Jewish education in the secular classroom
Teach For America (TFA) recently partnered with couple of nonprofits to send 40 of its Jewish educators overseas on a Birthright Israel-esque trip last July. It was the organization’s first time launching such an excursion. No comments yet. You can be the first!
The intended goal is interesting -- “to add Jewish context and values to their secular work as teachers in the United States,” according to a press release.
I spoke with two Glendale teachers, Jeremy Rose and Nicole Wellman, both of whom are employed by Teach For America and participated inaugural trip. Exploring Israel, they said, certainly will aid them in the classroom, but not necessarily in an overtly Jewish way.
Both said that they met Israeli educators who were working on improving many different levels of education and tolerance, and that the similarities and interests the two of them shared, both with the Israeli educators and the other teachers in their TFA group, were what impacted them the most.
Rose said that if he were able to live in a kibbutz-style setting among other teachers, the support from other teachers would help him keep his morale up after a particularly difficult day.
Wellman was drawn to the Arab-Israeli conflict, and said that what appeared to be small steps on both sides may very well turn out to be some of the biggest strides when history looks back on the situation. She compared that to her classroom, where, she said, teaching an illiterate first-grader to read over the course of the year will greatly impact that child’s life.
It’s far too early to tell what, if any, lasting impact this trip to Israel will have on TFA’s educators, and how exactly that will translate to the classroom. But it’s an interesting thought to consider how innately Jewish values, presented in a secular fashion, might improve a child’s education.
For more, check out Teach For America launches Israel trip.
02 Sep, 2009 >