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dent and royalty.
The key factor in Jewish educa-
tion, however, was the family.
Parents were expected to be
examples for their children, both
sons and daughters. While learn-
ing in a formal setting was for
males, girls, nonetheless, often
learned a trade from their mother.
These included midwifery, cook-
ing and sewing.

"Provide yourself a teacher," Rab-
ban Gamaliel said. His words were
meant for everyone — literally. And
so, beginning with talmudic times,
Jews came to understand that a
Jewish education started with birth
and never ended. The purpose of
all this learning: to do mitzvot (com-

mandments).
The sages of the time concurred
with Rabban Gamaliel. The wise
man, they said, studied the Bible
and the Mishnah.
But that's not all. In Avot, the rab-
bis assert that, buddy, you've got to
get a job, too: "All study of the
Torah that is unaccompanied by
work is ultimately futile." Parents
were urged not only to teach their
children Torah, but also to teach

them a trade.
School "subjects" of the time

included astronomy and geometry,
seen as useful in understanding the
Torah. Philosophy generally was not
deemed necessary, but swimming
was, as it could save a life.
At times, classes were held at syn-
agogues (the first Sunday schools?).
Boys started school at age 6 or 7,
and class size was limited to 25 for
one teacher, or 40 if the head
instructor had an assistant.
And while there wasn't even a
whisper of child psychology so
many thousands of years ago,
educators during talmudic times .
were surprisingly forward think-
ing. Teachers were encouraged to
begin class with a cheerful story s
so as to set the mood. They were
advised not to chastise the seem-
ingly disinterested student, but
rather to place him next to an
attentive one, hoping he could
serve as an inspiration.

I Love Teacher

In the Middle Ages, the focus of, --/
early Jewish education was read-
ing, no writing and a little arith-

metic.
The first goal of every Jewish edu-
cator was to teach a boy to read
so he could participate in the syna-
gogue service. (Basics, such as
Halacha, were learned at home). '-\-/
Books were rare, however, so chil-
dren wrote their letters on paper or
parchment. One popular method of
learning letters was for the instructor
to make the outline of the letter and
have the child to fill it in.
(__,
The language of the land also

was taught, as was math, and a
great deal of Talmud.
The teachers of this time weren't
simply respected — they were

loved.
Because education was regarded
as so important, teachers were
selected only after careful scrutiny.
They were well paid and often gift-
ed with treats.
The Middle Ages saw a number
of innovations, including the teach-
ing of Hebrew language and gram-