A teacher friend of mine once joked that when school leaders type “collaboration” into their phones, it autocorrects it to “competition.” If you are connected to Yeshiva education in any way, you should get this joke (and it may hit too close to home to laugh). Unfortunately, cooperation between schools, and often within schools, is not something we are experts at.
Inter-institutional rivalries are most acutely felt during open-house season. The amount of time, money, and other resources that go into planning the school open house is unbelievable. I would imagine that most leaders would love to scale back a bit on the pageantry. Just the ability to redirect some of these assets to other areas could be really helpful. And wouldn’t it be refreshing for schools to recruit based on their actual merits?
To be fair, let’s give competition its due. Kinat soferim (jealousy among scholars) can be a powerful force for good and drives people and institutions to be better. However, we must remember the context: Kinat soferim tarbeh chochma—jealousy among scholars increases wisdom. Competition is meant to maximize learning, not promotional videos or free keychains.
To be fair again, for parents to place their children (and money) in the hands of a school, that institution should do its best to present as professional and thoughtful. Parents deserve to feel confident in their choice, and a proper presentation is key to provide that sense. Most people are also wise enough to know that an impressive video is not a reason to choose a school, and the open houses aren’t the only part of the decision. The open-house competition isn’t necessarily influencing where most children end up, but it might for those on the fence.
Either way, it might benefit everyone if schools agreed to reduce the fanfare, agree on a standard open-house format, and/or agree to a maximum dollar amount to spend. Truthfully, I might suggest an even more radical idea. Let our community create an objective third-party entity to evaluate the character of various schools and then help parents match their children to the school with the appropriate profile. This plan could really push schools to be better, as student matching would be based on the essence of the school.
Active collaboration is the other piece of the puzzle. As opposed to the infinite secular studies market, the market for Jewish educational products is tiny. Little financial opportunity exists for those who could produce cutting-edge Torah learning, and we therefore lag behind the rest of the world in regards to innovation (there are other reasons as well, but this is a biggie). One major way to overcome this hurdle is to collaborate. If schools pool resources, compromise, and work together, a viable market might be created for some major curricular and methodological advancement. Another option is for staff from different schools working together to create a set of advanced instructional tools that many schools can use.
We must remember that we are all on the same team. We all want to transmit a Torah lifestyle to the next generation. We want this for all members of our community, irrespective of where each family send their kids to school. If we truly care for one another in this way, cooperation should be an integral part of the fabric of our school system. Every stakeholder, from parent to faculty to board member should be asking “what is my school doing to build working relationships with other schools?” Collaboration (with healthy competition) could be the key to moving Jewish education forward. Let’s give it a chance.
Yair Daar is a Bergenfield resident who teaches Gemara and Tanakh at SAR High School. He can be reached at [email protected]. Comments can also be left at chinuchadventures.blogspot.com.
By Yair Daar
