Graduation?

Wow! Just two days left of teaching before I'm DONE for the year.

I just came from a very late-night "graduation" for the grade 7's at the Jewish school where I work. I have to say I was a little skeptical at what to make of it. It was an enormous gala event, clearly a fundraiser for the school, and I don't remember that kind of fanfare for 7th graders in any other place. But to tell you the truth, I'm impressed. The event was primarily in honor (or honour) of the 5 grads, but it was really also about the school itself and how it's been raised up from very little to a clearly growing and thriving community. I feel really honored and proud to have "served" in a place like that during its developmental years. And to think, for those of the kids that had been there since preschool, this really was a big deal, to leave an extended family after TEN years. Quite a landmark.

I enjoyed talking to some of the non-Jewish staff at my table about Jewish identity. They asked me and another teacher about women's hair covering - whether each of us always cover our hair or not. And I said it doesn't just mean how religious or not religious a person she is, but how we kind of communicate where we belong within our community by the clothes we wear. I could go on for hours talking to non-Jews about these things and I love it when they ask. I like taking the role of an authority. Not a rabbinic authority obviously, but sort of a real life authority. Just as I do here on Brainsite.