ORIENTING STUDENTS TO ENGAGE WITH PLURALISM: A … Shevitz... · 2019-05-17 · Gann’s approach...

SusanL.Shevitz,DRAFT:OrientingStudentstoEngagewithPluralism:ACulturalApproachSpring2018MandelCenterConferenceonJewishDaySchools

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ORIENTINGSTUDENTSTOENGAGEWITHPLURALISM:ACULTURALAPPROACH

SusanL.Shevitz

ThispaperisbasedonalargerstudyofhowpluralismwasconceptualizedandenactedattheGannAcademyinWaltham,Massachusetts.Itdescribesthefreshmenorientationatonemomentintime,August2005.ReadersshouldbeawarethatGannhasdevelopedinmanywayssincetheseevents tookplace.Whatever theparticularcharacteristicsoftheschoolatanygiventime, thechallengeof introducingnewstudentsremains. ThispaperexamineshowGannbegansocializingstudents into its cultureandanalyzes thewaysinwhichitsorientationpreparedstudentstobegintheireducationinapluralisticsetting.

TheChallengeofSocializingNewcomers

Everyorganization,whetherasintimateasafamilyoraslargeasanarmy,facesthe

challengeofsocializingnewcomers,i.e.helpingthemacquirethesocialknowledge,

skills,andattitudesnecessarytonegotiateandsucceedinthenewenvironment.

Immersiveenvironmentssuchassummercamps,educationaltrips,ororganizationslike

thePeaceCorpsenvelopenewcomersincarefullycraftedprogramsandotherinitiation

rituals,toconvey,bothimplicitlyandexplicitly,thepreferredwaystowaytothink,

behaveandrelatetoothersandtodifferentideologies1.Campsoftendothiswell

becausetheyhavecondensedtimeandsecluded,intenseenvironmentsinwhichto

fostercampers’identificationwiththeirvalues.Newcomersquicklylearntobehave,

think,andfeelinwaysofthespecificcamp.TociteananecdoteIhaveheardseveral

times,eachwithslightlydifferentdetails:Acamphadatreenearitsentranceand

generationsofcampersknewtosticktheirchewinggumonituponarrival.Onespring

thetreewascutdown;allthatremainedwasasmallstump.Whenatthestartofthe

summerthelong-timecamperspassedbytheywereaghast,chargingthatthecampwas


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obliteratingitspast,unwelcoming,andmuchelse.Inbutafewhoursthenewcampers

werealsoexpressingasenseoflossandbetrayal.Beforelongthecampreplacedthe

treewithaninanimategumtower.Alessfrivolousexampleishowmanynewcampers

quicklyfeeltheexcitementofShabbat’sarrivalastheyscurrytoprepareandparticipate

inthespecialactivities.Orconsiderhowthesamepeopledressandbehaveatasold-

outrockconcertandforaperformanceofphilharmonicorchestra.Theirbehaviors,

dressanddecorum,wheretheysitandhowtheyexpressappreciationaretheoutward

manifestationsofthemeaningoftheevents.ExcitementaboutShabbatstemsfroma

profoundsetofideasaboutJewishtimeandspacewhereasarockconcertexpresses

theturmoil,angstandanxietyofcontemporarysocietyincontrasttothecontrolledand

time-honoredmessagesoftheclassicalmusicalrepertoire.Theseexamplesareabout

temporarygroupsthatwillsoondisperse.Studentsataschoolwillsharelargeportions

oftheirliveswitheachotherofmanyyears.Sincecultureconveyshowpeopleare

supposedtoperceive,feelandactinthegroup,itisastabilizingforcethatprovides

meaning,makesthingspredictableandreducesanxiety2—conditionsthatnewcomers

crave.

OrientationprogramsatJewishdayschoolsareaformalpartoftheprocessof

socializingtheirstudentstobecomemembersoftheircommunities.Newcomersneed

tolearnthenormsoftheirnewenvironment,aswellasformalrulesandinformal

expectations.Ofcourse,thereusuallyarealsoimportantorientationsforfacultyandfor

parents.


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ChallengesofPluralisticSettings

Pluralistschoolsfaceanadditionalchallengewhentheyorientnewstudents:Theyflyin

thefaceofwhatmostincomingstudentshaveexperienced–andwillcontinueto

experienceinothercommunitysettings.AccordingtotheNewOxfordAmerican

Dictionary,pluralismis“atheoryorsystemthatrecognizesmorethanoneultimate

principle.”Asbothaphilosophyandpracticalmethodology,pluralismhasthepotential

ofaddressingthechasmsandrancoramongpeople–notbyaskingpeopletorelinquish

theirownwaysbutratherbyhavingthemencounterothers’beliefsandpracticeswith

openness,empathy,respectandreadinesstoengagearoundhowtheydifferaswellas

aboutwhattheyshare.

