And guess who is back!!! It’s been a year since I had the amazing honor meeting this strong, united and committed to education community and coming back makes me realize what an impact they had on me for the last year.
A community that has at its center the strong, competent, capable and full of potential child, and makes sure that the Jewish values are totally integrated into every aspect of the education, is a community that has a stable and flourishing future. And this is what I want for my community!
For years, I grew up hearing that we are a surviving community, we survived the Holocaust, we survived communism, but I don’t want this definition anymore for my community, I want us to be a growing community, a changing a community, a better and an evolving community.
The theme of this year’s Jewish Early Childhood Conference in Rockville, MD was Hear our voices – my community has a voice, and I want its members to be aware of their voice, proud of it and use it for the right reasons, at the same time I dream that they hear the voices of those around them, learn how to listen, respect, and understand each other, and unite their voices to make an impact.
In my work, as an educator, I feel that sometimes, in the classrooms, you hear the voices of the teachers, and not as much the voices of the children. But until I was here last year I didn’t hear them. SOS International: Enriching Jewish Identity, with the help of really dedicated and committed, not to mention knowledgeable educators like Mara, Elaine and Fran, opened my eyes and ears to what is around me. They gave me tools on how to better listen to the voices of the children, understand them better, and at the same time quiet my voice to make it stronger, and more focused, more intense.
Did I conquer the mountain? Am I at the top? No – but I am grateful I am not wondering at the bottom, not being aware of the beautiful sky and where I can get.
I am on a journey – a journey of knowledge, of self-development, of growing as an individual, an educator, a member of my community. And I am so excited to have started. I think this journey will shape me, my work, my community, will unveil new possibilities and will give me and my community the strength to define our dreams and reach them.
Change is scary, but developing means hope, means chances, opportunities, and we, as a community, will learn to see them and use them, because you opened your heart and mind to us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So thank you – we are an evolving community because of you!
So amazing and inspiring