Keywords

Apologia

At the beginning of this book, we set out on a journey through the magical kingdoms of education and Jewish education. Our travels have taken us on the highways and byways of questions, ideas, visions, and practices related to these wonderful kingdoms. Questions, ideas, listening, thinking, and people fueled these journeys, and we navigated our course using analytic educational philosophy.

Truth be told, there is something deceptive about analytic philosophers of education. They ask questions, examine words, and help clarify meanings, and their books and articles are typically short and concise. At the same time, they seem to be strikingly timid about taking a stand. Here are some of the plaints that I have heard—sometimes politely and sometimes not so politely—during my journeys:

  • “You come to town, ask lots of questions, and then take off to your next stop.”

  • “You claim to care about the analysis of words, but maybe that is simply a kind of a cover for you not wanting to talk about your own words.”

  • “What do you believe?”

  • “You talk a lot about beautiful questions but how about a few beautiful answers?”

The charges have merit, and sometimes one can become so preoccupied with words and meanings that one neglects—or maybe doesn’t have the courage—to share one’s own words or thoughts. So, the time has come for this educator to ask some questions and give some answers!

Why Is the Question So Important?

Life begins with questions. The origins of the great philosophies and theologies are questions such as: who created the world? Where do we come from? What’s the purpose of life? What is going to happen at the end? And who is going to win the World Series?

In “Pied Beauty”, Gerard Manley Hopkins wrote the lines, “Glory be to God for dappled things—/ For skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow” when he woke up, looked out the window, and said, “Wow? Why? How?” Simon and Garfunkel wrote the song “At the Zoo” to answer the question, “Where is it all happening?” This thing called life is so amazing, confusing, beautiful, painful, joyful, and complicated that it causes one to ask questions, to wonder, to think. Sometimes questions are overwhelming, and they can cause great depression or sadness. Sometimes questions are so amazing that they invite the great poets, thinkers, writers, and scientists to consider, study, wrestle with, and propose answers. Indeed, it is this life dynamic that makes the field of education so fascinating.

I believe the “why” question is the central question of being human.

What Is Education?

Education is a process, not a place; education is a dynamic not an achievement; education is running the marathon, not winning it. Education is ultimately the lifelong pursuit of self-understanding and awareness of the human condition. Technically, we become human when we are born but, truth be told, we have to learn how to be truly human. Graduation certificates from preschool, elementary school, high school, college, and graduate school are markers along the way, but ultimately they are only a part of the ultimate goal of the search for self-understanding and awareness of the human condition.

I believe that education is the process whereby we become human.

Vision and Education

The practice of education begins with and can never succeed without “vision”. The “how” of education can never be achieved without the “why” and the “who”. Being an educator begins by engaging with core questions whose answers shape our path: How do people learn? What topics, subjects, or disciplines should be studied? For what purpose should they be taught? What are the best “texts” and “sources” for studying them? What methodologies are appropriate for teaching diverse “texts”? Education is dependent on many factors, one of the most important of which is the “why” question. Having a “why” does not guarantee success in education, yet not having a “why” stops education at the starting line.

I believe that the road to practice in education is through “vision”.

What Is the Subject of Education?

Education is about furnishing human beings with abilities and capacities which they can subsequently employ to confront the world and themselves. It is about providing individuals with diverse lenses which empower them to engage with the great works of the heavens, earth, artists, writers, poets, painters, historians, scientists, mathematicians, and stargazers. The subject of education is the relationship of the individual to other people and to the world. The task of education is to open eyes, ears, heads, and hearts so that people may be able to better understand the world that was, that is, and that will be.

I believe that the subject of education is the person.

Who Is a Person?

Humanism is a worldview that regards men and women as autonomous rational beings endowed with freedom of will, rational thinking, moral conscience, empathy, imagination, and creative powers. These philosophic assumptions imply the need for an ethic of human equality, reciprocity, solidarity, alongside robust frameworks that enable every single person to participate in the cultural, social, and political spheres of life. The ultimate goal of education is to enable human beings to realize the potential of making existence as good as it possibly can be.

