Parashat BaMidbar
'Treating Students as One's Own Children'
In Parashat Bamidbar, the Torah lists the names of Aharon's children but introduces them as if they were Moshe's children, as well: "These are the offspring of Aharon and Moshe, on the day that Hashem spoke to Moshe on Mount Sinai: These are the names of Aharon's sons: the eldest is Nadav…" (3:1-2). If the Torah lists only the sons of Aharon, why does it describe them as "the offspring of Aharon and Moshe"? The Rabbis derive from this presentation that a person's students are considered his children. Since Moshe taught Torah to Aharon's sons, they are considered his children, as well.
This comment teaches a critical lesson regarding the Torah's outlook on education. When it comes to teaching Torah, a teacher cannot look at his job as requiring merely that he convey the information. His job is to treat every student in his classroom as his own child. He bears the responsibility to care for and nurture each student just as he cares for and nurtures his own children. No parent would want his child's teacher to simply convey information without showing any concern for the student's growth and progress. Nor would a parent be accepting of a teacher who directs himself to only the best three or four students in the classroom, without investing time and effort to help the others succeed, as well. A teacher must approach his job with the same standard that he would want for his own children.
This lesson is relevant as well to the unfortunate situation when a school finds it necessary to expel a student. Such a decision must never be reached lackadaisically, without very careful consideration and after thoroughly exploring other options and consulting with leading Rabbis. Parents will not decide to have their child live somewhere else unless they have determined without doubt that they have no alternative; and once they do reach this drastic decision, they will never sleep soundly again thereafter. School officials must react the same way when facing the difficult decision of whether to expel a student.
This fundamental principle of Torah education, requiring a teacher to treat his students as his own children, is a responsibility that the community must bear, as well. If a school sends a teacher into a classroom of thirty or forty children, it is unreasonable to demand that he treat them all as his own children, that he afford each and every student the time and attention he needs in order to grow. By the same token, if a teacher is not adequately compensated for his services, and he is thus compelled to work other jobs to earn a respectable living, parents cannot expect him to invest time and energy into the personal progress of each child. If we want our children's teachers to implement this ideal of Jewish education, that students be treated as one's own children, then we bear the responsibility to allow them to do so. Schools must be adequately funded so that they can afford smaller classes and pay their teachers respectably, and on time, allowing them the time and peace of mind needed to perform their holy task of Torah education.
