As an experiential educator, I have multiple professions. I am a teacher, a counsellor and a social worker. I am also a nurse, a truck driver, a carpenter, a plumber, a computer technician, a chef, a shepherd and a travel agent.
At the end of each program I run, I am amazed by the variety of skills needed to put the event together. I thrive on the breadth of experiences and the dynamic nature of my job.
The most important vocation I hold, however, and the profession most needed in our Jewish community, is the bus driver.
I have never sat behind the wheel of a bus. What I mean by a bus driver is an educator who guides the route of students’ Jewish education and directs them from one education station to the next. I draw the term “bus driver” from Prof. Jack Wertheimer’s article titled Liking the Silos.
Jewish education cannot be a one-stop shop. Alone, day schools, synagogues, camps and youth movements cannot provide the holistic experience that a child needs to develop his Jewish self. Jewish students, and even Jewish adults, must find a variety of ways to connect themselves to Jewish living and learning and they need guidance along this path.
As a case study to think about the variety of Jewish experiences, let’s consider Suzie, a high school student.
During the day, Suzie goes to school. Ideally, a Jewish day school that offers her richness both in Jewish studies and Jewish experiences. If not day school, she attends a supplementary program of Jewish studies in the evenings after her regular school. Schooling, however, is not enough.
Suzie is a member of a youth movement. There, she connects with Jewish peers, goes on weekend retreats and develops leadership skills.
Suzie is engaged in synagogue life. She goes with her parents on Shabbat mornings but abandons them at the door to go sit – and chat – with friends.
She volunteers once each week – not only fulfilling her mandatory community service hours but also engaging with the community in a way that is meaningful to her.
Suzie has participated in Jewish travel – she’s participated in one of countless Tikkun olam trips to New Orleans, South America or Africa. She has been on the March of the Living or a summer Israel program.
For many years, Suzie has spent her summers at a Jewish camp, living Jewish life 24/7.
I spend countless hours with students like Suzie. Helping them find exciting summer experiences and meaningful community service projects. I help drive them from one Jewish activity to the next, challenging them to expand their circle of affiliation. I am a bus driver for Jewish teens.
But we often see on the back of yellow school buses: “Drivers wanted.”
We don’t have enough bus drivers. We need drivers to guide children from early childhood education into synagogue and school programs. We need drivers to connect the parents of young children to adult education classes and moms and tots.
We need drivers to send our high school grads on long-term Israel programs, to spend a year studying and experiencing all that Israel has to offer. We need drivers to connect them with Hillels and Jewish campus professionals.
Bus drivers serve as the connection point, not only easing transitions through stages of life but also pushing the individual to engage fully in Jewish living. As a driver in a high school, I urge my students to think about Judaism outside of the school, about their summers, their volunteer hours, their sports leagues and their Shabbatot.
While we don’t have enough drivers, it is easy to get a driver’s licence. Each of us knows people who could be dropped off at a new station and we can all drive the car pool.
