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Answering Questions with Questions The Jewish way to respond is to answer a question with a question. In fact, I will pose several questions. I hope to reveal the depth of the contributions of the Certificate Program in Jewish Early Childhood Education to any community whose educators have the opportunity to participate. Would you trust young brains to just anybody? Brain research shows that experience interacts with biology to create lasting connections. Informed practitioners provide authentic and meaningful Jewish experiences to young children to establish these connections from life's beginning. These practitioners often see the children every weekday, facilitating the formation of well-founded Jewish identities. Whom do we want to welcome young families into our synagogues and Jewish institutions? Many adults turn to or return to Judaism when they realize that they want their children to "know who they are." Frequently, we gain much more than an "enrollee" when a child enters a school – we can embrace parents and siblings as well. We need school professionals that are both knowledgeable and interested in their own engagement with Judaic concepts to be positive models and guides. How can children realize that Judaism is emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually powerful if they don't have teachers who understand the interweaving of Judaic concepts and the fabric of daily life? It seems unlikely. They must have teachers who have acquired knowledge, skill, and professional self-awareness, and who have themselves explored how Judaism enhances their lives. With such teachers, it will be possible for children to want to be Jewish not just to continue an inherited tradition but to build lives of deep perception and celebration. Creating foundations for Jewish identity, drawing in families, encouraging authentic engagement with Jewish practice – are these adequate reasons for supporting a Certificate Program in Jewish Early Childhood Education? I believe that any community would benefit greatly from a positive answer. It is for these very reasons, and for the sake of the growth and development of the teachers themselves, that I believe so strongly in the possibilities afforded by this program. Lyndall Miller, M.A.Ed., M.A.J.Ed., M.S.Ed. |
I am often asked by funders and community leaders: how can participation in the Online Certificate Program in Jewish Early Childhood Education benefit the Jewish community?