As a child I loved reading Sherlock Holmes. I still do. Perhaps you do as well. Who hasn’t been delighted by the way Holmes can see into a soul with a glance? “The suspect walks with a slight limp, had a recent setback in the stock market, and attends a Conservative synagogue or a shul,”* Sherlock might say, peering at a footprint and astounding Dr. Watson. Imagine how useful that ability would be to a Head of School. With it, AHA wouldn’t need the Va’ad (Honor Council).
In this column, you have the opportunity to exercise your powers of observation and deduction. Please have a look at the accompanying picture. What do you see? Where is it? To whom does that stuff belong? Most mysteriously, what connection does the photo have to an AHA Moment?
Had enough time? The picture is of a desk in one of the TCB classrooms. The characteristic tear-shaped seminar table, where AHA students learn to unravel mysteries of all kinds, narrowed it down to either TCB or LSB. The books and papers, with their Hebrew script, point to Hebrew language class, ruling out LSB. (If you’ve gotten this far you’ve already surpassed Dr Watson.) What’s the story with the bottle of honey and partially covered Machzor? Elementary. Those clues reveal the teacher was readying a Rosh Hashanah project for class.
But which of our outstanding Hebrew teachers calls this her classroom? Did you notice the top blade of the scissors just to the right of the laptop? With the help of a magnifying glass you might be able to read the name stenciled on it in crimson: Nissan.
Ms. Samra Nissan’s desk is evidence of her devotion, creativity and her emunah, her faith. Notice how the old school teaching tools, scissors, magic markers and flash cards, rest side by side with laptop, mouse and iPhone. Virtual pink tulips on her computer screen stand before a vase of real roses. Whether it has pixels or petals, if it makes learning fun you’ll find it on Ms. Nissan’s desk. The other thing you’ll find there is the corner of Israel she’s brought straight from the Holy Land. There’s Hebrew everywhere, blooming flowers, high tech devices, and a can-do spirit that makes the classroom crackle.
Learning is electric in Ms. Nissan’s classroom. The students get excited. I know. I’ve watched them. And that’s why this photo is the subject of AHA Moment #3. The Academy is blessed with many moments of sweet spirituality, several of which I’ve written about. But, it is the moment of insight, the instant when a student says, “ah-ha,” that are the most common AHA moments. They happen everywhere and all the time at the Academy. They happen in different ways: one student helps another, or a student has a flash of insight while studying alone during z’man limud. But mostly they come with the help of great teachers, teachers who work hard to make learning exciting and rewarding. It’s easy to see if you observe a class here. But, if that’s inconvenient, take a careful look at the photo. The evidence is a deduction away. It’s elementary.**
Shabbat Shalom,
Alex Troy
Head of School
*A made up example. Conan Doyle wannabes might have their Holmes say the limp is evident from the suspect’s uneven footprints, the market reversals from the worn out sneaker soles, and the denomination from the fact he is not wearing leather shoes on Yom Kippur.
**As Conan Doyle readers know, the detective never says “it’s elementary.”
AHA Moments 