An open letter to our dearly beloved and highly respected mechanchim, mechanchot and educators:
Each year we make an effort to explicitly express our hakarat hatov to our teachers. Even more so than other years, it may appear that in this pandemic year, words may seem particularly inadequate. However, as Shlomo Hamelech tells us in Mishlei (18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” In Judaism, we value tremendously the power of words. So, we will share some words of chizuk and praise.
Teaching is the noblest of professions and you are vital as part of the shalshelet hakabalah, going back to Har Sinai, whether you teach limudei kodesh or limudei chol. By providing warmth, safety and foundational skills, early childhood through eighth grade teachers provide the interlocking pieces that support the development of the next generation of the Jewish people.
Teachers, you are partners with parents and you humbly accept the yoke of this partnership in children’s development. You are exceedingly careful with your words that you bestow upon your students and the words you choose to describe your students when you speak about them. You model and influence them to choose their words with kindness.
On a daily basis, you choose the words to individualize instruction for each child in our intentionally personalized classes to provide the space for each and every child to shine and share his or her strengths. From brilliant mathematicians to sublime artists, from solemn to seriously humorous, and every mix of traits, strengths and challenges that children have, you speak to the neshamot of each and every child, giving them the emotional and physical planting to grow.
From the very beginning of this year, together, we built a year on the bedrocks of chesed, ahava, and of course, our metacognitive framework. Every choice and decision was infused with that love, kindness and best practices.
Therefore, please accept these words of strengthening and bracha from a humbled and hidden school administration to our heroic, frontline teachers. In the zechut of your selfless devotion, may this alphabet of appreciation brachot be showered upon you and your families for many years to come.
May Hashem bless you with:
Accolades
Adroitness
Alacrity
Affection
Affability
Affirmation
Balm
Benevolence
Bonhomie
Bounty
Bravery
Buoyancy
Calm
Clarity
Camaraderie
Cheerfulness
Common sense
Courage
Daring
Decisiveness
Devotion
Dignity
Diligence
Dreams
Elan
Eloquence
Empathy
Enchantment
Equilibrium
Erudition
Faith
Fellowship
Finesse
Flexibility
Forgiveness
Fortitude
Gentleness
Greatness
Grit
Growth
Gumption
Gusto
Health
Heart
Hilarity
Holiness
Hope
Humility
Ideas
Ideals
Illumination
Imagination
Individuality
Indomitability
Je ne se quoi
Jeu d’esprit
Joie de vivre
Joyousness
Judiciousness
Justice
Keepsakes (especially those from students and parents)
Keenness (for learning and emotional safety)
Kindness
Kinship
Kisses
Knowledge
Leadership
Learning
Liberty
Life
Love
Luminescence
Magnificence
Majesty
Merriment
Mindfulness
Miracles
Munificence
Narratives (write your own and your students’ that reflect everyone’s highest potentials!)
Nature
Normalcy
Nourishment
Nobility
Novelty
Observance
Openness
Opportunity
Optimism
Order
Originality
Peace
Perspicacity
Piquancy
Positivity
Purpose
Pizazz
Quality
Questedness
Quickness
Quietude
Quintessence
Quadrillions (of whatever
is most meaningful to you!)
Radiance
Respect
Refinement
Rejuvenescence
Relief
Rhythm
Salience
Serenity
Significance
Simplicity
Staunchness
Synergy
Time
Tolerance
Tradition
Transcendence
Transformation
Trust
Unflappability
Uniqueness
Unity
Uplift
Understanding
Utility
Values
Verity
Versatility
Vibrancy
Vision
Vulnerability
Warmth
Wholeheartedness
Willpower
Wisdom
Worthiness
Wonder
Xanadu
Xenium
Xenodochy
Yes
Yearning
Youthfulness (of enthusiasm and ideals)
Zeal
Zest
Zing
Zoom (dare we offer?)
Zephyr (blowing at our backs, always)
Zion (as we yearn for Mashiach)
Love,
Your caring school administration
Mrs. Chana Luchins is principal of general studies at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison, New Jersey. She is entering her thirteenth year of service at RPRY and is the proud parent of four RPRY graduates and one current RPRY student. Mrs. Luchins holds an MS in special education from Touro Graduate School of Education and Psychology and supervisory certification through Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and Psychology. Mrs. Luchins completed both Hidden Sparks and YouLead Leadership training programs, and has extensive pedagogical expertise.
