Wonder Never Stops
by Priscilla Restagno, Judaics & Curriculum Specialist
Every year, during Orientation, the TCEE teachers come together and consider best teaching practices, classroom environments, and inclusive education, but we also use reflective practice to dive deeper into how we not only view and treat children, but also each other and families. Woven through all of these conversations is a thread of Jewish values as human values.
The Jewish Education Project lists seven Jewish values:
Masa (Journey – Reflection, Return, and Renewal)
B’rit (Covenant – Belonging and Commitment)
Tzelem Elohim (Divine Image – Dignity and Potential)
K’dusha (Holiness – Intentionality and Presence)
Hit’orerut (Awakening – Amazement and Gratitude)
D’rash (Interpretation – Inquiry, Dialogue, and Transmission)
Tikkun Olam (Repair of the World – Responsibility)
This year, we dove into the lens of hit’orerut. The Jewish Early Childhood Education Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence explains Hit’orerut as:
“Our sense of awe when faced with the enormity of our world, is a gift. Judaism provides us with vehicles for realizing our dreams, and fills us with gratitude for the processes as well as the products. From the outer reaches of the universe to the smallest atoms, there is much in the world to fill us with amazement and respect. Wonder fuels a culture of inquiry and reflection. Awe and amazement are natural responses to things that we do not understand, but it is important to realize that understanding does not preclude awe – if anything, it can intensify it. Amazement and wonder are products of awakening, and that awakening leads to a sense of gratitude and desire to return the favor.”
After a moment of reflection, teachers broke out into tears and stories of how wonder and amazement mark each day with your children. Whether it is watching an infant taking steps for the first time at the school, or a TK child learning to write their name, each moment has filled us with awe and gratitude to be witness to these moments.
Through the flurry of this story-sharing, a teacher asked, “Well, how do we separate hit’orerut from k’dusha?”
Well, how do we? Is there really a separation between amazement and holiness, gratitude and presence, or do they interact with each other to create these heartfelt moments? Is there not an innate holiness to witnessing these moments of discovery and wonder? Don’t these moments also help us all to see the b’tzelem Elohim, or divine image, of each child as well? Does it not call to our b’rit, or covenant, with each other, children, and their families, when we witness these moments, reflect on them, and then re-commit to being intentional in our teaching each day? Does this intentionality not show how capable and obligated we are to take care of the world for each other, or tikkun olam?
Rather, these Jewish values, these human values, are part of the interactions and moments we witness daily. They are intertwined threads that characterize all that we do.
Near the end of our lens study, teachers were asked to create a hashtag for this feeling of amazement, awe, and gratitude.
Teachers said:
“awe in the everyday”
“be present”
“endless awe”
“every little moment”
“flying high”
“joyful moments”
“let’s explore”
“little awakenings”
“one for all”
“sparkly eyes”
“spread your wings”
“woah”
“wonder never stops”
Whether it is the writing of the first letter of their name, first steps, or the awe in a child’s eyes as they see a butterfly go by, there is a Jewish value, human value, at the heart of each moment. And how lucky are we to get to spend each day steeped in these moments.
Indeed, wonder never stops.