Totakeyoungpeoplewhoforthemostpartgrewupandwereeducatedinsettingsthat

aresingularintheirunderstandingofJewishlifeandtointroducethemtoanapproach

thatismulti-perspectivalandencouragestheexplorationofboththedifferencesand

similaritiesamongthemisnotasimpletask.ItismademoredifficultbyAmerican

society’spolite,surfacediscussionsamongpeoplewithdifferentviewpointsratherthan

therobustargumentationknowninsomeothercultures.Allthismeansthatmostofthe

newstudentswerenotusedtothekindofexperiencesthatGannwouldoffer.Whenwe

informallyaskedthefreshmenattheendofthefirstdayoforientationwhatthey

thoughtpluralismmeant,mostsaidthatthey“hadnoclue”or“hadn’tthoughtmuch

aboutit”whileafewstudentsmentionedhaving“differentkindofJewscomingto


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schooltogether”or“havingOrthodox,ReformandConservativeservices”.Inlightof

theserealitiesGannhadtoconsiderhowitcouldbestpreparestudentsforitspluralistic

perspectiveandpractices,foritsnewwaysofunderstandingaspectsofJewishlifeand

learning.Orientation,asthefirstdayoffreshmenyear,waswheretheformalprocessof

socializingstudentstopluralismtookshape.

Gann’sapproachtopluralismatthistimewasexpressedinthe missionstatement

(whichhasbeenrevisedandrewritteninsubsequentyears).

GannAcademyformsadiversecommunity.Ourgoalistobuildunityfrom

diversity;tokeeptheJewishpeople,especiallywithinthemicrocosmofour

ownschool,one.WebelievethatstudyingJewishtextstogetherand

sharingJewishexperienceswillleadtotherealizationthatweareall

beneficiariesofthesamepasteventhoughwehavechosentouseour

inheritancesindifferentways.Asacommunityoflearners,weare

enrichedbydiversity.

WestrivetohonorandrespecttheJewishreligiouscommitmentsofall

membersofourcommunity.Wethereforeencourageourstudentsto

study,toparticipateinritualobservance,todeepenthewellspringsof

theirownfaith,andtomakeconscious,well-informedreligiouschoices.At

thesametime,weseektoenablethemtounderstandthediversereligious

commitmentsrepresentedinourcommunityandtoappreciatethose


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whosechoicesdifferfromtheirown.Totheseends,wealwaysoffer

studentsarangeofdailyservicesandrituals,includinghalakhic[i.e.bound

bytraditionalJewishlaw]andprogressiveoptions,fromwhichtochoose.

Allmembersofourcommunitymustneverthelessrecognizethe

implicationsofdiversereligiouscommitments.Forexample,atGann

Academythereareservicesthatlimittheparticipationofwomen,some

convertsorJewsbypatrilinealdecent,andservicesinvolvingcontemporary

approachestoprayerthatsomemayfeelareunacceptable.Whatever

servicecommunitymembersattend,theymustrespectitsgoverningrules.

Weappreciatethatestablishingcommunityinthefaceofdiversityisa

greatchallenge.Formingsuchacommunityisessential,however,is

essentialforaccomplishingtheschool’smissiontoeducateanew

generationofknowledgeableandcommittedJewswhoadheretothe

tenetsofkolYisraelarevimzehbazeh”(allJewsareinterconnectedwith

eachother)and“veahavtalereakhakamokha”(loveyourneighboras

yourself).

FreshmenOrientation,August29,2005

BackgroundaboutGannandItsStudents

Thescenethefreshmensawastheyarrivedatschoolcouldhardlyhavebeenimagined

justafewyearsback.Fromforty-sevenstudentsinthe9thand10thgradeswhenit


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openedin1997,Ganngrewtoenrollmentswellabovetwohundredbythemid2000’s.

InitsfirstyearitoutgrewthesmallbuildingadjacenttoBrandeisUniversity’scampus

whereitexpectedtobeforfiveandmovedtoabankbuildinginthecenterofWaltham

whereitwasagaincrampedandcrowdedalmostimmediately.Theboardofdirectors

quicklyjumpedfromraisingstart-upfundstoconductingacapitalcampaignthat

resultedinthenewstate-of-theartcampusthatopenedinautumn2003inanother

Walthamneighborhood.Thetwenty-acrecampusislargeenoughforseveralbuildings

thataresurroundedbyamplegroundsandsportsfields,andtheinteriorspaceswere

designedwiththeneedsofadolescentsandteachersinmind.Ithadspacious

classrooms,gyms,astate-of-the-arttheateraffectionatelycalled“TheBlackBox”,large

roomsforgatheringtogetherandmanynooksandgranniesforpeopletotalkandhang

out.

Theclassof2009wasthefirstclassthatwouldspenditsfullfouryearsatthenew

campus.Witheighty-fivestudents,itwasGann’slargestclassever,comingfromthirty-

fivedifferentcommunities,withthirty-sevenstudentsfromonecommunity.Sixtycame

fromsixdifferentdayschoolsand,ofthese,thirty-onehadgraduatedfromjustoneof

theseschools.Theotherstudentsweresplitbetweenindependentandpublicschools.

