{"id":6444,"date":"2025-07-23T01:29:22","date_gmt":"2025-07-22T23:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/?p=6444"},"modified":"2025-07-23T01:29:23","modified_gmt":"2025-07-22T23:29:23","slug":"rethinking-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/2025\/07\/23\/rethinking-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Education"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If school weren’t compulsory, would your child still go?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\n By: Chaya Liberow \n<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n The year is 1998. With my bag on my back and hair neatly pulled back, I trot into school. The teacher calls out, \u201cWhat\u2019s 3\u00d79?\u201d I quickly count my fingers\u2026 27! My hand shoots up. \u201cChani?\u201d the teacher calls on my classmate. \u201c27!\u201d I lower my hand. \u201cWhat\u2019s 4\u00d79?\u201d My fingers come out again. This time, I hope to be chosen.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n The bell rings. As fast as my little feet can run, I escape the classroom. I idle up to join my classmates in conversation. Sara whispers about the stain on Shaina\u2019s shirt. She glares at Shaina with disgust. Forlorn, Shaina turns away, a tear in the corner of her eye. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n The next day, my mother and Shaina\u2019s mother are met with downcast faces. Each in our own homes, we express our reluctance to return to school. Our mothers cajole us and despite our reluctance, lovingly send us off.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n By South African law, children must attend school until the age of 15 or Grade 9. My question is: if school attendance wasn\u2019t compulsory, would we still send our children? \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Education has been sold as a journey to prepare children for adulthood. Educating for the future has sustained us for generations. However, with cellphones, AI, and the internet, we need to ask ourselves, what are we preparing our children for? With the future so unknown, what is the reason we are carpooling our children to school each day? Is it simply to comply with our legal responsibility?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\n \u201cEducation is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n John Dewey, a respected educational theorist, stated, \u201cEducation is not a preparation for life; education is life itself.\u201d Perhaps it is time we stop viewing schools as a means to an end and instead recognise it as a journey in and of itself. Perhaps we should be asking; \u201cWhat can we, parents and educators, do now to make school a place that students advocate for and beg to go to? If school ceased tomorrow, would our children breathe a sigh of relief, or be devastated? In my opinion, the future of our school system depends on our efforts to nurture its existence today. Without a critical change of focus, without classrooms that spark joy, wonder, and inquiry, without safe spaces for the real, present-tense lives of our children, we risk students losing interest in the future. The future of schooling depends not on the legal system, nor on the need for a future, but on our children\u2019s love of the classroom today.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Traditional schooling as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary is: \u201cA process of teaching, training, and learning, especially in schools or colleges, to improve knowledge and develop skills.\u201d Embodying the teacher as the \u201cSage on the Stage\u201d, where imparting skills and knowledge is the primary goal. Alternative schooling approaches like Montessori and \u2018free schools\u2019 value hands-on experiences, self-initiated within a well-prepared environment and democratic, student-centred learning that emphasises individual choice and self-direction. The difference is striking; traditional education emphasises the educator; alternative approaches emphasise the student. The South African educational system is currently prescriptive, it mirrors the Oxford definition. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n At present, passing matric is seen as a gateway to higher education and employment. However, leading experts, from medical professionals to veteran educators, are sounding the alarm: the emotional toll is too high. Today\u2019s students are buckling under the pressure to succeed tomorrow. Anxiety levels are soaring, and the joy of learning is slipping through our fingers. Theorists caution against a complete overhaul of traditional education, and many resist a full shift to alternative schooling. There are limitations to these methods as well. Therefore, I propose rather to ask: How do we make today\u2019s classrooms matter? For me, the answer lies in making the people and the moments matter.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\n \u201cThe indicator of a good education is that the flame kindled by an educator is able to thrive on its own.\u201d\n<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\n Ancestrally, educating the next generation has been part of our DNA. Abraham built a tent open on all four sides to welcome and teach any passerby. He would bring people under his miraculous tree, if they were righteous, it\u2019s leaves would provide shade; if not, the sun would shine down. Abraham didn\u2019t reject those who weren\u2019t righteous, he simply taught them differently. As it says in Mishlei, \u201cEducate a child according to his way so that when he is old, he will not depart from it.\u201d The Lubavitcher Rebbe said, \u201cThe indicator of a good education is that the flame kindled by an educator is able to thrive on its own.\u201d Matric results may test memory, but they do not build a love of lifelong learning. Standards and curricula test content delivery and skill acquisition. But they do not ensure the love that will encourage the continuity of our schooling system? Let us look at the Pesach Seder, where the goal is the curiosity and engagement of the children. The Torah values inquiry, and so should our classrooms. We can have standards, curricula, and even matric exams, but are we filling today\u2019s classrooms with wonder?