Educational Philosophy Menachem Menchel An important teacher of mine, Abraham Maslow, is greatly credited for introducing a succinct structure

to the hierarchy of needs that drives human behavior, motivation and emotion. The highest level of such needs, Maslow writes, is classified by the achievement of self actualization, a persons ability to maximize potential and achieve wholeness in capacities. Self actualization represents what I believe is the beginning and the end of my philosophy of education. Educators are ambassadors of actualization and as such, it is their selfadopted responsibilities to execute the mission of empowering their students with the tools to self actualize. We are not meant to mold minds; we are meant to teach the developing mind how to mold itself. We are not meant to dictate with dogma; we are meant to empower through the introduction and exploration of new ideas. Many great philosophers like Emerson, Plato and Aristotle represent schools of idealism and realism that have influenced many of the rich value-systems adopted by the societies in which I identify. It is in the proverbial study halls of John Dewey, however, where I most identify my pedagogic and existential underpinnings, and that I believe most effectively support the goal of self actualization. Dewey, who lived and taught in the mid-nineteenth century through the mid-twentieth century, was a man of process and a pioneer of pragmatism. Dewey demonstrated the social role of humans as learning organisms. He emphasized the importance of experiencing the surrounding environment and learning through said experiences. Like Dewey, I believe that students can achieve their greatest Maslowan goals through interacting with their environments in an intelligent and reflective manner. I believe in establishing communities of learners and empowering every member of society with a voice to express and explore. Such communities are predicated on a notion of inclusion and celebration of diversity. We dont grow from the company of homogeneous neighbors, rather, it is the introduction of new ideas and new concepts that endow us with growth and ennoble our abilities as self actualizing creatures. A student of Deweys is not afraid of new ideas and challenging concepts. Deweys Jewish student might feel an inherent tension with her naturally inclined bent towards deliberative-inductive aspirations and the normative-ideational commitments of halakha and tradition. As Michael Rosenak, an important modern thinker of Jewish education, describes this unique dichotomy in his seminal work, Commandments and Concerns, where the normative-ideational approach posits that certain understandings correspond to some objective or external truth supporting a system of Jewish laws and commandments, whereas the deliberative-inductive agenda departs from the concerns of a people as they stand under the roof of imposed values rather how they will interact with the world and other people and how they will incorporate their concerns adopted from experiencing the world around them.

I connect with this tension and identify with the inherent paradox it draws upon. My motivation and deep drive is to explore this tension and aspire to resolve it. My commitment is to support others exploration of it and to respect the journey upon which this noble pursuit brings them. It seems that one of the challenges of our generations Jewish educator is empathizing with a students struggle and supporting his exploration for self understanding and peace. The educator who supports self actualization is not afraid of this conflict and embraces the students learning needs exactly where they are. The 21st century Jewish student is not the same Jewish student as those growing up in the shtetl during the 19th century. Times have changed and environments have evolved. Religious identity has adopted a new meaning and many new stimuli have arisen to contribute to the lexicon of Jewish law and religious connections. For many sectarian Jews, these new ideas are threats to normative Judaism and represent a break in tradition. To educators who identify with John Dewey, these are opportunities to learn and to grow. And for many of our students, it is our precise duty to uphold the great teachings of Abraham Maslow and enable them to explore and experience their inner needs and inclinations to their fullest. These are my goals, as I am a Jewish educator.