Gann’sshorthistorywasshownbythecarvedwordsunderneathitsname,“TheGann

Academy”,inHebrewandEnglish:“TheNewJewishHighSchool”andmanystudents

stillreferredtoGannas“NewJew.”Thefoundinghead-of-schoolandapassionate

spokespersonforpluralism,RabbiDanielLehmann,wasonsabbaticalandwouldbeat


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schoolonlysporadicallythroughouttheyear.Hisabsencewouldrevealtheplaceof

pluralismattheschool.Woulditfadeintothebackgroundwithout,touseateacher’s

phrase,“Danny’sconstantpushingthe[pluralism]envelope?”Wewereabouttofind

out.

Aquickglanceatthegatheringstudentssuggestedthattheycamefromfamilieswith

differentapproachestoJewishlife.Someboysandanoccasionalgirlworekippot

[skullcaps],astatementthatconveyedbothmoreandlesstraditionalobservancesince

intraditionalsettingsboysarerequiredtowearthesebutgirlswearingkippotisnot

done.Itannouncedthatsomegirlswereassertivelyassumingtheobligationsand

customsthatuntilrecentlywereexclusivelymaleandstillareintraditionalsettings.The

four-corneredgarmentwithattachedfringes,mandatedintheBible(Numbers15:37-

41)andwornbytraditionalmalespeekedoutfromunderneathafewboys’shirts.Some

girlsweredressedaccordingtotraditionalpracticewithskirtsreachingbelowtheknees

andsleevesbelowtheirelbowsbutmostworeclothesthatwouldbeseeninmostany

schoolinanaffluentcommunity.TheAdmissionofficecorroboratedtheseimpressions

reportingthatfifty-sixfamiliesclaimedConservativeaffiliation,twentyReform,eighteen

Orthodox,andtwoReconstructionistandeight“other.”(Severalcheckedtwoormore

categories.)Manyofthestudentsweregreetingfriendsfromtheirelementaryschools

andsummercampsbutthereweresomewhodon’tseemtoknowanyothers.

Orientation’sActivitiesandExperiences


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Teachers,assistedbysomeupperclassmenandalumni,quicklybegantolaythe

groundworkfortheday.Aftersomewelcomesandicebreakers,studentsengagedin

hevrutalearning,amethodthattheywouldexperiencethroughouttheiryearsatGann.

HevrutaisatraditionalJewishapproachtotextstudyinwhichpairsoflearnerscarefully

investigatetextsasapreludetoamorethoroughexplicationofthembytheentire

group.Intraditionalsettingstherabbiorrabbinicheadoftheacademydoesthis;here

ateacherledthegroupdiscussionandlaidouttherulesforhevrutastudy:

• Youhavetobeopentolearning,toreallylookingatthetextand

listeningtoyourhevrutapartnercarefully.

• Everyonehasresponsibilityforexploringthetext.

• Youhavetobesupportiveofyourhevruta;partner;Itmightbea

challengingtimeforhimorher.

• Therearealwaysmultipleinterpretationsthataresupportedbythe

text.

Thesethemes,especiallyopennessandmultipleinterpretations,wouldrecur

throughoutthedayand,thoughthestudentscouldnotyetknowit,throughoutthenext

fouryearsaswell.

Afterthehevrutalearning,thegroupwentoutsideforcommunity-buildinggames.One

gamecouldinvolvestudents’touchingeachother.Sincephysicalcontactbetweenthe

genderswasunacceptabletothemosttraditionalstudents,somethingprobably

unknowntomanyoftheothers,theteacherwarned,“Youshouldaskiftheboysand


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girlsinyourgrouparecomfortabletouchingeachother.”Shethenexplainedher

comment:“Itisveryimportantnottoassumeanything.”Avoidingalongexplanationof

thedifferentkindsofbehaviorsregardingmaleandfemaleinteractionswithindifferent

Jewishgroups,shecalledattentiontoacentralfeatureofGann:whilethestudentsmay

alllookmoreorlessthesame,theyhavedifferentreligiousrequirements.Shewasalso

signalingthatinapluralisticenvironmenteachstudenthadtoberespectfuloftheother

students’personalboundariesandcomfortlevels.

Lunchfollowed.Thetraditionalblessingsafterthemeal,birkathamazon,wasanother

potentiallydivisiveevent.Themoretraditionalstudentswouldnotconsidertheprayer

acceptablewithafemaleleadingtheopeningrecitationwhileotherstudentswouldbe

offendedifthegirlsweretoldtheycouldnotdothis.Thegroupwasinstructedtodothe

prayer“theGannway”:bothamaleandafemalewouldchanttheopeningphrasesin

aftereachother,allowingthestudentstorespondtowhicheverprayerleaderthey

preferred.

Studentsthenkeptbusysocializingandgettingimportantinformationaboutofthenuts

andboltsoflifeatGann.Attwoo’clocktheyconvenedinthelargespacecalledthe

“BeitMidrash,”thetraditionalnameforahouseofstudyandatGannthenameofthe

largeroominwhichbigeventstookplace,forthefirstsessionoftheonetrimester-long

“PluralismLab,”thatallfreshmenwererequiredtotakeinthecourseoftheyearin

ordertogivethematasteofthecourse.


