Education Director – May 2007 Bulletin Message

Hebrew is a fascinating language and learning Hebrew can be a great challenge but also an adventure. Allow me to be more articulated: The word Moreh means teacher and the word Mechanech stand for an educator. In Hebrew there is a vast difference between these two words. Moreh in based on the root yud, raish, hey, which means to teach and to instruct. It also means to direct, to order, and to command. On the other hand, mechanech is based on the root chet, nun, chaf, which means to be a trainer and a coach. It is also means dedication.

The educational journey from being a moreh to becoming a mechanech is not so easy. I believe that a Jewish educator has to be a trainer, a coach, and a guide. Moreover, a mechanech must be a person who completely devoted to his/her work and plan to dedicate his/her career to educating future generations of Jews. This immeasurable task is not so easy but very critical. After all, in many ways the Hebrew school teacher represents Judaism to his/her students. In our secular world, often the only opportunity for the child to encounter Jewish content is at Hebrew school by his/her Jewish educator. It is essential for the educator to acknowledge that and work accordingly. In many ways the future of the Jewish generation is in the Jewish educator hands.

On another note to go along with this…

My experience as an educator in the past five years has led me to conclude that working with students in supplementary Hebrew school is a great challenge. The attitude that students bring to the class, especially if the class is during Sunday school, is that of having already seen and experienced everything. Moreover, the motivation of learning after a long school day is low. Our goal, as Jewish educators, is to make the class appealing for our students by creating an unusual experience in an unconventional way. One could easily create a regular lesson plan that includes readings of texts from history books, but this way won’t make the class any more attractive. There is a need to break from traditional ways of teaching texts in order to make the texts more comprehensible for students.

A few months ago I proposed the idea of creating a new computer room in our Hebrew school. I believe that computers provide the combination of sound, imagery and new three-dimensional technologies that can attract children and connect them with any subject matters. Recently, after a thorough investigation of all educational and financial aspects of developing a computer room for our Hebrew school, the Board of Ed has approved this new initiative. The Executive Committee also considered this project during their March meeting and endorsed the Board of Ed decision.

Next year Temple Beth el Hebrew School will join many Hebrew schools that have already transitioned into the 21^st century in building computer laboratories, and using new and modern learning tools and methodologies such as multimedia presentations.