voices in Jewish Education

Learning Jewishly

Adults share many of the fears of children regarding education.

Once you are in the classroom,
how do I keep you there? First and
foremost, by recognizing that a
lack of knowledge in a specific
subject area does not equal igno-
rance. Teaching adults requires that
I remember my students are highly
educated grown-ups with lots of
world experience. My job is to
build upon your already broad
knowledge base.
My next responsibility is to pro-
vide you with interesting and
accessible material. Modern-day
issues always come up, whether the
class is about mysticism, holidays
or rabbinic thoughts on the Flood.
If the material is relevant and
meaningful, it will be interesting
— how could it not?

Q: What will it take to make Jewish
learning exciting, meaningful and
ongoing for all ages?

RUTH BERGMAN
Special to the Jewish News

IV

hat if my teacher
thinks I'm stupid?”
"What if the other
students know more

than I do?"
"What if I walk into the wrong
classroom? I'll die from embarrass-
ment.
"I forgot everything I know."
Sounds like your child's first-day-
of-school jitters? Think again.
Countless adults also face these fears
when contemplating a return to the
classroom. And it is these fears, and myriad others that stop many
adults from continuing their Jewish education.
But just as we tell our kids not to worry — your classmates will
like you; the teacher will see how hard you work and will respect you
for it; you remember more than you think — the same holds true for
grown-ups, too.

The Adult Educator's Role

It is my job as an adult educator to help students, whether young or
old, overcome fears about learning something new. With adults, of
course, there are some added challenges, not the least of which is that
I can't force anyone to come to class.
But perhaps if more adults realized we all share the same concerns
and fears about returning to school, the classroom would be less
intimidating.
If you are thinking about taking a class, call the instructor to dis-
cuss your concerns. After all, we introduce our kids to their teachers
before the first day of school; there is no reason why you can't do the
same for yourself. This phone call also gives you a chance to get to
know the teacher and for the teacher to know you.
Caring about students and showing them that you want them to
succeed is a critical part of the teaching-learning experience. Who
wants to study with someone who does not care about them?

„,.

9/15

2000

50

Rate Of Return

Finally, how can I encourage adults to come back to study more?
You'll come back when you feel that you have accomplished some-
thing worthwhile in class — that you are more knowledgeable than
you were before.
If I can give you a new way of looking at things, then we have
accomplished a lot together. Perhaps you have learned a new inter-
pretation of an old prayer or found a medieval parallel to your
favorite modern poem? Who knows? But if you start thinking
about things differently from how you thought about them before,
or if you find yourself applying your newfound knowledge to your
everyday life, then you will want to come back to class again and
again.
It is hard to juggle career, family life, volunteer work and a
social life; adding an adult-education class may seem impossible.
But if you make the effort and try even one class, you might
become hooked. I look forward to seeing you in class.

❑

Ruth Bergman, an instructor at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills, also teaches many adult Jewish-educa-
tion classes, especially through Eilu v' Eilu, the adult learning part-
nership of the Women's League for Conservative Judaism.

