Todah Hashem
It is after five classes taught, after 3 Torah Guidance sessions given, after rides to work and back, after portraying Holden during tenth period and reading Chapter 17, after a long day. I once used the expression "a long day" to a friend who shot back with, "It wasn't longer or shorter than any other day." What he said is a truth that rings false. While calling some days longer or richer than others may not be technically true I know it to be true.
Today I gave a test that added up to 96. The last, question for 4 points more was, "Write one thing you will take into your life from class this year." I meant anything at all, but expected the answers to be academic. Here are some of the answers:
"The Gemorah I learned," "The true meaning of Shabbat and how to better observe it," "'Time flies, you cant, they go too fast.' If you change time to the verb and flies to the noun it makes sense," I learned to think outside the box," "I will never forget the chart you taught us which shows that you have to love and fear Hashem all at the same time, which this chart depicts clearly and beautifully - P.S. I will try to tell stories like you to try to say what I want through a story and its message," One thing I will take into my life from class this year (there are many more than 1) is to think outside the box and to challenge things you hear," "It is easy to gain respect out of fear, but true respect must be obtained through care," "I learned that you should ALWAYS be careful about what you say... I learned this because Rabbi Fleischmann hears everything anyone says in the classroom, no matter how quietly it was said," "I will take so much from this class into my life. Don't fear to go off topic - you learn so much from stories."
Thank you G-d.
posted by rabbi neil fleischmann @ 11:59 PM
6 Comments:
It is a good idea for students to understand that to think outside the box, one must first know the box. And know it well. I still find myself learning to think outside the box! :o) It is great that your students seem to have had an overall positive experience. Congratulations.
Thank you Miss Trudy. Your opening comment reminds me of what Wynton Marsalis said of jazz, "There's no freedom in freedom, there's only freedom in structure". Or to put it in tanka form about poetry:
Strucureless poems;
"Do they exist?" he asks me.
I think of Wynton:
"There's no freedom in freedom,
only freedom in strucure."
There's still 2 terms left in the year. I just aked this Q on a test, expecting more academic answers and got these broader strokes. Nice to hear. Thanks.
I remember "Time Flies. You can't. They pass too quickly." - from Mrs. Sandauer. IIRC, I solved it, eventually - I remember the light bulb going on (figuratively).
I've used it on my kids and others whom I want to mentally challenge.
Cool. I don't remember it from Mrs. Beachclock (I do recall her saying that way to remember her name). I heard it from a friend who used it in an NCSY program. I've been using it for twenty years in Gemorah classes as a way of illustrating the way the Gemorah gets you to shift thinking, to move from havah aminah to maskanah.
Wow!
Dear Anonymous,
Your one word brought me chizuk (strength) and joy as I'm having an Achashveirosh moment. Thank you Reader Anonymous, whoever you are.
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