Educational Vision
The Hebrew word for vision is chazon, which is the same word that is often used in TaNaKh to denote a prophecy. According to some, a prophecy draws a picture of the future with the aim of affecting immediate change and informing subsequent decisions.
The same is true regarding an educational vision. An educational institution cannot exist without knowing its purpose and where it is going. Much like the prophet, the role of the educational leader is to provide the vision – an ideal of the future – to which the institution then strives.
My personal educational vision is a community of learners for whom Jewishness is an essential, positive, and deeply personal piece of their human identity. They are knowledgeable in areas of Jewish content and practice, confident in their individuality and empowered to participate as part of a continuum of Jewish community.
My vision is deeply impacted by the values of Achdut/Community, Chinuch/Education, Hishtadlut/Engagement and Sovlanut/Diversity.
Studying Jewish texts is a microcosm of these values. The texts are a source of unity in that they are part of a mutual heritage and provide shared language. One must develop skills necessary to understand the words, but once one has become an independent learner, one is free to add to the continuum of Jewish thought and ideas.
This vision was central in the formulation of a 9th grade Jewish Identity and Community course that presented various aspects of Jewish identity and how they manifest in communal institutions, so that students were aware of them and why they existed. The constructivist classroom encouraged students to reflect on these pieces of Jewish identity in their own lives and to assess their value in the community. As a final project, students were asked to submit a visual presentation of their Jewish identities, and the end products were displayed in the classroom and throughout the school.
Outside of the classroom, this vision was at the forefront when I became actively involved in my synagogue community. I was part of an initiative to increase membership by attracting young families. One of the programs that I developed was a Friday night family-friendly event which included quality children’s programming, a special Kabbalat Shabbat service for the adults and a big meal for everyone afterwards. The program was a great success and has continued and grown in the two years since I left Baltimore.
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