From “Awful” to “Awesome”

On Shabbat, I was speaking with the mother of one of my former students. We discussed how we were looking forward to her daughter’s upcoming Bat Mitzvah. In the course of the conversation, the mother said, “My daughter had her Bat Mitzvah rehearsal with the Cantor. It was ‘awesome’ – in the truest sense of the word.”

Seeing this parent so proud and pleased with a milestone in her child’s Jewish education was certainly a gratifying moment for me as a Jewish educator. But, more than that, it brought into focus the fact that in the years since I began teaching, Jewish education has changed in many positive ways.

I remember sitting in workshops and meetings where we pondered the “challenges” of Jewish education, the problems of engaging students and families who had so many demands on their time, and those for whom religious school was just another extra-curricular activity. We recounted instances of parents who remembered their religious school experiences as “awful,” but who felt that their children needed to go through “Sunday School” and Hebrew school as an unpleasant rite of passage, in order to have a Bar or Bat Mitzvah, after which , with a sigh of relief, the child (and family) could leave Jewish education behind alongside outgrown Barbie dolls and Matchbox cars.

Today, however, while we continue to face challenges in Jewish education, times have changed. Improved teacher training; application of best instructional practices; stimulating, innovative educational materials; and the availability of supportive resources for students, families, and teachers have all created a more positive religious school environment.

Sensitivity to different learning needs and varied family backgrounds sends a welcoming message. The recent concept of life long learning has placed religious school in the continuum of Jewish practice, which evolves and matures along with the individual.

A goal of modern Jewish education at all levels, is to nurture a lifetime of “awesome” and awe-inspiring engagement in Judaism.

As teachers, we strive to educate our students in such a way that they will someday be eager to ensure that their children participate in that awesome religious school experience that they remember.

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Ronni Sims

Ronni has been a Jewish educator since Moses was in preschool (almost!). She has had the pleasure of teaching all age groups in a variety of formal and informal settings, as well as directing a Jewish Teacher Resource Center. While teaching in a Jewish Day School, Ronni coached an award-winning Odyssey of the Mind creative problem solving team.Ronni was an active participant in the former Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education (CAJE), where she held leadership positions including Network Chair and Conference Co-Chair of CAJE 29 at Hofstra University. She currently teaches Hebrew at the Congregation Albert Religious School in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Talmud teaches: “The Torah cannot be learned unless it is learned among friends.” Ronni views blogging on JCast as such a learning opportunity.

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