Teachers, you are superheroes. I have never been more certain of this fact.
Girded with your passion for children, your ever-expanding hearts, and most significantly your Jewish values, you change lives daily. Dressed in civilian clothing, the unsuspecting eye would never discern that you serve a higher calling. You courageously trudge against the tides of cultural universalism, kindling each student’s connection to their Jewish heritage, as you clairvoyantly perceive the educational and social-emotional needs of our People’s future.
You are superheroes. Possessing endless wisdom, with each text, experiment, math equation, writing opportunity, artistic expression, and exercise, you discover a pathway to an uncharted place in each student’s soul. You teach children not only to love learning - you teach them to love themselves, finding the inner spark of their tzelem elohim.
Like superheroes, you possess X-ray vision. Each day, you look at the children in your classrooms and detect far more than the bare eye could ever capture. From the outside, you somehow see deep into each child’s being, identifying their precise needs and helping them flourish as human beings.
I most admire your superhuman strength. With the snap of a finger, life has called on you to change everything you have known and evolve into everything you never knew you could become. Without your classroom headquarters and without ample materials, you did it.
You have modeled for students your very own process of growth and learning, adapting your strengths to overcome so much adversity! You have displayed curiosity, grace, and even vulnerability. And you did this all so that at a time when life is particularly out of sync for students, when they may feel like they’ve lost their motivation, grounding, or even their smiles, they can enter your online classrooms - an intangible space in time that you have carved out just for them - and they can look up toward you and exhale with a sense of hope about their futures.
As we celebrate you, our incredible Hillel faculty, know that your actions are exceptional and have been noted by our entire community. By your efforts you increase the goodness in the world each day. Your deeds are awe-inspiring and I am grateful to work with such a tremendous team of professionals. Kol hakavod.
