Several weeks ago some forty religious preschool supervisors from across the country gathered in ancient Shilo, for a conference led by national supervisor Mrs. Esther Hatav. The list of speakers at the conference, which focused on teaching stories from the Torah to preschool children, included Rabbanit Dr. Lea Vizel, Orot Israel College’s dean of extramural studies; Mrs. Vered Yanai, lecturer and pedagogical coordinator of Orot’s early childhood education department; Mrs. Luzit Odesser, head of Orot’s early childhood education department; and Mrs. Becky Pinsky, (retired) supervisor of the Yerushalayim district.
The ganenet (preschool teacher) has the great privilege of planting the initial seed – the girsa d’yankuta (literally, the knowledge acquired during one’s childhood) – which will eventually blossom and grow into the child’s spiritual world. When the ganenet teaches Torah stories, she must construct an experiential world that is rich in knowledge and activities and that will serve as a strong foundation for developing faith, observing the mitzvot with love, and acquiring a national-religious worldview. This is a great privilege that comes with great responsibility.
The ganenet is faced with challenging questions. For instance, should she teach Chumash Breishit and some of Chumash Shmot according to the parshat hashavua (the weekly Torah portion) or chronologically? What is more important: enabling the child to take part in his family’s Shabbat table discussion about the parsha or learning slowly but in greater depth? Which prakim (chapters) should she teach, and which prakim should she skip? What is most appropriate for a child’s soul and developmental level? Should the lesson be based on the pshat (the simple meaning of the text)? How should the Midrash be taught? How does one encourage the child to identify with the Avot and Imahot and follow in their footsteps? How should ethical questions arising from the psukim be handled? These and other questions were addressed during the course of the conference.
First, Dr. Lea Vizel discussed the great responsibility inherent in teaching young children. She showed how Yoav ben Tzruyah’s teacher was sentenced to death, because he caused Yoav to misunderstand the commandment to wipe out Amalek’s memory. (See BT Bava Batra 21a.) Next, Mrs. Vered Yanai described Orot Israel College’s unique approach to teaching Tanach to young children, and Mrs. Luzit Odesser spoke about slow, in-depth learning versus learning according to the parshat hashavua. Finally, Mrs. Becky Pinsky recommended that the chavruta (study partner) model be adapted for preschool children.
The ganenet (preschool teacher) has the great privilege of planting the initial seed – the girsa d’yankuta (literally, the knowledge acquired during one’s childhood) – which will eventually blossom and grow into the child’s spiritual world. When the ganenet teaches Torah stories, she must construct an experiential world that is rich in knowledge and activities and that will serve as a strong foundation for developing faith, observing the mitzvot with love, and acquiring a national-religious worldview. This is a great privilege that comes with great responsibility.
The ganenet is faced with challenging questions. For instance, should she teach Chumash Breishit and some of Chumash Shmot according to the parshat hashavua (the weekly Torah portion) or chronologically? What is more important: enabling the child to take part in his family’s Shabbat table discussion about the parsha or learning slowly but in greater depth? Which prakim (chapters) should she teach, and which prakim should she skip? What is most appropriate for a child’s soul and developmental level? Should the lesson be based on the pshat (the simple meaning of the text)? How should the Midrash be taught? How does one encourage the child to identify with the Avot and Imahot and follow in their footsteps? How should ethical questions arising from the psukim be handled? These and other questions were addressed during the course of the conference.
First, Dr. Lea Vizel discussed the great responsibility inherent in teaching young children. She showed how Yoav ben Tzruyah’s teacher was sentenced to death, because he caused Yoav to misunderstand the commandment to wipe out Amalek’s memory. (See BT Bava Batra 21a.) Next, Mrs. Vered Yanai described Orot Israel College’s unique approach to teaching Tanach to young children, and Mrs. Luzit Odesser spoke about slow, in-depth learning versus learning according to the parshat hashavua. Finally, Mrs. Becky Pinsky recommended that the chavruta (study partner) model be adapted for preschool children.
All the participants agreed that the conference was a huge success, and that they look forward to future Education Ministry events for preschool teachers.
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