By Rabbi Boruch Wolf
A father asks his son, “Yankele, how do you like going to school?” To which the child replies, “the going bit is fine, as is the coming home bit, but I’m not too keen on the time in-between!”
This joke would be funny if it wasn’t a tragic reality of too many of our children. If schools were governed by values transmitted by the Torah and Chazal, then the school would be a most warm home to all of our children.
In investing to build material wealth, one key is diversification. Once you have a diverse portfolio, you can’t get caught up in the performance of a single equity within, for success is quantified by the aggregate performance of the entire portfolio as a whole. If someone is too greedy and stuck on each single equity being a success, this is ill serving for one’s financial goals in the long run.
If a school is run in such a manner, then there are Neshamos falling through the cracks, or worse yet, sacrificed in a molech [sacrifice] manner to serve the halo of the institution’s perceived greatness. The only way to institutionally be Mechanech our Neshamos is to be greedy and play for keeps for each “equity” in the “portfolio.”
Imagine a hospital that in striving for excellence only accepts clientele in near mint condition. A mild injury is acceptable in being admitted into our emergency room, but a heart attack?! That will ruin our reputation! What would people think if in a few years, months or weeks, some of our patients are no longer living?! We can’t accept that! We are building an institution of excellence. Only patients with problems that don’t exceed scraped knees will be afforded admission into our hospital.
The above would be laughable, but that is exactly the model that is often used in crafting the mission of some of our schools. We wish to take a group of our most resilient “autopilot” children, and claim as a success of the institution the alumnus’ enduring stability, accomplishment and growth.
Torah education’s supreme aspiration is nurturing Neshamos; not about transmitting information, although that is of course integral as well to a child’s development. But woe upon us if we sacrifice our core mission of nurturing souls in favor of embarking in a purge of Neshamos, Hashem’s children, for the aspiration of building an institution that will grant us [perceived] bragging rights.
The true education is the Mechanech’s learning. “Umitalmidai Yoser Mikulom.” The educator that learns how to nurture and reach every child, especially the child that unskilled institutions cast away, is the gold standard in education. The institution that can nurture and reach the most diverse spectrum of children, that is the model for educators and institutions to emulate.
To take a group of children not averse to traditional learning and teach them is no koontz (feat). The accomplishment is in taking a body of children, including students struggling deeply in finding their value, and igniting their flames. True learning takes place when in the midst of adversity.
Children that are educated in exclusive settings in which only “good children” are afforded admission receive a supreme lesson in Gaavah, elitism, selfishness and rejecting. The best way to teach refinement is when the child bears witness to a teacher’s gentle catering to his struggling peers.
Does the time the teacher invests in his struggling students inhibit the growth of the Metzuyonim (most excelling students)? I’d like to answer that by concluding with a well-known story.
Passing his time in the Soviet gulags, Reb Mendel Futerfas would listen to the banter of the inmates, and try to learn from it lessons in his Avodas Hashem.
This one day he heard an inmate describing the selection process of the elite cossack horse. They’d put a large group of horses on a grueling journey galloping endlessly. The depleted animals along this journey were disqualified as candidates.
The end of the long journey was a river. The horses that made it across the water bank and kept striving forward were rejected. The horse that made it across and then jumped back into the water to assist the horses struggling in the water were crowned as “the Cossack Horse.”
Post script: I pray that all of our Choshuveh educators see my words as an aspiration, not as judgment. I merely share my observations as a layman, not in the field [professionally] of education.
I also wish to share how refreshing it is that as a whole, the Mechanchim today are exceedingly more and more stellar, and that all is going in the right direction. That’s indeed a testament to their Mesiras Nefesh in educating our children, and their humility to never rest in contentment, but rather strive to constantly refine their skills.
And with love.
Most schools/admins don’t.
They just like to preach, and talk about every child being a unique diamond, but don’t actually believe nor practice that theme.
Good job Reb Yid
Everything written here sounds very ideal and lofty. Halevai it were so simple.
Anyone actually investing their life into Chinuch knows that it’s way more complicated. No, it’s usually not about egos and reputations; children need a setting and style of learning that is appropriate for them. And mixing everyone together in the name of love and acceptance actually helps no one. Al pi Darko means every child needs their individual Chinuch – and it can’t all happen in the same classroom, or even in the same school…
I am an very experienced mechanech.
