In celebration of my second “Blogiversary”, I share one of my favorite stories:
When
I first began my tenure at Temple Beth-El over fourteen years ago, there was a
student named David in our fifth grade who had a significant learning disability
and attention issues. We were invited by David’s parents to the public school
district’s annual IEP meeting, where members of the Child Study Team suggested
that David not attempt learn a foreign language. He would struggle too
significantly, they asserted, and his focus should be on reading and writing
English.
Yet
this was a notion that just wasn’t acceptable to his parents, who were actively raising their
children in a Jewish home, and who wanted David to both learn and love Hebrew,
and for him to become a bar mitzvah.
With
this goal as our guide, we individualized David’s instruction to meet his specific
academic needs and he learned to read Hebrew. His bar mitzvah was a highly
meaningful experience as he read from the Torah and led our congregation in
prayer.
But
for me, this is where David’s story begins.
I
always knew that David could learn Hebrew and become a bar mitzvah; we just
needed to meet his learning needs appropriately. For me, what is significant is
that David continued his formal Jewish learning beyond his bar mitzvah. When so
many drop out, for a vast array of reasons, having students stay by choice is a
significant testament to a program that meets their needs. It was truly powerful
to sit in the sanctuary as David joined with his peers to reaffirm their
commitment to Judaism. David also went on to become an active member of our
youth group, serving on its board and becoming an active member in NFTY (National
Federation of Temple Youth), too. This is the success story!
Without
our flexible approach to individualized learning and our commitment to each and
every child’s success, David could well have been that stereotypically frustrated
boy who fought coming to Hebrew school. He might have barely finished seventh
grade and he certainly would have struggled through the bar mitzvah process. Instead,
David’s handsome face shined brightly from our bimah on the evening of
his Confirmation.
If
we had listened to David’s Child Study Team, he would have missed out on the
richness of his heritage; the joy of learning and living Jewishly. Inclusion is
about so much more than whether or not we teach a child a foreign language. We
are shaping young Jewish identities and empowering them to live Jewish lives.
Who’s to say what that should look like?
Don't miss a post from Removing the Stumbling Block:
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