Throughout the religious school year, as a Jewish educator, I’m propelled by curricular objectives, Holiday preparations, and synagogue-wide events in which my students participate. Then, one day in May, with a final “Shalom,” my students are off on their summer vacations. My classroom is off-limits for summer cleaning. Although I have numerous family responsibilities, I’m still looking ahead to several months of relatively unstructured time. Time to do…..What? To ensure that the long summer days don’t just drift by in a sunny haze, I’m putting together a Jewish Education Summer To-Do List. What shall I include on this list? The answer lies in set of past experiences which have forever shaped my approach to Jewish education. Once, summer was the season to prepare for CAJE (the former Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education, which took place every August.) It was a time to develop CAJE workshop sessions and organize activities for several CAJE programs of which I was the chair or co-chair. Sadly, the CAJE Conference no longer exists, but it does continue to inspire. While I can’t re-create the intense sharing of information, the multitude of innovative resources, and the joyful camaraderie of CAJE, some elements of that energizing, mind-expanding experience can find expression in my Jewish Education Summer To-Do List:Instead of a workshop, I’m preparing a bulletin board display for the wall near the entry to the religious school. This display will be in place for the duration of the coming school year. The challenge is to make the display informative, interactive, and reflective of the changing months and Holidays – a kind of workshop on a wall. The theme of the display will be, “Jewish Time – The Time of Our Lives.” I envision that a portion of the bulletin board will feature the current month and Holidays which occur in that month, while another section presents information about the Jewish calendar, in general. An envelope of handouts will be attached to the board. These family education handouts will have information about the months and holidays. A third section will be reserved for student projects which illustrate the unique character of each month. As the “Jewish Time” display takes shape, I’ll post more details.In place of CAJE’s Teacher Resource Center and Vendor Expo, the internet is filled with Jewish educational resources. I’ll share links to various resources as I discover them.CAJE camaraderie is impossible to replicate without the hundreds of Jewish educators from around the world who annually came together to share their scholarly insights, best practices, creative projects, and successful programs. BUT – FaceBook and You Tube are worth exploring personally as ways to connect with the wider community of Jewish educators. Right now, my blog provides an opportunity to evoke the friendly spirit of CAJE and communicate with virtual colleagues. Your comments are always welcome.One more To-Do List item – Water my garden and keep snails away from the plants. Not exactly Jewish education, but certainly Tikun Olam!
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