Community Magazine October 2014

tishrei 5775 oCtober 2014 27 HARD LOOK DEBATING THE PRESSING ISSUES IN OUR COMMUNITY THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: Is Changing Schools a Good Idea or a Bad Idea? Opposing Speaker: Just E. Fide FINAL WORD: It is utter callousness to believe that parents in our community switch their children to new schools on a whim. Most parents, particularly in our community, are extremely engaged in their children’s education. They don’t see their child as a chip that they can stack or a card that they can play in their social ambitions. They approach schooling very seriously and understand that sometimes hard choices need to be made. It is likewise unfair to accuse parents of altering the course of a child’s life for the sake of “bragging rights.” Most parents in our community are far more responsible than that. They carefully weigh their options, debate the pros and cons of all possibilities, and make an informed, calculated decision where their children should learn. Responsible parents understand the gravity of this decision, and make sure to choose wisely. There are various legitimate reasons why parents might choose to switch their children to a different school. Sometimes, parents feel they have made a mistake, or that the institution did not live up to its own standard and promises. And they come to the conclusion that it is preferable for the child to endure the challenges of switching schools than to remain in an institution that is not meeting the family’s expectations. Additionally, education evolves in accordance with evolving realities and needs, and sometimes parents feel that a school has failed to adapt itself as it should as times change. This, too, is a legitimate cause for concern and valid reason to consider switching schools. Moreover, parents and families also undergo changes over the course of time. In our community, a family is identified, to a large extent, by the school and synagogue which they attend. And thus when a family decides – often after consultation with their rabbi – that they want to raise their level of religious observance, this decision will naturally entail rethinking their children’s educational framework. It is important that children receive the same religious messages from their parents and their school. Otherwise, the child and parents will find themselves very far apart from one another, a situation which confuses the child and threatens the family’s cohesiveness. We must also bear in mind that one of our community’s strengths is the bond that connects us all togetherwhich transcends schooling. Two people who attended two very different schools, one more “religious” than the other, will nevertheless have little trouble relating to one another or befriending one another. Indeed, diversity is among our community’s greatest assets. One can walk into virtually any institution in our community and see a man wearing a black hat harmoniously engaged in conversation with someone wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Did they both go to the same school? Doubtful, yet the two are far more similar then they are different. This means that a school change in the Syrian Sephardic community is not as tumultuous as in other communities. The worst feeling a parent can have is that of vulnerability. Parents entrust to a school the future of their most prized “possessions,” and have every right to demand the highest possible standards. If their confidence in the school’s competence is lacking, even slightly, they are, and should be, worried. Parents need to know that their children are being cared for with the utmost sensitivity and professionalism. If that need can only be met by switching schools, then so be it. While schooling is imperative to a child’s future, the foundation of success must be built in the home. Now, more than ever, parents must be vigilant in their “home schooling,” rather than delegate all educational responsibility to their children’s school. J. Fide J. Cause