Teaching Shmeeching

Teaching is exhausting. I know that non-teachers like to focus on the summer perk, but the flavor of teaching six classes in a row regularly is something you have to taste to understand.

McAryeh asked what it's like given my personality type. I am taking Shoshana's advice and not addressing the letters but the general idea. I am an emotional, perceptive type. I also sense things in other people. I approach my students and my topics in my own way. Who else could I be?

I start every first class with the tale of the young man who tried to outsmart his grandfather by cupping a butterfly in his hands. He asks his grandfather if the butterfly is alive or dead and plans to prove Grandpa wrong either way. If the grandfather says "alive" the boy will subtly squish the butterfly and then open his hands. If the old man says "dead" then the grandson will open his hands. But the grandfather tells the grandson, "the answer is in your hands, it's whatever you decide to let it be." So too, the year ahead is in our hands...

I give out cards and have the kids tell me about themselves on the cards. Among other things I ask them to tell me anything about themselves or how they learn that would be helpful for me to know. Many students wrote things like they like things written on the board and reviewed. Some wrote that they don't like Gemorah. One wrote that he wants to get closer to G-d.

In Gemorah I've been teaching about Ellul in thought and law, and about Torah She Be'Al peh in an introductory way. I use this phrase to teach the idea of a hava amina and a maskana and how one of the benefits of Gemorah is learning to view things in an out of the box way:

Time Flies
You Can't
They go Too Fast

What does it mean? The tricky part is the third line. However you try to explain it (and kids do say the darndest and smartest things) it still sounds like a stretch. But when I tell you that "time" is the verb and "flies" are the noun, it makes sense in a new way. It's a command: "Time those things called flies. I'll bet you can't. You know why? because they go too fast."

What's the difference between Talmud and Gemorah you may ask. If you were in my class today you'd know the answer. Why did Ani LeDodi VeDodi Li become the most famous acronym for ELUL? We discussed this and came up with a one word theme for the month summed up in this phrase. Extra Credit: come in with some of the other acronyms.

Chumash? I have three very different classes. We did the first Rashi and are in the middle of the Ramban. Homework was to prepare the Ramban and then the next homework was to go over the sense we made of it. The kids asked great questions. One wanted to suggest that the Ramban's idea of having and losing the land applies to the recent loss. Another (really it was the same one) wanted to know what's the source for the idea that we can't build the Beit HaMikdash till Mashiach comes.

Meanwhile, College Bowl tryouts are next week, so I have to write the try out questions. And then I'll be in school two evenings for the tryouts. And Model UN tryouts are not far behind. The check will soon be in the mail to YU Model UN. There's supposed to be a Model UN club for freshmen this year but there seem to be some catch 22s involved.

Then there's the senior programming. Another teacher is pushing for Hiding and Seeking and Menachem Daum coming in - not realizing that I'd seen the film before it was finished and already had him and the film last year. I hope to get him in again.

Then there's the Torah guidance, formal and informal. And there are many hellos. Oh, almost forgot there's also the public speaking class. First assignment is starting to be presented tomorrow: a personal speech about an emotional event that shaped your life. I promised I'll give a model one.

Had a nice shmooze with an English teacher colleague who really liked Nick Hornby's latest. Tried to speak to one administrator who really wanted to be there for me but was a bit unavailable. It seems to me that the hardest part of administating is the bulldozing by parents.
Spoke to another administrator who disappointed me with a comment about a certain level of students.

Had a nice chat with the comptroller and he gave me a lightbulb filled with jelly beans. Gave in a bunch of forms that were due. Showed one of the office managers my play's website (amatchmadeinmanhattan.com).

One of the hardest parts of teaching is the preparation. I'm teaching a Chumash that I never taught before. To teach it well, so much preparation is needed. Rabbi Abraham Twersky recommends to at least sometimes prepare super duper extensively and build up topics that you have great full shiurim on. He's certainly done that.

May G-d bless me to keep building.