You are 100% correct!
Saying it’s complicated, is making excuses.
That is what liberals do when they try to explain away why they don’t follow Torah or have morals or values.
Each school can have classes that fit each bachur.
It does not have to be totally separate schools, or having some kids with no decent schools at all.
Having schools that don’t want students just because they can’t learn as well as the “top” students, is elitism.
This tells some kids they are not worthy because they can’t get into the “best” schools.
In an ideal world you would be 100% correct. HOWEVER, the schools are run like a business in the sense where they want and demand their tuition but there is no customer service and most still snob children for reasons that are not the fault of the child.
I hope your article will inspire change in the way ‘our’ moisdos are run.
It shouldn’t run like a business that has no competition… where the customer is always wrong
As a teacher I go out of the way for the slower boys in my class, however I am told that I need to go at the door of the upper middle of the class. When it comes to davening the slower boys give up because we are going too fast. I can’t slow down because the about of parts of davening we are supposed to do it would take more than an hour. In learning in order to finish the curriculum also we have to go at the door of the faster boys leaving no room for the boy… Read more »
this is 100% true
May we see our fruit grow to be true chayolim- chassidim yorei shomayim and lamdanim, MOSHIACH NOW!!!
If chinuch was run like a business they would be out of business because they are operating at a financial loss because people either can’t pay or prefer to buy a bungalow than pay full school fees.
I respectfully disagree
It is unfortunate that our schools have come to be run more and more like businesses, led by laymen who understand numbers and “results”, not neshamos and Chinuch.
The Rebbe wanted the vaad gashmi to work FOR and under the Vaad Ruchni who would determine the priorities or the moisod, not the other way around.
As a teacher, I believe students (and schools) should be evaluated by the progress they make. Child A enters unable to read, and in 6 months can read a 1st level book. Child B begins the school year reading on 2nd level, and in 6 months is reading on 3rd level. Both children should receive an “A” in Reading on their report cards. This means that good pre and post evaluation must be done.
When theres need to charge the tuition they act like a shark “pay your sons tuition if you want him to stay at yeshiva”
But the ruchnius hanhala is far so far to work as well, “your son he’s not doing well, we think its his own problem, we dont owe you (the parent) anything” or “oh he is doing so well, thanks to our super duper hanholo the best in the world!”
PRACTICE what you preach and dont come to the gorilla with rotten bananas…
A hospital is an institution. When we send our children to an institution some will do better then others. But many small Yeshivos are ‘specialists’. So if an orthopedist would not accept a cardiac patient that will not only not be laughable, it would be commendable. Accepting the right children to the right Yeshiva is for everyone’s benefit in the Yeshiva. The who belong will get the right Hadracha for their style and those who don’t belong it will be a death sentence simply because they were in the ‘wrong’ practice.
I think the naysayers in these comments are missing the author’s point. I do not believe he is referring to academic differences, but rather spiritual differences. That is, when schools discriminate because they are unwilling (or more likely, unable) to inspire children who are not completely submissive and sold on the party line. Chabad alleges to be the cure to all the world’s spiritual questions, but the truth is that Chabad has its own forms of narrow-mindedness and fundamentalism which it has not been honest with itself or others about, and which its younger generations see clearly and are struggling… Read more »
Children struggling at various levels of Yiddishkeit observance need a different setting and Chinuch style than others. They can’t be treated the same way, given the same rules, or taught the same things.
dont like the tone of this article- oh how easy it is to criticize others when youre not in that world. Chinuch is the most difficult and challenging job. what I can say for myself, with kids in quite a few schools in ch, is that BH there are loads- definitely most of school staff that are there heart and soul, for the right reasons, with the right hashkafos, and with so much care and talent for each student. i have only hakaros hatov for practically all the schools and teachers that we’ve had. BH you are invited to begin… Read more »
I am a student who struggles with learning. I have ADHD which makes it hard for me to focus. The school system doesn’t work so well for me. It was created with A+ students in mind. I am in the same classes as near-geniuses who get 100%s without much effort. During some subjects I just sleep because “What is the point in trying when I’ve failed so many times?” What schools need is LEVELS. Even if it’s not separate levels classes (which would be the best), each student should get marked on their LEVEL. Also, schools need to start recognizing… Read more »
I also have ADHA and this is so relatable I have the exact same experience