New Baltimore Yeshiva

The JCC Atrium was the scene of a community meeting on the evening of June 2. The focus of the meeting was the issues many parents of Middle and High School boys are having with the current Yeshiva offerings in Baltimore, and a suggestion and model for a new Yeshiva. The presenters at the meeting did a thorough job delineating the reasons why many boys are not thriving at present in the local schools. On the basis of an extensive investigation of educational models, they presented a plan for a yeshiva based on their findings. The plan is centered around drastically smaller class sizes than are currently found in most schools, a shorter school day, and teaching methodologies that are geared towards the needs of the individual students. There is a proposed tuition of $7,000 which will be required of every student. Several of the attendees asked questions about the details of the school, to a large extent detailed responses were not forthcoming as the school is still in the planning stages and if it is to take off there are many details still to be worked out.With that said, I find myself very concerned about two issues that came up.At the meeting I asked what the criterion would be for determining which students would be best suited to thrive in the new school. As the present system is failing certain students who cannot fit into the standard school model, it would seem necessary to develop a system by which to ensure, or at least attempt, that any school does not accept students who cannot fit into its model. The answer given was that there would be psychologists and educators who would evaluate each student who applies for entry. That is an admirable idea, but that still begs the question as to what those psychologists and educators will be looking for.Have the organizers of this meeting given any thought as to how it is that they will succeed in educating each child according to his needs. How will they determine those specific needs? How will they identify those teachers who are capable of meeting those needs? How will they identify students who would do better remaining in the present school structure?The fact is that there are readily available tools to help determine the answers to these questions. These tools can help identify why it is that a student is not functioning in his current environment, and point the way to determining what he needs to succeed. I have administered these tests to adults and children and have had mine, and their eyes opened by the insights offered. I would be more than happy to discuss these diagnostic options with any concerned parent.My dream, along these lines, is to start a vocational yeshiva high school. There are many boys whose educational style makes them open to learning in a hands-on manner, rather than in the book reading and thinking manner that is classically utilized in yeshivas. The learning of Torah would not be minimized, but adapted in a manner to maximize the learning style of such students. The secular subjects would be geared also to a more hands-on style so the boys would be educated to the fullest, in the manner that they are best equipped to handle.The other concern I have is the suggested $7,000 tuition. If there are 12 students to a class, as they proposed, how will they meet their expenses with a budget of $84,000 per class. They are planning to have two rabbeim for the 12 students as well as a secular studies teacher. There will be overhead and other incidental expenses. If the pay for the rabbeim and teachers is as low as it will have to be to fit within that budget, what will the quality of those instructors be? I commend the organizers of the meeting for putting the issue of Middle and High School education squarely on the table for the Baltimore community. The large turnout testifies to the frustration of many parents and the need for a change. There is, at the same time much work left to be done.
After writing these words I had the opportunity to share my concerns with one of the meeting's organizers. He listened carefully and offered me a response. He explained to me what his budget numbers were, and why he felt they would work. While I understood why he felt the numbers would work, I must confess that I remain a bit skeptical. I hope I am wrong. As far as my concerns with determining who would fit best in this model, he assured me that they were planning to use tools such as those I described above to assess who would best fit their school model, and how to best educate their students.
There is no question we need a new school. I hope this is the answer!