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QuotesfromtraditionaltextsinHebrewandEnglishcoveredthewalls.Studentswere

toldabouttwocategoriesofcommandments:behaviorsthosethatstructureaperson’s

relationshiptootherpeople[beinadaml‘havero],indistinctiontothoseregulatinga

person’srelationshipwithGod[beinadaml’makom].Theteacheranimatedlyexplained

thatthesetextsdealwith“whatwe[Jews]haveincommon.”IntheGreaterBoston

area,heclaimed,thereare“fifty-sixsynagogues,fifty-sixdifferentwaysofdoing

Jewishness.”HethenquestionedstudentsaboutthemainmovementsofJewish

religiouslifeandmadethepointthatmostoftenpeople“orderthemOrthodox,

Conservative,andReformandveryrarelyintheinverseorder.”Why,heasked,does

thishappen?Whenstudentsresponded,hepokedholesintheirarguments.For

example,whenastudentsaidthat“weseeOrthodoxyasmorereligious,closertothe

source,theBible,”hecounteredthatactuallyReformJewsobservesevendaysof

PassoverandthisisclosertotheBiblicalversethantheOrthodoxcommunity’seight

days.Thepoint,hewenton,isthatstudentswillparticipateinPluralismLabtoexplore:

HowweinterpretJewishlawandwhyweneedtohavethese

conversations.Theyarereallyaboutwhatwebelieve....Whatwe

believedetermineswhatwedo.

Thisteacherwaschallengingtheassumptionthatonebeliefsystemisclosesttothe

truthandthatotherbeliefsystems(meaningmovements)aremeasuredbytheir

distancefromthattruth:Differentapproachesarelegitimateandiftakenseriouslylead

toactionsthatreflectaspecificbeliefsystem.“Thisreinforcedwhatstudentsheard


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earlierintheday:therecanbemultiplelegitimateinterpretationsbasedonthesame

textualevidence.

Theteacherseguedintothenextactivity.Insmallgroupsstudentsgrappledwith

dilemmasaboutJewishobservanceofimportancetotheschoolcommunity,specifically

policiesaboutkashrut(dietarylaws)andprayer.Theseareamongthemoreobvious

areasinwhichtheschoolhastotakeunifiedactionandmakedecisionsinthefaceof

competinginterpretationsandcommitments.

Thegroupsreconvenedwithateacherwholedanactivitythattriedtoelicitdifferent

ideasfromthestudentswhileatthesametimeprovidethemwithanunderstandingof

Gann’spoliciesandhowtheyweremade.Againheprobedstudents’assumptionsby

askingwhytheschoolneededafoodpolicyaboutkashrut.Astudentresponded,“Soall

peoplecaneathereandsincewehaveOrthodoxstudents,itwillbeeasierforthem.”A

differentteacherthenremindedthestudentsthatatGannteachersandotherstudents

willpushargumentsfurther,“Wedonotwantadoublestandardandwedonotwantto

checkpeople’skitchens.Sohowdoyouthinkourkashrutpolicycancreate

community?”Studentsdiscussedwhatitmeanstobea“united”,respectfulcommunity

thatincludeseveryone.Theythenlearnedthatkashrutiscomplexbecausetheschool

triestobalancetheneedsofthecommunityandofindividualsinit.Theyweretoldthat

alloftheschool’scommunaleventsweretobestrictlykosher,i.e.haveaheksher

(kashrutcertificationbyarabbi)andtherewasalistofacceptablecertifications.But

studentscouldbringlunchfromhome,whateverthekashrutstandardsoftheirfamilies,


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aslongitwasdairyandnotmeatorshellfish.HethenaddeddetailsbasedonJewishlaw

butwithoutexplainingthelaws:“Becauseitishotyoucannotorderpizzatobe

deliveredatschool,butyoucanbringcoldpizzaforlunchaslongasitdoesnothaveany

meat.”Thekashrutpoliciesweretobeasourceofconfusionformanystudentsand

parentsovertheyears.

Theteacherthenrecalledthe“olddays”inthebankwhenGanndidnothaveakitchen.

Shereportedthatstudentsadvocatedtobeallowedtoeatatthelocalrestaurantsand

maketheirowndecisionsaboutwhattoeatthere.Inthiswaystudentscouldfollow

theirfamilies’kashrutstandardsbuttheywouldalsohavetofigureouthowtobe

sensitivetotheirclassmates’needs,especiallythosewithstricterkashrutpractices.

Today’steacherremindedthemthat“Inthenewbuildingthekitchenhasrabbinic

supervision,butthelunchroomdoesn’t.“andanothersaid,“Therearenocookiepolice

here....Wearealwayscompromising....Kashrutcanbeabig,divisiveissuesoour

policyisacompromise.”

Similarly,theydiscussedprayerrequirements:Freshmenweretoattendoneofseveral

typesofprayerservicestwiceaweek.Ontheotherdaystheycouldgotoaservice,

discussionorothergroupforsomesortofseriousreflection.Again,thehistoryofthis

policy’soriginwasexplained:Somestudentshadarguedtotheadministrationthat

becauseGannwasapluralisticschooltheyshouldnotbeforcedtogotoprayerservices.