I believe a person is someone whose enhancement, development, well-being, and dignity are the ultimate aim of existence.

Who Is the Educator?

Education is a lifelong profession for people who want to work with others, helping them to open their eyes, develop their skill sets for seeing what is out there, and them on their way. The mission of the educator is not to teach literature, history, mathematics, or science but rather to encourage the young to learn literature, history, mathematics, and science so as to enable them to charter their pathways in the days, weeks, months, years, and centuries to come. Educators are members of societies and cultures, and while they have a role to play in sharing the richness of their societies; they do not come to serve societies. They should reflect their particular tribe’s best values and virtues, while at the same time be conduits for the metamorphosis of “moral tribalism” into “tribal altruism”.

I believe the educator is a person of ultimate faith, ultimate doubt, and ultimate courage whose calling it is to help the young learn how to learn.

Are There Values?

The question of the origin of values remains a preoccupation of philosophers from ancient times until now. However, an affirmation of the existence of the values of human dignity, respect for humans, freedom of will, and equality is central to this educator’s creed. Moreover, it may well be that the “virtue of all virtues” is “study” which is the gateway, entrance, and corridor (lined with great books, paintings, poems, and music recordings) along our journey to becoming human and discovering the values which will guide our lives. At the same time, it is important to face the fact that values often come in conflict with each other. Indeed, it may well be the case that one of the central tasks of education is assisting our students and ourselves in dealing with the many moments of conflicts in values.

I believe that life is shaped, guided, and enriched by human values.

Is the Teacher’s Role Limited?

Educators do not accompany students throughout their lives. After a certain grade, we say goodbye to our students and wish them well. We cannot accompany them forever. At some point, everyone must become their own teacher, while they continue to learn. Moreover, sometimes the labor of the educator is exhausting and/or the educator strays from being his or her best or needs to rest. The work of the educator is great and there never is enough time. The bell seems to ring so suddenly, and we don’t get to finish the lesson. And then the student is in high school or at college, and suddenly they have grown up, hopefully, we have made our contribution toward that path.

I believe that there are limits to the teacher’s role; but that does not limit the teacher’s mission.

Why Am I a Jewish Educator?

It has been my good fortune to have grown up, learned about, engaged with, and participated in Jewish life and civilization. I regard this civilization as a remarkable legacy, heritage, and collage of ideas and practices that are of rich value and have shaped my life. It is a civilization at the center of which is the idea of study. It is a civilization concerned with sanctifying life-cycle moments. It is a civilization which honors the individual while also seeing them as part of a larger communal collective. It is a civilization which has shown—frequently albeit not always—the capability to adapt values and practices to new settings. It is a civilization which throughout its entire history has been a minority among larger diverse societal structures and has retained its commitment to survive in the name of values, beliefs, and practices which it regards as worthy. It is a civilization that now having a state can learn how to treat majorities and minorities with dignity. Being human, Jewish, and an educator enable me to work in diverse settings, doing what I regard as one of the most engaging, exciting, and holy ways to live a life.

I am a Jewish educator because this lifelong profession encompasses two terms that I deeply cherish—“Jewish civilization” and “Education”.

Coda

I made it through this chapter without any footnotes or reference to great thinkers. I made it through this chapter using the word “I” more times than in any previous chapter (and I suspect more than in all of my writings).

The Bible is one of many works that have enriched my thinking—especially the narratives of the Five Books of Moses, the plaints and visions of the Prophets, and the wisdom and beauty of the Writings (Ketuvim). The book of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes) indicates that there is a time and place for everything. There is a time to talk and a time to be silent. There is a time for linguistic analysis of terms and a time to share more personal thoughts.

Before writing this Epilogue, I consulted with Kohelet to ask if this was the right time for these thoughts.

Kohelet ::

Yes Mr. Analytic Educator, now is the time for you to talk!

Me::

So, Kohelet, I hope I have talked “from within” and with candor and cogency. Thanks for affording me the opportunity to take a stab at answering some of life’s and education’s interesting questions. And most important thanks to you and your many wonderful colleagues for helping me to understand better this wonderful thing called “life”.