One of the most rewarding parts of my job is connecting with our alumni and learning about the work they are doing. In conversations with alumni just this week, I’ve heard optimism about the future of Jewish education and excitement about the creative work happening in the field. As uncertainty has settled in, educators and parents have doubled down on their commitment to Jewish education, working within new parameters and in spite of an abundance of Zoom fatigue to create meaningful programming and experiences. I’m also hearing, “why didn’t we think of this before?” and “I think we’ll continue with this program even after we go back to in-person learning.”
As we saw over the holidays just a few weeks ago, educators devised new programming across the board—from drive-in events to hear the shofar live to socially distanced front lawn visits with a lulav and etrog, from Jewish farming and using the cycle of nature to teach about Simchat Torah to outdoor classes in the sukkah. The creative use of time and space has moved beyond the usual dimensions of group education being synchronous and either inside or outside. The possibilities now also include sharing moments while inside cars, in individual homes with a shared meal or activity, asynchronously outdoors while contributing to a communal project, and more.
Truly, educators are pushing themselves and stretching their creative minds. As educators continue to grapple with how best to engage families in the current climate, I offer three lessons I’ve learned from our alumni:
1. Good education is good education. Our tools may look different in the COVID-19 era, but if we start with our goals and create plans and programming that will achieve those goals, we are on the right track. We continue to ask questions such as: How do we create feelings of connection? How do we meaningfully celebrate rituals together? In fact, in many ways these are questions experiential educators have engaged with for years, as they consider the world their classroom and employ a multitude of pedagogies that strive to achieve meaning making. Our work now is in translating what we were doing before to the current situation with its limits and restrictions.
2. We are stronger together. Though it should not have taken a global pandemic to arrive at this realization, the emergence of partnerships and collaboration among colleagues at different institutions is key. There is truly a feeling that we are in the same boat and that the growth of a culture of sharing ideas and challenges benefits everyone. Our alumni are partnering with institutions of different denominations as well as the religious school down the street, and they are meeting together regularly to problem solve and share moments of success. And we are all better for it!
3. Ultimately, this unique time we find ourselves in requires compassion. An alumna who directs a religious school explained her efforts to keep the offerings simple and make it easy for parents through increased communication and use of a central webpage that lists all links and important information. Another told me about tuition forgiveness and a “don’t ask” policy with regards to payment borne out of an understanding that some parents have lost jobs and are hurting financially. In some places, parents who choose to not enroll their children due to Zoom fatigue will not be penalized when they want to re-enroll in in-person learning. Acting with, and modeling, compassion for our children in this time of raised stress levels will have positive impact beyond the current moment.
My hope is that these lessons continue to energize us and move us forward as we move through the cycle of the year, encountering challenges and appreciating educational victories.