Saltzman struggles to educate his class of ten-year-old boys in the ways of the wider culture.
It's no surprise that one of his future students shouts out defiantly after his job interview: "'Oy Oy Oy the titchur is a goy.
Saltzman innocently introduces himself to his students by writing his name on the blackboard: "Mr. SALTZMAN." Little did he know that his letter "T" would immediately outrage the entire class.
Despite these early missteps, Saltzman's knowledge of Yiddish makes him the perfect teacher and interlocutor.
As the class leader states, "Only God can give de order ven to count people.... de rabbis tell us dat only Hashem tell ven people should be counted." Another student, Moshe, explains further: "Because dis would be like you were trying to be like Moses." Saltzman replies, "You mean it would not be right for someone to imitate Moses." The class was pleased that the teacher finally got it.
Saltzman teases out the meaning of his transgression by drawing on his own experience: "One of the special pleasures of his childhood had been the joy he got from bumping into new words as he explored new books.... For him, each new word discovered was like turning a corner and coming face-to-face with a beautiful, mysterious stranger." A gifted teacher, he was able to communicate this joy to his students.
Saltzman acts as copy editor, saving students from spelling and grammatical errors.
It's becoming increasingly difficult to discern fact from fiction, and unfortunately the media has a strong bias. They spin stories to make conservatives look bad and will go to great lengths to avoid reporting on the good that comes from conservative policies. There are a few shining lights in the media landscape-brave conservative outlets that report the truth and offer a different perspective. We must support conservative outlets like this one and ensure that our voices are heard.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
The Magic of Good Teaching
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