong memories.

And so I still believe that first and foremost, we can and must offer families compelling examples of synagogue life.  Regardless of the age group being targeted, we have to provide appropriate, meaningful and spiritually satisfying experiences.  I believe in Judaism and its ability to inspire.  I believe if children and adults have an opportunity to learn and live Jewish lives, the positivity it generates becomes self-motivating.  We have the responsibility to try to create those moments.

We also have a responsibility to ask for more and not settle for less.

I have been inspired by my colleague Stan Beiner, the Head of the Epstein School, in Atlanta who this year tried something bold.  Despite the logistical challenges of not being housed or affiliated with any particular synagogue, he counted the first day of Sukkot as a day of school.  He recently blogged about this experience and how positively it impacted his students, his parents, his school and his community.

And so I have charged our Day School Community to take on this question during our year of work together:

What would it mean for the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School to count the first two days of Sukkot as half-days of school that included appropriate celebration and programming?

Would we have more kids?  Would we have more parents?  Would we have more programming?  Would it lead to the desired outcome – more families creating powerful Jewish memories?

I don’t know what we will decide.  I do know it will be a conversation well worth having.

Feel free to begin now in the comments…

A Sukkah for Orly

[This was originally published on September 18th, 2013.  In honor of Esther Ohayon’s first yahrtzeit, I am republishing with an update on Orly’s progress and important information about how you can support the family and continue to keep Esther’s memory alive.  If you are inspired…please give.]

 

esther ohayon-1By now it is likely that you have heard, read or seen the news of the traffic accident that took the life of our beloved DuBow Preschool Teacher Esther Ohayon and placed her daughter, Orly, an MJGDS graduate, into stable, but critical condition as they attempted to simply walk to attend Kol Nidre services at Etz Chaim Synagogue last Friday evening. There are no words to describe the loss of a teacher as sweet and beloved as Miss Esther and a world where a child as kind and loving as Orly must endure such tragedy. The shock has not yet worn off and the sorrow is only beginning…

By now Esther’s body has been returned to Israel for burial and Orly remains hospitalized with a long convalescence ahead.  For those in our local community, we will share information about possible memorial services once they are decided and, for now, despite the multitude of fundraising vehicles that have been created to support Orly and her family, we are honoring Etz Chaim’s Rabbi Fisch’s request that those looking to help make their donations directly to his discretionary fund.  (You may contact Etz Chaim directly for more information.)

Teachers, parents and children returned to school on Monday and we summoned the courage to comfort when appropriate, to shelter when necessary, and to love with ferocity. Our faculty met with Jacksonville Jewish Center Senior Rabbi Jonathan Lubliner for the purpose of providing information, planning communication for parents and especially children, counseling the bereft and to take a moment as a faculty to mourn the loss of a colleague and a friend.  Clergy and social workers have been available to meet with parents and students in the Preschool and the Day School to offer counseling and to answer any questions.

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Miss Esther was my younger daughter Maytal’s teacher a couple of years back and Orly was in my first graduating class.

My initial message to families ended like this:

I wish there was something more hopeful, more encouraging I could add to lessen the blow, but I, too, am both at a loss and feel the loss.  It is in such times as this, that I feel blessed to work and live in a community such as ours. The collective strength and love it possesses will be relied upon by us all as we do only what we can – to ensure Esther’s memory everlasting, to pray for Orly’s recovery, and to finally learn the lesson of life’s fragility and ensure we treat each day as if it could be our last.

And it is in the spirit of wishing I had something more hopeful to add and in the spirit of recognizing life’s fragility that I am moved to share what our students are doing today – on a rainy afternoon headed into what is supposed to be the joyous holiday of Sukkot.

The sukkah itself is a symbol of life’s fragility.  We are commanded to dwell in these temporary structures as a physical reminder of that fact.  As frustrating as it can be to deal with rain and wind while trying to enjoy meals on Sukkot, I actually appreciate the tangible opportunity to remind my children, and myself, that we are at the mercy of a life unpredictable.  To remind ourselves that there are those less fortunate for whom a sukkah would be a step up.  To remind ourselves that when we return to our homes and our lives when the holiday concludes, there are many who cannot and do not.

And so I cannot imagine a more fitting symbol than the sukkah as I think about Orly Ohayon.  No one knows more about life’s fragility than she.  And as we return to our normal lives after Sukkot, Orly upon recovery will never know normal again.

As hard as it is to find something hopeful in a situation such as this, I must share that as a principal I am inspired by an act of lovingkindness that the Middle School of the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School is performing today.  Recognizing that holidays come whether we feel like celebrating them or not and recognizing that those staying in the hospital with Orly would be without, our students, under the leadership of our Middle School Vice Principal Edith Horovitz and with the additional help of students from Torah Academy (housed at Etz Chaim Synagogue), are on their way to the hospital to build a sukkah for Orly.  And even though she will be in no condition to dwell in it, it is in her honor and the honor of her mother’s memory that it is being built.

Esther Ohayon was a teacher of young children.  She loved, nurtured and protected them. She was their sukkah.  And so we will build a sukkah in her memory so that, in some small way, she can continue to love, nurture and protect those who now care for her own child.

