One of the most special emotional events for me as a teacher is our Chumash presentation.

The excitement of that night is palpable. I am never sure which sparkles more: the boys’ sequined vests and ties or their eyes when they are handed their very own personalized Chumash. When we come to school the next day, my students are thrilled to learn and say their first pasuk (to anyone who will listen!).

This year was no different, and my original plan was to share this special moment in an article. And now, with the global coronavirus breakout, I was sure my article would never be written.

As teachers we are faced with a new task. We are all distance learning with our children and wondering how we can bring that same level of excitement found in classroom teaching to our students. It is especially hard when teaching with a “Brady Bunch” screen. (Sorry for dating myself with that reference.) I wondered how I could inspire my boys and what would make a lasting impact on them.

I would like to share a few inspirational experiences that have taken place over the last few weeks as we continue our Zoom teaching.

I received a beautiful email from one parent with an attached email written by her son, my student. He initiated his own first siyum on Perek Aleph in Sefer Bereshit, which our class had recently completed. His parents were so excited and proud of him as he recited a few pasukim. And, of course, everyone in his family who attended received a special treat.

Then there are the boys that come to the second Zoom time in their bicycle helmets saying, “We were riding our bikes and didn’t want to be late. Did we miss anything?”

Or the boy that ran to get a shofar to blow as we discussed what it was like at Har Sinai (his own idea).

There was the time when one boy signed in from his car. I asked him if he was going somewhere and he said, “No, the cleaning people are at my house and it’s too noisy for me to concentrate inside.”

Then there are all the boys that come to our nightly unscheduled Zoom bedtime story session, where I tell them a story or two. They are usually eating dinner or in pajamas and we start off by talking about their day. Before I sign off, we all say Hamalach together. Parents have sent me emails saying how much it settles their sons at the end of the day, making them feel a little more comfortable with all the changes going on around them.

I hoped I was making an impact even far away from my young students but, truth be told, they are the ones who are inspiring me! This article is my way of expressing my hakarat hatov to the special boys in class 1B.

Honny Aron is a teacher at RYNJ.

By Honny Aron

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