<HTML>I applaud and fully agree with Michael Berkowitz's comments regarding the
definition of "good pay" for Jewish Educators (JEs). I am quite certain
that if one would compare starting salaries of JEs and those of their
counterparts in accounting or computers (even if one ignores the vacation
and not coming home until 10:00 PM) I believe that they would be very
similar. I have not done a formal survey, but from my anecdotal accounts
it certainly seems to be so. This is drastically different from the way
it was 30 years ago when this argument was very valid and people who went
into chinuch had to really commit to a life of virtually "pat bamelach
tochal" (eating bread dipped in salt) whereas their counterparts were
doing well.
I also applaud the many letters that pointed out that the problem (even if
the argument were true) is not really the money. I do agree that we are
very short in the leadership department in our schools. I do not know
exactly what kind of "programs" Rabbi Zweiter was suggesting that might
help, but I could think of some that might help for short term help and
maybe some for long term help.
I do think that part of the problem lies in the lack of respect for
authority. We live in an era when the Rabbi's opinion of where the shul
should be headed is not readily listened to, the principal's professional
opinion of the direction of the school is not heard and the teacher is
told by his/her 12th grade students that their fathers pay the teacher's
salary and therefore he doesn't have to listen to the teacher. We also
experience parents telling a veteran teacher that it is inappropriate to
assign "x" for homework because this will not help them understand the
subject better. People talk to their religious authorities about religion
or to teachers and other educators about education in ways that they would
never talk to their doctors about medicine.
I am not talking about "da'as Torah" just the appreciation that we are
professionals and that there "is a possibility" that we know what we are
doing. There is a big difference between asking why something was
assigned and telling the teacher that it is absurd.
The children that we teach are coming from homes in which the Rabbi or his
drasha is laughed about or maligned at the Shabbat table. How could we
expect the children to respect such leaders?
If a child gets in trouble in school, today's parents often assume that
the child is right and the teacher or the administrator is wrong. This is
also quite different from the way it was when "we" grew up. Obviously, I
am talking in generalities. There are many parents who genuinely respect
and defer to authority. However, the mere fact that after we deal with
"such" parents, we breath a sigh of "nachas" and wish that there were more
parents like that, says a lot.
I think that generally our communities lack a sense of reverence. This
might be because we have a shortage of leaders that demand it by their
very presence. But my point here is that the community also lacks
"deference" to an authority figure who has experience in the field and
knows what s/he is talking about.
I do not think that this is the only problem, but it certainly
contributes to a general weakness in the authority of any school or
community leader.
__________________________
Rabbi Benjamin Kramer
Religious Studies Principal
Fuchs Bet Sefer Mizrachi
216- 932-0220
Fax: 932-0345</HTML>
