Teachers deserve our thanks TB Eruvin 34

Rav Naḥman was a third generation amora He was a student of Samuel of Nehardea and Rabbah bar Abuha. He served as chief justice of the Jews who were subject to the exilarch (the political head of the Babylonian Jewish community), and was also head of the school of Nehardea. On the destruction of that town, he transferred his pupils to Shekanẓib. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rav_Nachman) TB Eruvin 34 contains a very short insightful story about him.

“The Gemara relates that a certain army [pulmosa] once came to Neharde’a and took quarters in the study hall, so that there was not enough room for the students. Rav Naḥman said to the students: Go out and create seats by compressing reeds in the marshes, and tomorrow, on Shabbat, we will go and sit on them and study there.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Rav Naḥman was a dedicated teacher. He could have canceled classes until the Army moved on, but he didn’t. He told his students to create seats by compressing reeds in a marsh, a place where the class wouldn’t be disturbed. Today’s teachers are no less dedicated. On a dime in March they had to pivot from in classroom teaching to teaching via the Internet. None of them had any real experience in this new form of teaching. They took crash courses to hone their skills to be as effective as possible. Schools were up and running again after those three days of in-service training. Unfortunately all too often teachers are unappreciated and underpaid.

What’s true in the secular world is true in the Jewish world. Even though I don’t have a Hebrew school anymore, I am fortunate to belong to an afterschool principal innovator group sponsored by the Jewish Educational Project. At our initial zoom meeting in September, I sat in awe what these principles did over the summer to prepare for the academic year 5781. None had vacations to speak of because they were too busy attending workshops on this new education challenge and/or brought in experts to teach their staff to maximize their efforts. They spent countless hours planning how to make their schools physically safe for both their staff and students as well as scheduling the actual instruction. Questions like- Will all classes be on an Internet platform or will the school create a hybrid learning opportunity?-had to be answered.

Whenever you have the opportunity, show your appreciation to our children’s teachers by thanking them for all the hard work they do on behalf of us all.