This is what it means to be a true community of kindness.  This is what is means to be a true community.  This is what happens when students grow up in a school where learning about things is not sufficient.  This is why we do weekly mitzvah trips.  Learning must lead to action.  Learning must inspire us to make the world a better place.  Learning must make a difference in the lives of others.

So on a rainy Wednesday in Jacksonville, Florida, we will build a sukkah for Orly that she will never dwell in.  But by doing so we will honor the memory of Esther and demonstrate our love for Orly.  I pray this Sukkot that even as our joy is tinged with sadness, that we take the time to celebrate this happiest of holidays with loved ones and friends and as a result of a tragedy unfathomable, to finally learn the lessons of life’s fragility.

Chag sameach.

 

October 7, 2014 – Update

As I was getting ready to walk to synagogue this past Erev Yom Kippur, I was thinking about Esther and Orly and revisited this blog post.  It struck me how easy it is to be motivated in the moment, when the emotions are fresh, and how hard it is to stay motivated when the moment passes, and we – the lucky ones – return to workaday concerns.  So when the holiday ended, I reached out to Edith Horovitz, the Middle School Vice Principal of the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School, where Orly graduated from and to Shereen Canady, the Director of the DuBow Preschool, where Esther worked, to see how Orly is doing, how the family is doing, and most importantly, what we can keep doing.

From Edith Horovitz:

Orly is looking great!  She is here with her sister for her senior year of High School.  All of the schools dedicated all tzedaka on Friday in Esther’s memory.  The Day School collected over $300.

From Shereen Canady:

I saw Orly and Ilana recently and both look well.  Ilana will be here a couple more weeks and then will go back to Israel. Orly’s other sister, Simi will be coming mid-October to stay for a while with her.

We dedicated our preschool Shabbat in memory of Esther last Friday.  Rabbi Lubliner spoke about her and joined us.
All 3 schools collected tzedakah and we collected over $600. 

Chabad had a nice event planned in Esther’s memory.  The Megah Challah Bake was well attended by women from Chabad, the JJC and Etz Chaim.  We advertised it to our folks and several of our moms and some teachers attended.

By the way, Orly’s birthday is Oct. 13.

I was pleased to hear the news and look forward to more updates as time goes on.  But now I would suggest that as Esther was always there for her students, her colleagues, and her family, let’s continue to be there for hers…now and forever.

In honor of Esther’s memory, in celebration of Esther’s life, in support of Orly’s journey, in the spirit of community, let’s join our schoolchildren in the act of giving tzedakah.  

Please contact Shereen Canady ([email protected]) if you are interested in making a donation or contribution.  

Lessons from Dad

Me & Dad

 

It is amazing how much life takes place in a relatively short of amount of time.  Three years ago, I blogged about my aspirations as a parent and a principal on this exact same day on the Jewish calendar – on the morning of what will soon be Kol Nidre and the beginning of Yom Kippur.  They feel newly appropriate.  Three years ago we were new to this community, this synagogue and this school.  We had had a great transition and were full of excitement about what the future would bring.  We had plans, hopes, dreams, fears, concerns and a whole host of other emotions.

And I had a father.

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Of all the myriad of changes that has taken place between now and then, this one looms largest even though it is sometimes difficult day-to-day to always understand how.  There are days when it feels like it happened years ago.  There are days when it feels like it never happened.  And there are days where it feels like it is happening all over again.  I am assured that this is all normal and I am sure that it is.

So.

Now that I have been blogging for a few years, I am sometimes moved to revisit prior posts and see how they hold up over time.  Occasionally, I am inspired to update in light of new realities.  This is one of those times, as I revisit words of prayer written by Rebbe Nachman of Breslov from his Likutey Moharan (2:7) that now speak to me with the same words, but with new meaning…

Dear God,

teach me to embody those ideals

I would want my children

to learn from me.

Let me communicate

with my children – wisely

in ways

that will draw their hearts

to kindness, to deceny

and to true wisdom.

Dear God,

let me pass on to my children

only the good;

let them find in me

the values

and the behavior

I hope to see in them.

I now read those words of three minds – as a son who lost a father, as a parent of two and a principal of many.  It reminds me why our faculty handbook quotes Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, saying, “We need to have more than textbooks, we need text-people”. We can have the best books, most well though-out curriculum, and the most sophisticated technology – and hopefully we either do or will soon – but without the right people what does it really amount to?

And we can have read all the best parenting books and have our children in all the best schools and extracurricular activities – but without us parenting as our best selves, what can it really mean?

 

Among our traditions during the days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur include the act of teshuvah – the complicated act of acknowledging past wrongs, correcting past mistakes, promises of changed behavior, etc.  For my part, please allow me apologize to all those I have wronged or hurt, intentionally or unknown over the past year.  I look forward to working on myself to be the best “me” I can in the upcoming year.  For me, my mother, my wife, my children, my family, my friends, my colleagues, my teachers, my students and their families – I hope this year to live up to the words of Rebbe Nachman and Rabbi Heschel.

And I hope to take the lessons of my father of blessed memory to heart as I now follow his footsteps on the journey of my own fatherhood…

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