\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n A fellow doctoral student once described himself as a teacher and a magician. He enters his classroom daily with the goal of allowing his students to feel the joy of wonder. Joy in education is often mistaken for frivolity. But it is joy, curiosity, and hands-on experiences that make the people and moments matter. Dr Judy Willis, a neurologist turned educator, describes how the brain fires the same neurons during a fight-or-flight mode as when triggered by boredom. In other words, if a student feels unsafe or bored, learning simply cannot occur. This is why teachers today must be magicians, engaging students with wonder. I recently asked a group of students what they would do if school weren\u2019t compulsory. One said she\u2019d still come, she loved her social life and had amazing teachers. But another disagreed: \u201cI wouldn\u2019t come.\u201d For her, the social scene was harsh and the teachers boring and distant. These responses are a wake-up call. School must be a place where every lesson is enjoyable, engaging, and meaningful to every child. Schools must become gardens where curiosity grows, confidence is cultivated, and every student feels that they matter. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n There are many strategies teachers can use to engage students. But at its core, I think it\u2019s simpler than that. Ask yourself: Are you, the teacher, having fun teaching? And how can you help each student love learning too? Whether it\u2019s props, experiments, anecdotes, the Socratic method, or a simple thumbs-up\/thumbs-down activity, when I am excited to teach, despite the curriculum, I\u2019m engaged, I\u2019m joyful, I\u2019m experiencing the learning and my classroom matters, because it\u2019s real, relevant, and responsive. At Harvard Graduate School of Education they propose that inquiry-based methods improve critical thinking, problem-solving, motivation, and engagement. Because when students are engaged, hands busy, hearts happy, and whole selves present, that energy is contagious. It inspires lifelong learning.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n But making the classroom matter isn\u2019t just on the teacher. Schools must create joyful experiences for teachers too, not just endless Professional Developments, but differentiated, meaningful, and practical sessions. They need time, respect, and emotional support. They\u2019re not just content deliverers, they\u2019re magicians, managers, and relationship builders. Schools must recognise their efforts and celebrate their impact. While our classrooms are currently compulsory for children, being a teacher is not compulsory for adults, and many skilled professionals are leaving in droves. Teachers leave because they\u2019re unhappy. Teaching is a calling. Many teachers arrive each day with a vision to create curious, magical spaces for students. When burnout strikes, it\u2019s time for schools to reflect. Teachers who feel valued create classrooms where students feel valued.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n School needs to be a haven of whole child joy and safety for students to thrive. This does not only depend on the teachers and the schools, but on parents as well. Children are emotionally intelligent. Even the youngest can sense doubt or joy by the expression on a parent\u2019s face. Children know when their parents believe in their school. If they sense scepticism or frustration, they carry that with them, expressing it through misbehaviour or disengagement. When they feel belief and engagement, they too become advocates for their schools, thereby increasing their student agency and lifelong learning. \u201cWhen families and schools build partnerships that support learning, students develop the motivation and skills to become lifelong learners.\u201d (Epstein, 2001.) When parents speak positively about their children\u2019s schools and support the educators in their lives, children feel safe and are available to learn. Part of today\u2019s student anxiety stems from this disconnect. When parents criticise the schools they send their children to, children internalise the confusion. They don\u2019t know who to trust and that uncertainty erodes their sense of belonging.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n A favourite quote of mine of the Lubavitcher Rebbe is, \u201cThe first time we take a child to school, we do so happily. In fact, this is the way it should be done daily.\u201d To continue the viability of our schools, we must make our classrooms matter today. This requires a partnership where joy is the ultimate goal of meaningful education. Where relationships between all stakeholders are nourished, respected and enriched. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n This article doesn\u2019t claim to have answers. Rather it questions:\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n

  • How do we, as teachers, engage students meaningfully?
    <\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • How do schools support teachers joyfully?
    <\/li>\n\n\n\n

  • How do parents support the future of our schools?
    <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \n If school disappeared tomorrow, would your child cry with joy or sorrow? Let\u2019s ensure the answer is sorrow, not from fear of the future, but because we\u2019ve built something beautiful to lose. A place where joy and learning go hand in hand. A place where every child feels seen, every teacher feels valued, and every parent feels proud.\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    If school weren’t compulsory, would your child still go? By: Chaya Liberow The year is 1998. With my bag on my back and hair neatly pulled back, I trot into school. The teacher calls out, \u201cWhat\u2019s 3\u00d79?\u201d I quickly count my fingers\u2026 27! My hand shoots up. \u201cChani?\u201d the teacher calls on my classmate. \u201c27!\u201d I lower my hand. \u201cWhat\u2019s 4\u00d79?\u201d My fingers come out again. This time, I hope to be chosen. The bell rings. As fast as my little feet can run, I escape the classroom. I idle…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[136,141],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6444","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-136","category-august-2025"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6444"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6445,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6444\/revisions\/6445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6444"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}