ButasaJewishschoolGannwantedstudentstoknowhowtopray.Thecurrentpolicy

triedtobalancethedifferentperspectivesaboutprayerbyrequiringprayerservicesfor


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someofthetimebutonotherdaysprovidingdifferentexperiences.Theteachers

remindedstudentsthattherewouldbetimesintheirliveswhentheywillattend

synagogueservicesandtheyshouldknowthe“etiquetteofprayer”.Asapluralistic

school,studentswillbejudgednot“Accordingtosomeoneelse’sstandardinissuesof

religiositybutwillbejudgedbytheirownstandard.”Thesessionendedbyateacher

againpointingouthowandwhycompromisesaremade.

AtaTefila(Prayer)Fairlaterintheafternoonstudentslearnedabouttheoptions:(1)

the“mechitzahminyan”,wheremalesandfemalessitindifferentsectionsaspracticed

inOrthodoxsettingsandallprayersareledbymales,(2)a“traditional-egalitarian

minyan”thatfollowsthetraditionalliturgythoughthemalesandfemalessittogether

andhaveequalrolesinleadingtheservice;and(3)a“liberalminyanthatisalso

egalitarianandincludesselectionsfromtheliturgyaswellasotherinspirational

readings.Ondayswhenstudentswerenotrequiredwanttogotoaminyantherewould

bemanychoicesincludingmeditation,humor,yoga,journalingandlisteningtomusic.

“Theseactivities”,ateacherexplained,

Arenotsetinstone.[Inthepast]studentsinitiatedotherapproaches

andsomeofthesehavefallenbythewaysidebutsomearestill

available.Youmaydecideafteratrialperiodthatyouwanttoswitchto

anotherminyanbutthenyouhavetocommityourselftoonefora

trimester.


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Studentsthenrotatedinsmallgroupstohearmoreabouteachtefilaoption.Ateacher

whoisanOrthodoxrabbipresentedthemehitzahminyanasaformthathadbeenused

forcenturies.Afterhedescribedtheservice,hemadethepointthatforhiminthissort

ofprayerhelpshimhaveapersonalrelationshipwithGod.Asophomoreconfided,“Idid

notthinkIwouldlikeitbutItrieditandthisyearIwillbejoiningthisminyan!”

AteacheridentifiedwithConservativeJudaismdescribedthetraditional-egalitatian

minyanasstudent-lead,joyouswithalotofsinging,butalsoconcernedwithtzedakah

[commonlytranslatedas“charity”butisfromthewordmeaning“justice”].“Itisa

prettyfullservicebutwediscusshardissuessuchaswhattheancienttemplesacrifices

meant.”AlthoughIheardreportsandreadonlinepostingsoflastyear’spassionate

deliberationsaboutwhetherliturgicalreferencestotheancientpracticeofoffering

sacrificesshouldbepartoftheegalitarianservice,thisallusionseemedtometobe

remoteanddevoidofmeaningforstudentsjuststartingoutatGann!Still,itwasan

exampleofseveraltraitstheteachershadalreadyemphasized:divergent

interpretationsofthesametext,interpretationscanleadtodifferentactions,andthe

potentialrelevanceofancientpracticesandwordstoday.

AteacherwhoisaReformrabbiexplainedhowGann’sliberalminyanwasestablished.

InGann’sopeningyearastudentwhowasJewishbypatrilinealdescent–intraditional

circlesonlypeoplewithaJewishmotherareconsideredJewish-toldthehead-of-school

thatshewantedaliberalprayerserviceinwhichshe,asapatrilinealJew,wouldbe

countedintheminyanandallowedtoleadservices.Basedontheirunderstandingof


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Jewishlawandpractice,neithertheegalitariannortraditionalminyancouldallowthis.

Lehmannsawthevalidityofherpositionandaliberalminyanwassoonformed.(The

storywashistoricallyinaccurateastold.TherewerenotenoughpeopleatGannto

createaliberalminyanthatyear.Lehmannreportedthathestillfeltregretthatatfirst

hewaslesscreativeinfindingsolutionsthanhemighthavebeenbutbythefollowing

yeartheschoolwaslargeenoughtosupportaliberalminyan.Thisoft-toldstoryserves

asoneofGann’sfoundingmyths,i.e.atalebasedinhistorybutnotnecessarily

historicallyaccuratethatconveysalessondeemedimportant.Inanycase,theteacher

explainedthattheliberalminyanisflexibleandincludescreativereadings,music,

drama,meditationanditusesagendersensitiveprayerbook.Ateacheragainreminded

thestudents,that”Ifwearenotofferingwhatyouneed,pleasecometousandwewill

accommodate.”

Asthedaywindeddownstudentslearnedmoreabouttheday-to-dayexpectationsand

procedures–advisingsystem,homework,absences,tests,useoftechnologyandthe

like--andhadtimetointeractinformallywitheachother.Afterdinnerthereweremore

communitybuildingactivitiesledbytheupperclassmenwho,attheendoftheevening,

sharedpointersforhavingagoodfirstyearandthentheall-importantinstructionsfor

therestofthenight:Boysweretostayononefloor,girlsontheother,andnoonewas

allowedoutside.

