Diversity: Chinuch’s Majesty

by Mrs. Miriam Gettinger

Diversity within our student demographics, whether cognitive or hashkafic, is chinuch’s majesty, its raison d’être. כשם שאין פרצופיהן דומות.. כך אין דעותיהן שוות teaches us that they will be different, a challenge indeed, but a beautiful opportunity to exercise אהבת ישראל. Many of our schools, especially in smaller out-of-town communities, are more like mosaics than melting pots, spanning the instructional and spiritual spectrum, with a powerful, inherent achdus of soul and mission to inspire young minds and hearts in Yiddishkeit. Yet even larger schools in larger Jewish communities with seemingly monolithic family profiles encounter diversity of academic and socioemotional demographics and learning styles, with students ranging from introverts to class clowns clamoring for attention, from social climbers to students struggling with social cues, and from Queen bees and wannabes to cool sporty boys and their wingmen.

I submit that the imperative for קירוב קרובים is of equal imperative as its more visible cousin of קירוב רחוקים, often presenting as significantly more challenging. Chinuch literally connotes training and preparation of our young charges for the essential life lessons and challenges of being a ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש and is defined by each individual’s personal trajectory of annual yearly progress, both academically as well as in their socioemotional and spiritual growth.

Beyond philosophy is the pragmatics: How can we practically create a warm, inclusive environment for various familial and student groups within the larger school population? Addressing the diversity in our schools demands a multi-pronged approach.

Culture

Ideally, school mantras and mission statements tout אהבת ישראל sentiments proudly with verbiage, curricula, instruction, and programming depicting the vibrant synergy of its staff, parents, and students, the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. First and foremost, the school culture should pulsate a kaleidoscope of student personas, analogous to the model of the twelve שבטים with their differing attributes and banners forged together as a singular כלל ישראל.

Training

Sensitive training and orientation for staff about the diverse subgroups amongst both staff and students informs and proactively guides stakeholders. Staff awareness of culturally Israeli or Russian parenting, such as the tendency to keep students home from school for simple colds, the primacy of math and STEM instruction, or the significance or ignorance of certain tefillos or mitzvah experiences for Israeli חילונים, facilitates connection with these families and students in a meaningful, nonthreatening way. The same exists with Chassidic minhagim, the significance of stories of tzadikim, or Lubavitch historical fast days, where Chabad students might come dressed differently. When teachers are equipped with prior knowledge and trained in sensitivity, these differences present opportunities to enhance student comfort levels within their classroom dynamics.

I recall an interesting דן לכף זכות incident where, during an Adar assembly game of Wheel of Wisdom, a bright young student responded to a query about which chag was associated with the Seder by cheerfully and confidently saying, “Rosh Hashana!” I was surprised that this particular student would not have known the obvious answer of Pesach, but I found out later that her Israeli Sephardic teacher taught the class about the minhag of the סימני מילתא using the term seder. Unfamiliar with such practice and verbiage, my reaction at the assembly was not optimal. This story reinforced for me the imperative to educate myself as the principal and instructional leader about various minhagim and practices that staff and students were accustomed to (pun intended!) in order to best create an inclusive curriculum for each of my students.

Programming

Instruction and programming afford opportunities for explicit teaching of diverse demography. Examples include family tree projects that include family interviews, stories about immigration to the United States, or Holocaust experiences. Such projects can be associated with social studies classes or limudei kodesh, such as teaching the census at the beginning of Sefer Bamidbar. This could also be a great technology class project, integrating technology, research skills, history, and writing.

Historia units on the rise of חסידות and the התנגדות to it, early Zionism, the modern state of Israel, issues of the army, and other delicately handled topics, inform and broaden the background knowledge perspectives of older students in a nonconfrontational classroom environment. Middle and high school students can participate in carefully crafted debates or personalized student projects sourced in Tanach and Jewish history.
After Pesach, Pirkei Avos can be integrated into parshas hashavua instruction to present ahavas Yisrael concepts such as איזהו חכם…הלומד מכל אדם, אל תהי בז לכל אדם, or the significant mishna that lists the individual uniqueness of the students of Rav Yochanan Ben Zakkai: אף הוא היה מונה שבחם. Our Chumash, halacha, and yahadus curricula integrate beautifully into units on מצוות בין אדם לחברו.

Students can be empowered through their voice and choice in programming, like creating videos that depict relevant scenarios or with digital Torah Fair presentations. Student-centric Rosh Chodesh programming allowing older students in small groups to research a country of origin or global interest, present its Jewish history, unique minhagim and culture, decorate the cafeteria accordingly, and cater its cuisine for their peers, empowers students’ voice and choice, design thinking, and encourages achdus in the theme of ‘חברים כל ישראל’. Similarly, expos and display fairs allow students to depict their diverse backgrounds, talents, and interests and share them with a broader, authentic audience.

Genuine Learning

Diversity-centered instruction, limudei Kodesh classes buzzing with interactive enthusiasm, passion, and vibrancy, replaces intimidating, monotonous, repetitive top-down lectures, exercises, and mussar shmusin. What we extract from them, rather than the content we push into them, is the stuff of genuine and meaningful learning. Effective instruction for all grade levels differentiates for the canvas of our classrooms, painting with broad brushstrokes in clarity of richly rigorous yet relevant content. Students are empowered by learning skills and rehearsing them through engaging assessment and personalized goal setting, rather than through a one-size-fits-all curriculum, or worse, dogma stuffed into our students’ hearts and minds.

“Jigsaw”, Rav Chiya’s ideal chinuch, where students become expert in one חומש or סדר משניות before peer teaching it to others, or whole-class interest grouping based upon עניני דיומא or מוסרי השכל from Tanach lessons, affords opportunities for social and academic chavrusa pairing and grouping sensitive to student academic, socioemotional, and ruchani diversity.

לא הביישן למד. We cannot underestimate the value of questions in the fabric of our instruction. We must encourage students to craft sensitive hashkafic questions related to diversity within Yiddishkeit. Schools should develop a nuanced system for responding to student curiosities, including teachers responding directly to individual students, engaging the whole class, or bringing in the principal or an outside speaker to address questions and concerns. Having questions heard and responded to creates emotional memories that will endure in students’ hearts and minds long after semantic knowledge has been forgotten.

שעת הכושר

We must consider the tremendous שעת הכושר presented to us in the aftermath of October 7th, affording us the opportunity to educate our students about the overarching values of synergy, achdus, and ahavas Yisrael in our discussions of Eretz Yisrael and the ongoing conflict, speaking from the heart rather than just relying on detached and compulsory singing of אחינו כל בית ישראל or the recital of פרקי תהילים. We should help students to truly understand and appreciate the messaging of קיבוץ גלויות in their עמידה תפילה. (The Davening with Depth tefilla curriculum from CoJDS highlights these lessons developmentally with passionate stories and extension projects.) Stirring visuals and video clips of these concepts, such as diverse ethnicities davening at the Kosel כאיש אחד בלב אחד, the varying dialects reverberating in a beautiful cacophony, potently underscore the message that far more unites us than divides us as כלל ישראל, as we hopefully merit witnessing עקבתא דמשיחא!

Recently retired after 40 years as a principal in both of Indiana’s day schools in South Bend and Indianapolis, Mrs. Miriam Gettinger serves as a senior principal consultant for CoJDS. She can be reached at miriamgettinger9@gmail.com.

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