Celebrating Hanuka at Rodef Shalom
Tonight is Hanuka, is a magical night, a period of time when miracles are part of life so I will blame my mood on this special atmosphere, or the fact that I’ve just received home made Hanuka cookies from Fran, and that made me feel so taken care of, so spoiled, so welcomed.
It is said that all you need is a sparkle to scare away the darkness. After these past 2 days of seeing teachers talk the talk and walk the walk, I feel we are lost in the dark and a candle has just been lighted.
I was lucky enough to spend the past 2 days in classrooms in Beth Sholom, and see teachers go through their daily routine – I saw the change, but more important I saw the steps, the struggles, the questions and the desire to do the right thing – to have the child as your main focus, and to understand that he is capable, far and beyond what I’ve imagined. Just to give you a taste: I saw 2 years old eat by themselves – no bread cut in too small pieces, no baby food – real food, in normal grownup form (big sandwiches, pasta, fruits, veggies), drink milk from regular cups, 4 years old discussing about wooden structures and balance, elements that permit light to go through, kids playing the dreidel and talking about geography and monetary systems, kids analyzing spinning materials and discovering the different types of car washing systems around the world.
I could be telling you about great classrooms, amazing materials from wood, incredible playgrounds, works of art welcoming you, but the thing that blew me away were the kids – independent, responsible, working in teams, problem solvers, creative, relaxed, enjoying themselves, communicating in an elevated form – this is what I want back home. This is the generation that needs to come out of our hands, we need these kind of people in order to grow as a community, as a society.
And as the first candle of Hanuka is dancing in the windows of Jewish homes, Jewish kindergartens and schools, JCCs and synagogues, I hope that we will remember to keep on dreaming and fight for our dreams because they can come true, I’ve seen it!