ACulturalFrameworkforThinkingaboutOrientation

LevelsofCulture


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EdgarSchein,whoseworkonorganizationalcultureremainsclassic,3showsthatculture

consistsofthreelevels.Therearetheartifacts:whatpeopleseeandhearwhenthey

encountertheorganization.Whiletheyareplentiful,theycannotbeaccurately

interpretedontheirown.JustafewexamplesfromorientationareGann’sarchitecture,

theHebrewheardandseenaroundthebuilding,theroleolderstudentshadinthe

event(andthefactthattheyparticipatedatall),howtheyaddressedteachersandhow

teachersinteractedwitheachother,andsoon.Thesecondtierofcultureconsistsofthe

espousedvalues.Theseareoftenaspirationalandareexpressedthroughmoreformal,

officialpronouncementsofwhythingsaredoneacertainway,forexample:thereasons

behindGann’skashrutpoliciesandassertionsinthemissionstatement.Thethirdlevel,

theunderlyingbeliefs,cannotbeeasilydeciphered:theyaredeeplyembedded,taken-

for-grantedandmostoftenunconscious.Theyrelatetoeveryaspectofthe

organization,bothitsinternalfunctioninganditsrelationshiptotheexternal

environment.Theseemergefromassumptionsthatfoundersbringtotheirenterprise

andworkwellenoughtoguidetheirsubsequentactions.4Atorientation,forexample,

studentsheardofficialrationalesforthekashrutpolicy,amongthemthatpeopleare

responsibleforthemselves(“therearenocookiepolicehere”).Thisvalueisbasedonan

assumptionabouthumannature--thatpeoplearegoodandcanbereliedupontodo

therightthing.IassertthisinterpretationonlybecauseIhaveamplecorroborating

evidencefromotherprocessesandpracticesatGannandseehowithasshapedthe

school’sculture.(Multipleexamplesareneededinordertoknowwhethersomethingis

actuallyacoreassumption.)


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Inastrongculturethevaluesarepervasiveandinfluencetheentireorganization.There

isconsiderablealignmentamongitslevelssothatwhatpeopleperceiveintheirday-to-

dayexperienceoftheorganizationisconsistentwiththeespousedvaluesthatare

expressed.Thevalues,inturn,areconsonantwiththeunderlyingassumptions.An

effectiveschoolorientationpresentstheartifactsandvaluesthathelpsocialize

participantsintothecultureandarereadytoengageinlearningandotheractivities.

Everythingstudentsexperiencedduringorientation—howitwasorganizedandused

availabletime,whatcontentwaspresentedandhowitwaspresented,howpeople

weretreatedandallelse–conveyedinformationaboutGann’sculture.Students’

experiencesoverthenextdays,weeksandmonthswouldconfirm,modifyordisconfirm

theirearly,emergentunderstandingastheyexperiencedmoreoftheculture,withallits

contradictionsandcomplexities.Forexample,alotofprimetimeatorientationwas

spentdiscussingJewishritualsandprayer:Werethoseactuallythecentralfeaturesof

Gann’sformalandinformalcurriculum?Wouldteachersgenerallybeasaccessibleas

theywereduringorientation?Wouldstudents’argumentsandrequestsbetakenas

seriouslyasportrayedinstoriesthatweretold?WouldGannbesoheavilyfocusedon

analysisandargumentation?

Sometimeswhatnewcomersdiscoverovertimedivergesfromwhattheyinferredat

orientation.Theremightbelimitedalignmentbetweentheespousedvaluesandwhatis

expressedinaction.Forexample,anorganizationmightclaimthatallstudents,


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whatevertheirgender,aretreatedthesamewhenitactuallydiscourages,insubtleor

overtways,girlsandwomenfromadvancingtoleadershiproles.Anotherexampleare

manycommunitydaysschools.AccordingtoRavsak(oneofthefiveorganizationsthat

in2016combinedtoformPrizmah:TheCenterforJewishDaySchools)thatworkedwith

them,manyclaimedtobepluralisticwhentheywereactuallyorganizedaroundone

dominantviewofJewishlifeandexpectedallstudentstoconformthisapproachwhile

inschool.5

MessagesConveyedaboutPluralism

Wecannowturntothebasicquestionofthispaper:InwhatwaysdidGann’s

orientationprepareitsstudentstoreadilyengagewithitseducationalprogramand

pluralisticperspective?

Perhapsthemostconsistentandpowerfulmessageofthedaywasthatpluralismwas

notseenaseparatetopicbutwaspervasive.Theyheardtheterminmanydifferent

discussions.Activitiesthroughoutthedayweredesignedtointroducethestudentsto

Gann’svaluesandactionsandthesealmostrelatedtopluralism.

Thevaluesthatweremadeexplicitinclude:

• Recognitionofothers’religious,intellectualandemotionaldifferencesis

essential;

• Insteadofassumingthingsabouteachother,studentsshouldinquireabout

otherpeople’sneeds,commitmentsandpreferences;


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• Sensitivitytothedifferencesisexpected;

• Therearemultipleviewsoftextsandactionsandtheseshouldinfluenceaction;

• Compromisesthatdonottrampleanygroup’ssensibilitiesarevalued;

• Studentsaretoberesponsiblefortheirownexperiences;

• Theschoolisresponsivetostudents’voices;and

• Theschoolwill“pushstudents”byaskingthemtoexplaintheirpositions.

