Parashat Ki Teitzei

The kids are back…the kids are back!! How delightful. This reality makes the summer so worthwhile – the weeks of planning, the endless searching for the perfect materials, the days spent arranging – and rearranging – the rooms to get the ideal set up, and the worrying about how the year is going to evolve. The first day comes and with it the surge of children’s feet and their excited voices, their expectant looks and the joyous reunions...the ballet of the new kids exploring their surroundings and the cautious glances to see who’s going to become their new best friend(s). Then come the looks of relief as the children realize that as much as some things have changed – new classrooms, harder books, different teachers, much has stayed constant and there’s the realization that this isn’t going to be as impossible as some had thought! Our older students emerge from various classes and they excitedly congregate by their lockers to exchange tidbits of valuable information about the classes they have already experienced. The younger students animatedly meet up with their friends from other classes and the neighborhood as they get drinks at the water fountains and at recess and lunch. All the activity and hubbub of enthusiasm are just a delight to witness. As I try to mingle unobtrusively with the children, to get reacquainted with them, to establish a rapport with our new students, I find out much interesting data: “School is fun”; “school is great”; “my teacher is nice” (sometimes whispered, at other times said with a tone of awe, and at times with visible relief); “I love my teacher.” Music to my ears. Hopefully you are getting positive messages at home as well! There also is the arena of perspective. Some children reveal a “half empty glass” outlook while for others, it’s “half full.” While discussing summer adventures, some people choose to talk about the downsides (the derecho and its aftermath, the heat), while others happily recall the fun times. Some of us enjoy dredging up the negative while for others it’s the good stuff that comes out. The same is true in referring to the classes, subjects, and teachers! I encourage you all to emphasize the positives and help each child see the bright side. Setting a time (in your busy schedules!!) for your children to have a few moments to discuss their day sets the stage for great communication. Of course if “nothing” is the response you get to your question of “what did you do in school today?”, encourage your child to tell you one good thing that happened, samples of questions the teacher asked, any topics that were new or seemed too hard, what other kids brought for lunch that they themselves might like, healthy snacks their friends brought, what game they played at recess…and the like. Yesterday, one of the founders of MJBHA, Helen Sperling (zichrona l’bracha) passed away. She was the mother of a college friend of mine. A few years ago I marveled as her great grandchildren enrolled at MJBHA. To me, it’s a beautiful tribute that the “Academy” is not only still standing, but also flourishing, that we today have continued the amazing legacy started by a handful of parents who craved a Jewish education for their children. Perspective. Could they have had any idea that all their hard work would really be worthwhile, that others would pick up the reins after them? I would like to think that all those who went before us know how much their years of dedication are appreciated, that as we polish our floors and order text books and worry about the mundane, somewhere we recognize that we cannot take Jewish education for granted, that we can’t just assume that it will always be here for us. In honor and in memory of Helen Sperling, I request that each of us looks at the blessings we do have, that our outlook be optimistic, that the children’s voices joined in daily Tefilah continue to joyously fill our rooms, and that we all work together to make the 2012 – 2013 school year the best yet. Shabbat Shalom