Chinuch

Every classroom has students who are highly creative thinkers. We ought to recognize, appreciate and work with them to help them flourish

by Danit Schusterman he name Chanukah comes from the word chinuch, which means education. The Rebbe often stressed the unique connection between T emotional issues and so much more. It has been so wonderful to see how children who were struggling before now have the support

Chanukah and education. In my twenty years and understanding that they need to be able to of being an educator, I can see how far we thrive in the classroom and in the world. have come in providing the necessary services for all the different types of learners. There are services for kriya, reading, writing, math, reading comprehension, behavioral issues, There is, however, a demographic of children at school who are being overlooked. These children do not struggle academically. In fact, many of them can excel in their academics if they really

wanted to. These kids are the daydreamers, the highly creative thinkers.

Highly creative thinkers have the ability to make unusual associations or connections between seemingly unrelated or remote ideas. These kids have a large number of ideas or solutions to problems. They display intellectual playfulness, fantasize, imagine, and daydream. They have a keen or unusual sense of humor and see humor others do not see. These kids ask many questions, and frequently challenge teachers, and can come up with unexpected, futuristic, bizarre, even ”silly” answers or solutions.

People are inherently creative. We create our own lives using this creativity. We are all born with immense and natural talents, but by the time we have been through the education system, far too many of us have lost touch with them. Many highly talented, brilliant people, think they are not, because the thing they were good at wasn’t valued, or was actually stigmatized in their youth. ”My fondest memories of school are getting my new school supplies at the beginning of each year,” says Dina Kay, owner and co-founder of the popular children’s clothing store, The Kids Shoppe in Crown Heights. ”I’d line everything up and decorate my desk. I’d have all the cool markers, fancy crayons and pretty notebooks. I’d create color-coded seating charts during class and daydream about opening up

my own store one day and all the pretty things I’d sell and how I’d decorate the store.”

All this activity came at the expense of academics. ”I wasn’t interested in what we were learning,” she says. ”I sat at my desk and made projects. I loved the social aspect of school and I had a great time with my friends. But none of this stopped me from pursuing my goals. Your marks in school do not define you. We can’t let our past experiences get in the way of achieving our goals and dreams in life.”

Chaya Cohen Tamir says she was a good visual learner. ”I was easily distracted but easily self-corrected and got back on track,” she says. ”I wasn’t detail-oriented, and wasn’t strong with note-taking. I was good at dialogue and classroom discussions, and great at tests, but more because I was a creative thinker than because of my study skills.” Original thinkers see possibilities where others don’t, and have the courage to share their visions with the world.

Chani Greenbaum recalls herself liking to have fun at school and pushing the limits. ”Organized curriculum just wasn’t my thing,” she admits. ”I wasn’t the student who won awards in school. I remember my principal telling me that I probably wouldn’t graduate, that I wasn’t smart. But that’s the beauty of having a creative mind. I figured it out. My friends still can’t believe what I’ve achieved as a floral designer and event planner, running a full production service.” Today, Chani runs the renowned Greenbaum Events and CG Blooms Flower

Boutique in New York. These individuals reflect the reality for so many who endure school - not enjoy it. But we must remember, human communities depend upon a diversity of talents, not a singular conception of ability. We need to be able to look at the value of each individual and realize that creativity is as important as literacy. So what is the solution for these kids?

Beneath the surface of every child are seeds of possibility just waiting for the right conditions to grow. Human flourishing is not a mechanical process. It is an organic process. You cannot predict the outcome of human development but you can create conditions under which they can flourish, both as parents and teachers. We need to personalize education to the children we are teaching. The role of leadership in a classroom is not about control between teacher and student. It’s about control of the environment. Creating an environment of possibility in the classroom, and at home, these children will rise to the occasion and achieve things that none of us could have anticipated or expected. ”I had a teacher who loved my creative writing,” says Brachie Friedman, a real estate investor. ”She knew I had a hard time sitting at a desk for too long so she’d let me sit on the floor. She’d let us eat and drink and the class environment was so relaxing that the creativity would just flow. She let us be and we were able to shine. She always complimented me, either on my handwriting or the content of my writing.” So how do we create this environment to help these creative minds flourish? Recognize the individuality of the child and help them shine. Engage in their ideas. Listen to their dreams. Read their stories. Watch their plays and their skits. If something is not working, change the situation to make it work. Focus on their strengths and spotlight them as often as you can. Laugh at their corny jokes. Write them down and tell them to make a joke book. Listen to their impressions, compliment the pencil holder that they made out of lego. I have had many highly creative students in my career and there is always (I repeat, always) a way to meet them halfway and help them shine while having them learn the necessary curriculum. People are good at the things that they care about and are passionate about. When you are doing something that you enjoy, time takes on a course of its own. When you are doing something you love, an hour can feel like 5 minutes. And when you are doing something that you don’t enjoy, 5 minutes can feel like an hour. ”Generally,” adds Chaya, ”rule followers, people who are trained to comply with authority and look outward for guidance, aren’t people who tend to push boundaries, rethink the norm, look inward for inspiration and constantly challenge the status quo--those are inherent tools to be confident and revolutionary.” Rabbi Shais Taub put it so clearly: Chinuch is not teaching a subject. It’s teaching a student. You’re not dealing with a subject. You’re dealing with a human being. And human beings are complex. Even children. If you are just teaching a subject, it can be very simple. But if you are teaching a student, you need to meet them in their complexities. And if you’re not prepared to meet these kids in their complexities, then that is not considered education. The Rebbe said that every child has ”his way,” a nature of his own. A teacher should therefore not try to push all his students in a single direction. Instead, he or she should appreciate the gifts of each individual and cultivate their expression. This concept is alluded to in the Mishnah (Avos 2:9): ”Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai had five [outstanding] students: ... He used to enumerate their praiseworthy qualities.” Instead of trying to show all his students a single path, Rabbi Yochanan recognized their different qualities and endeavored to make them flourish as individuals. We can, and should, do the same.