Atthesametimetherewerepotentiallyconfusingmessagesfromorientation:

• Pluralismwasneverdefinedordirectlydiscussed;

• Jewishrituallifeinvariousmanifestationsseemedtodominatetheprogram;

• Therewasnomentionofthegeneralcurriculumvisavispluralism;itseemed

onlytorelatetoJewishstudies.

• Therewaslittle,ifany,mentionofthenon-Jewish,whetherornotinrelationship

topluralism;and

• Thewordcommunitywasappliedtovariousgroupsofpeople.

PredominanceofIntellectualDiscourseandAnalysis

Mostoftheday’sactivitiesincorporatedanintellectualcomponentinvolvingfrontal

presentations,smallgroupassignmentsandwholegroupdiscussions.Whiletherewas

somephysicalmovement,suchasgoingtothedifferentstationsinthetefilafairor

engaginginthegetting-to-know-youactivities,sportsandtheartswereabsent.

Administrativeandproceduraldetailswerecontainedtoashortamountoftimeinthe


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afternoon.Withoutstatingit,Gannwasdemonstratingitsemphasiswhatitcalled

“cognitivepluralism”.ThiswasdefinedbytheteacherswhopreparedGann’s2005self-

studyforaccreditationas,“theabilitytounderstand,holdandgrapplewithmultiple,

evencontradictory,interpretationsandperspectives.”(p.47)Studentswerereminded

manytimesthattheywouldbepushedtodevelopandexpresstheirideas,tothink

harder.ThishighlyintellectualandanalyticalapproachwasahallmarkofGannatthat

time.

ConcernfortheGroup

Indirectandindirectwaysorientationemphasizedthegroupexperience.Theterm“our

community”wasfrequentlyinvokedthoughsometimesitreferredtothepeopleatthe

orientationandatothertimestotheentirepopulationoftheschool.Itsometimes

referredtolocal,nationalandinternationalJewry.

Thefacultytriedtofosterasenseofcommunitybycreatingasharedvocabulary.

RepeatedphraseswereoftenthevocabularyofJewishrituallife:tefila,minyan,

davening,hevruta,egalminyan.Sometimesthephrasesemphasizedcommitmentto

theschool,suchas“doingbirkathamazontheGannway”.Thisbegantoestablisha

senseofbelonging,notunlikehowprofessionalsusetheirownjargontosignaltheir

identities.


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Asenseofbelongingwasalsofosteredwhenteacherstoldstoriesaboutpriorstudents,

NewJew’squirkiness,theovercrowdedbank,students’assertivenessandmuchelse.

Forexample,insteadofbeingtoldwhatthekashrutpolicywas,studentshearda

ramblingstoryfromwhenGannwasNewJewandlocatedonWaltham’smainbusiness

street,hometomanyfastfoodrestaurants,coffeeshopsandpizzajoints.Theyheard

longaccountsofhowandwhythedecisionwasmadetoallowstudentstoeatinthem

andaboutthedilemmasthatthepolicycreated,aswell.Theunderlyingmessagewas

thatGanntrustsitsstudentstodotherightthing.Otherstoriesdemonstratedtheneed

tobesensitivetootherspeople’sfoodrestrictionsbecausetheywerea“community

andneedtoconsidereveryone’sneeds.”Itseemedthatthefacultywastryingtoforgea

connectionbetweenthesestudentswhowereenteringacampusthatwaslikeother

affluentindependentschoolswithNewJew’spurportedlypioneeringspiritwhenthe

headofschoolclaimedthat,“Wewerecreatinganewmodelofhighschoolandeven

newkindsofJews.”6Perhapstheteachers’focusonNewJewexperienceswasan

expressionoftheirownnostalgiafortheolddaysormaybetheywerehopingtoinfuse

thenewstudentswithasenseofexcitementandpioneeringspirit.Eitherway,the

desiretolinkthefreshmenwithGann’spastwasclear.

Atthesametimeastryingtoforgebondstocurrentandpreviousgroupsofstudents,

orientationalsoemphasizedeachindividual’sresponsibilityfortheirownlearning:

“Ask,don’tmakeassumptions”,“Wewillpushyou”,“Takechargeofyourlearning”,“If


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it’s[aprayeropportunity]isnotthereandyouwantit,letusknow”and“Liveinthe

greyzone“.Whetherintentionalornot,theteacherswerereflectingacentraltensionin

education,ingeneral,andinpluralisticsettings,inparticular:Howaretheneedsofthe

groupandtheneedsofindividualgroupmemberstobemediated?Thiswasexpressed

bythestorythatIrecountedearlieraboutthegirlwhowasJewishbypatriarchal

descentandwantedaminyanthatwouldaffordherfullparticipationinallrituals.Itwas

toldtoconveyapointaboutstudentagency:Studentsweretocreatetheirownreality.

