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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 30, 2007
/ 18 Mar-Cheshvan 5768
I Was Cursed to be a Teacher
By Amy H. Lederman
Confessions of an educator
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I am not a superstitious person but believe me when I tell you that I was cursed at the age of 10. Sitting at my small wooden desk in Mrs. Kennedy's fourth grade class, I had just finished showing Jessica Butler how to do long addition and was tidying up my papers before going out to recess. A dark shadow spread over my desk and I looked up into the chins, yes chins, of my teacher. I couldn't help but notice the wiry, black hair which seemed so out of place on a chin. Embarrassed, I looked down into her sturdy, sensible shoes. Was I in trouble for helping Jessica? Did she think I cheated on our spelling test?
"Amy, I've been watching you all year long," she began, "and I'm sure that you should become a teacher, just like me. You're a natural for it," she concluded, patting my head with her chalky fingertips.
I wasn't sure at the time if this was a compliment or an insult, seeing as in addition to the chins and the shoes, Mrs. Kennedy had big, drapery—like arms that swayed when she wrote on the blackboard.
That curse haunted me all through college and law school. Every time I turned around, someone asked me to teach. The local synagogue wanted me to teach Hebrew school. My kids' teachers wanted me to do the Jewish holidays. And then, one day, I got a phone call from the owner of a real estate school who wanted me to teach contract law to real estate agents. It sounded like fun and a good way to build my law practice, so I said yes.
I entered the classroom a bit nervous, more about the possibility that a stray chin hair might pop out than the likelihood that I wouldn't keep the agents engaged for the next three hours. It didn't take more than a few months however, to realize that Mrs. Kennedy was right. I absolutely loved being a teacher.
Several years into teaching, I had an epiphany while lecturing about the intricacies of contract default provisions and boiler plate clauses. How would it be to teach something I really, truly cared about? What would it be like to talk about matters of substance and really explore them with my students? The idea pulled at me and wouldn't let go.
Three years and a major illness later, I enrolled in a Master's degree program in Jewish studies, a decision that has changed my adult life more than any other choice I have made.
Over the past decade, I have had the privilege and the pleasure of teaching adults, children and college students about subjects and issues that truly matter to me: topics of great importance to me as a Jewish woman, mother, wife, daughter, professional and community member. From Jewish ethics, spirituality and law to Jewish rituals, holidays and life-cycle events, there is nothing I teach that doesn't speak to me directly and personally. Each time I prepare for a class, whether it is a course on Jewish literature or one about the Jewish views on organ donation, I am energized and inspired by the Jewish texts that inform me as a teacher and guide me as an adult.
The one thing that Mrs. Kennedy never told me is how important my students would become to me — that they would not only become my friends but my teachers as well. A class doesn't go by that I don't learn something new from my students. I am inspired by the different ways they think, question, analyze and respond to the material I present. I am challenged by their critiques and questions and motivated by their interests and concerns. Simply put, my students have done more collectively to expand my set of assumptions and world views than any one teacher I have ever had.
My appreciation for my students is not unique. In fact, it is very Jewish. More than two thousand years ago, the sages recognized the significance of the role that a student plays in the life of his or her teacher when they said: "Much wisdom I learned from my teachers, more from my colleagues, but from my pupils, most of all."
I was cursed at the age of 10 to be a teacher — but in that role, I am truly blessed.
JewishWorldReview.com regularly publishes uplifting articles. Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Amy Hirshberg Lederman is a nationally syndicated columnist, educator, public speaker and attorney.
Comment by clicking here.
© 2007, Amy Hirshberg Lederman
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