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progress with the Melton program
The adult-ed program I'm in consists of two classes (in each year), both on the same night in successive hours. One of the classes is excellent (and tomorrow night I hope to write more about tonight's session). The other class... er, isn't. I wrote to the program director a few weeks ago and she said "give it a few more weeks". I wrote to her again yesterday, describing what I see as the problems with that class/instructor in more detail.
Tonight I went a few minutes early in case she wanted to talk with me. She said she had spoken with the instructor and that she'd be sitting in on part of tonight's class. Tonight's class was much better; I don't know how much of that is the temporary effect of directorial scrutiny and how much is a more permanent change. I participated normally in the class; one of the things I had worried about is that I might be the kind of student some classmates and instructors hate, the sort who asks real questions and digs into things. But I'm not willing to enroll in a discussion-oriented class and then not participate in the discussion. Tonight I asked some questions she wasn't prepared to answer and challenged her on a couple points -- politely, of course, in the manner that I've come to understand as typical in Jewish studies. I am careful to not monopolize.
After class she took me aside and asked "just where have you studied?". Really, my background isn't as special as one might think; I named my congregation and the Sh'liach K'hilah program, and said I'd done some study over the internet and that I read a lot. I don't have impressive schooling; what I have is an interest that I'm willing to do something about. (I didn't say that to her; I just answered her question.)
So if she continues the improved presentation (like tonight, unlike every prior week), I'll give the class another chance. Tonight we were talking about t'filah (prayer), and we'll do more of that next week; that lends itself to the kinds of conversations that go beyond simple mechanics and "Judaism 101". I still kind of fear that when we get to the holidays (in a few weeks, and continuing for a while at one week per) the class will become tedious again, but we'll see.
Later (ok, tomorrow) maybe I'll post more about the content of tonight's class.
Tonight I went a few minutes early in case she wanted to talk with me. She said she had spoken with the instructor and that she'd be sitting in on part of tonight's class. Tonight's class was much better; I don't know how much of that is the temporary effect of directorial scrutiny and how much is a more permanent change. I participated normally in the class; one of the things I had worried about is that I might be the kind of student some classmates and instructors hate, the sort who asks real questions and digs into things. But I'm not willing to enroll in a discussion-oriented class and then not participate in the discussion. Tonight I asked some questions she wasn't prepared to answer and challenged her on a couple points -- politely, of course, in the manner that I've come to understand as typical in Jewish studies. I am careful to not monopolize.
After class she took me aside and asked "just where have you studied?". Really, my background isn't as special as one might think; I named my congregation and the Sh'liach K'hilah program, and said I'd done some study over the internet and that I read a lot. I don't have impressive schooling; what I have is an interest that I'm willing to do something about. (I didn't say that to her; I just answered her question.)
So if she continues the improved presentation (like tonight, unlike every prior week), I'll give the class another chance. Tonight we were talking about t'filah (prayer), and we'll do more of that next week; that lends itself to the kinds of conversations that go beyond simple mechanics and "Judaism 101". I still kind of fear that when we get to the holidays (in a few weeks, and continuing for a while at one week per) the class will become tedious again, but we'll see.
Later (ok, tomorrow) maybe I'll post more about the content of tonight's class.