what Jewish teens taught me about family values when I became an ...

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Last week I was figuring out a way to teach?about the value of Shalom Bayit?(Family Haromony?Peace in the Home) to a class of eighth graders. I could just imagine the yawns.

Deservedly so. What?s to argue about here? Would anyone in the class disagree with the concept??Where can you go with?that concept that will inspire discussion?

I needed to find a way in to this topic and create some educational tension.

I decided to become ?MojojoBo?, an alien from another planet. I began the class in character, with?accent, stunted staccato speech and all. Corny? Oh yes. Campy? For sure.

The students needed to explain teachings about family to me that their people practiced.? Since MojojoBo had a family too, it was an easy place to begin.?MojojoBo wanted to be convinced that as a people known as ?Jew? they had those values.? I gave more details to the story so students would have the context.

I divided the class into groups to study the textual sources. Their task? To break down the language in very easy to understand words and concepts so MojojoBo would understand what they were saying.

Taking?turns, the groups made presentations explaining the concepts to me. For example, the quote ?A home where Torah is not heard will not endure? had to be broken down because MojojoBo wouldn?t understand the meaning of? Torah, or the word endure.

What they said instead was something like: ?Your home, where your family lives, needs to be a place where you can learn the teachings of your people. Not only learn them, but talk about them everyday so every one in the family understands why they are special and needs to continue being part of this people in days and years ahead. Your home is where that begins.?

I was riveted. I wish I had a video. These are today?s teens, who often get shortchanged for not being connected, being too self-centered and not always very respectful.? I am hearing them say these incredible things about respecting parents, valuing tradition, being partners with God, holding back anger, commitment to Jewish peoplehood, and MORE. I was stunned. I know the lesson would not have gone this way if I had used a more traditional approach.

They were teaching me things I didn?t even know they were thinking, let alone feeling, about their homes, parents, God, and spirituality. I will miss MojojoBo but will bring that dear, sweet, alien back whenever I need to learn from our amazing teens.

Image via Wikipedia

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• Jewish Teens: Lost? (jteennews.wordpress.com)

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I am a Jewish Educator of teens, interested in changing paradigms of Jewish high school education, incorporating strategic and creative initiatives and collaboration with like-minded organizations. Interested in creating new educational opportunities for Jewish teens using best practices and networking tools. View all posts by Ruth Schapira

Source: http://jteennews.wordpress.com/2012/02/19/what-jewish-teens-taught-me-about-family-values-when-i-became-an-alien-in-the-classroom/

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