By Libby Herz

Looking Out Looking Out

for the for the Kimpatorin Kimpatorin

CHILDBIRTH LED A YOUNG MOTHER TO CREATE AND RUN THE ”MOTHERS OF CROWN HEIGHTS” ORGANIZATION

It was the first night of Chanukah, and Batya was filled with exhilaration. She had just given birth to her fourth child. Her first three children were born in the summertime, and this was her first winter baby! Batya looked forward to bundling her baby in thick, cozy blankets. She was thankful for her supportive husband who took the kids out to Chanukah parties each night so that she could recuperate and bond with the new baby. But on the fifth night, Batya’s husband and kids left for yet another party. She imagined all of the happy faces at the Chanukah gatherings and began to feel slightly abandoned. Batya didn’t have family members in town who could visit her. She tried to talk herself out of her feelings, but the sense of isolation would not go away. Then, on the sixth day of Chanukah, there was a knock at the door. It was a Jewish woman, holding a large, brown box.

Batya wasn’t expecting a package. ”Who is this for?” she asked.

”This is for you,” said the woman with a smile. Upon opening the box, Batya found a plush green blanket, a Shir Hamaalos card, and a list of local resources for new mothers. A gift card read, ”from Mothers of Crown Heights.” Batya will not forget that visit. ”Every time I use that blanket, I know that someone thought of me when I was alone.” The Mothers of Crown Heights organization was created four years ago by Mushka Leiter (nee Friedman), shortly after the birth of her first child. ”I was fortunate to move into the home of my parents. My sisters helped out. It was all hands on deck, and still, my recovery was hard. Only after being blessed with a baby, did I understand how much help a kimpatorin needs.” Kimpatorin (ןיראטעפמיק) is the Yiddish term for ”new mother.” In the past, kimpatorin were expected to do nothing but rest and bond with their new baby for at least one month. Mushka observed how today's modern society values ‘bouncing back’ and going to work. Intent on restoring the age-old value of the kimpatorin, Mushka dreamed of pooling together a list of resources so that women could easily access them. Her goal was that women getting help postpartum would be streamlined and commonplace. One afternoon, as her baby dozed in his crib, Mushka started typing on her computer. She created MothersofCrownHeights.org. The website is complete with lists of providers, doulas, childbirth classes, and exercise classes. A hospital packing list and a compilation of Chabad customs for labor and delivery are useful files that are available for download.

The site has a clear outline of the available offerings from the many organizations and people in our community. ”It’s really about sharing,

Mrs. Tzivia Jacobson volunteers to care for a newborn

Photo by Itzik Roytman

networking, and making information readily available,” she says.

Since then, the website has evolved. It includes pelvic floor specialists who work with frum women, mental health professionals specializing in perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and alternative healers. It also includes resources for women experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss. The website is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. Still, it requires consistent updates. ”Someone begins a practice, someone closes up shop,” she says. ”There’s constant monitoring.” Women share the website with their friends who spread the word further. Mushka’s husband Chaim Leiter has had people approach him to tell him about how the website had helped their wives.

Dina is from Ohio, and now lives in Crown Heights. When her third baby was born, she had three children under the age of four. The week she gave birth, two volunteers showed up at the door. ”They played with my kids and took them to the Jewish Children's Museum,” Dina says. Mothers of Crown Heights coordinated with the Jewish Children's Museum to extend their hours just for these volunteers. It is called Chessed Hour. ”Sometimes it is raining and the mother needs a break,” says Sarah, a high school volunteer. ”I take the kids to the museum and it is such a treat for them!”

Mushka works closely together with the Shifra U'Puah organization. ”It's a collaborative effort,” she says. ”We recruit and coordinate the volunteers. They field a lot of the requests and cover the expenses. Depending on the need of the kimpatorin, we send high school students, seminary girls, young women and sometimes grandmothers as part of the ’Borrow A Bubby’ program to be an extra pair of hands.” Mrs. Tzivia Jacobson volunteers for Borrow A Bubby. ”Sometimes I wait at the bus stop with younger children,” she says. ”Other times, I fold laundry so the new mother can sleep. That connection and an extra pair of hands are so important to new mothers.”

The baby gifts are co-sponsored by Keren Hachomesh Foundation, which the Rebbe founded on the day of the passing of his wife, Rebbetzin Chaya Mushka Schneerson, of blessed memory. The names are provided by community news service COLlive.com, and Mothers of Crown Heights reaches out to schedule a delivery. ”With the help of very dedicated volunteers, we’ve given close to 1,000 gifts so far,” Mushka reports. From its virtual space, Mothers of Crown Heights embraces all women, letting them know that they are part of a wide, caring community. ”The next step,” says Mushka, ”is an actual space. A Motherhood Center, a place where women can access resources, attend classes and workshops, and bring their babies and toddlers. We're aiming to create a beautiful center that celebrates motherhood. Stay tuned!”

To reach Mothers of Crown Heights, visit mothersofcrownheights.com or email info@mothersofcrownheights.com. To announce the birth of a newborn and to receive a baby gift, visit COLlive.com/submit-mazel-tov or email editor@COLlive.com.