Theycouldaskforthingsandexpectsomesatisfyingresponse.Ontheotherhand,

orientation’stightorganizationandactivitiessuggestedthatwereboundariestothe

possibilities,thoughthesewereneitheracknowledgednorexplored.Theimportanceof

theindividual’sexperiencewasreinforcedbyathemefrommanyofthestories.The

school’sheroesandheroines,atleastthatday,werenotthehighachieversorsuper-

athletesratedbutratherthestudentswhochallengedthesystem,whowere“serious”

andtookresponsibilityfortheirownlearning.

TheEfficacyofGann’sOrientation

AFairRepresentationofGann’sPluralisticCulture

Itwouldbenaïvetothinkthataconceptascomplexandslipperyaspluralismcouldbe

apprehendedinonedayatorientation(nofacultymembersassumeditcould),aday

whenadolescentsareunderstandablyconcernedwiththeimmediatequestionsof

whethertheywillfitin,findfriends,liketeachers,enjoyandsucceedintheirnew


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setting.InfollowupresearchwiththesestudentsinthesemesterbeforegraduationI

learnedthatittooktime–forsomefouryears—forthemtounderstandwhatpluralism

is(afewstudentsclaimthattheynevergotthere)andthattheyhadvariedroutesto

understandingit.Activitiesoutsidetheclassroom–shabbatonim,discussionswith

teachers,specialactivitiesandtrips--wereoftencitedasthemostinfluentialalthough

specificclassesandconversationswithpeersalsohadlargeroles.Itwasthecumulative

effectofmanydifferentexperiencesthatledtounderstandingwhatpluralismmeans,

eventhoughstudentswereactuallypracticingaspectsofpluralismfromthestart.

WhilestudentscouldnotknowitthatlateAugustday,theirorientationwasafair

representationofkeyaspectsofGann’sculture.Inmanydifferentwaystheyheard

aboutandexperienceditsemphasisoncognitionandanalysis,multipleinterpretations

andtheneedtothinkforthemselves.Therewasfarlessconcernaboutsocio-emotional

aspectsofstudents’livesthanabouttheirideasandintellectualcapacities.Therewas

norolefortheartsorsportsintheday’seventsthoughinrealitythesewererobust

programsatGannthat,Iwouldlaterlearn,manystudentssawasmanifestationsof

pluralismthatgavethemawaytofitintotheschool.Similarly,somuchofdiscussions

relatedtoJewishlivingandlearningthatespeciallyattentiveandprecociousstudents

mighthavewonderedwhetherotheraspectsofJewishculturewouldevenhavearole

atGann.(Theywould.)AndinanefforttohelpstudentsforgeaconnectiontoGann’s

past,mostoftheramblingstoriesthatstudentsheardwereabout“theolddays”.There

werefew,ifany,illustrativestoriesfromGann’sfirstyearatthenewcampus,other

schools’experiences,orliterarysources,whetherJewishornot.


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ClearMessagesSupportingGann’sPluralism

Fourunambiguousmessagesemergedinthecourseoftheday:

Thoughstudentswerenotpresentedwithacleardefinitionofpluralism,itwasclearto

themthatpluralismwasacentralfeatureoftheirnewschool.Theywerebeing

preparedtoengagewithit.Touseanoutdatedmetaphor:Orientationpositioned

students’antennaetopickuppluralism’swavesmuchthesamewaythatradiowaves

aretransmittedintospace,tobegraspedbyareceiver.

Asecondmessagewassubtler.Whetherintentionalornot,Gann’spluralismrelates

onlytoits“Jewishpart”.Generalstudiesandthewidercommunitywereforthemost

partabsent.Returningtothetransmissionmetaphor:Theenergybeingtransmittedwas

aboutGann’sJewishmissionratherthanaboutthefullrangeofGann’seducational

concernsorpluralism’srelevance,itsurgentmessage,toourwidersociety.Bythetime

theygraduated,somestudentswereaskingquestionsaboutthisstance.

Anothermessagethatwastransmittedwaswhatbeingasuccessfulstudentwould

entail.Gannvaluedstudentswhowould,tousetheeducators’favoredphrases,

“seriouslyengagewithideas”,bereadyto“expresstheirviewswhilebeingopento

others’perspectives”,andwould“takeresponsibilityfortheirownlearning”.Thismeant

thatstudentsweretorespectotherpeople’spositionsandbesensitivetotheirvaried

needs.Thisemphasisonbecomingcomfortablewithmulti-perspectivalthinkingis

consonantwithwhatisknownaboutadolescents’cognitivedevelopment.Themajor


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taskofadolescenceisforyoungpeopletomovefromconcretetoabstractthinking7.

Withitsinsistenceonlearningtoholdopposingviewsandtodevelopcommitmenttoan

ideaevenwhenrealizingtherearecounter-arguments,Gann’snudgedstudentsbeyond

earlyadolescence’sconcrete,blackandwhitecognition.

Thefourthtransmissionwasalsosubtle.Ontheonehand,studentsheardhow

individualstudentssuccessfullycausedchangesatGannandthatthey,asindividuals,

needtoresponsibilityfortheirlearning.Thisisthelanguageofindividualinfluenceand

fulfillment.Atthesametimetheyfrequentlyheardtheword“community”andwere

oftenremindedthatasmembersofadiversecommunitytheyneedtobesensitiveto

others’beliefsandpractices.

Byhighlightingboththecommunityandtheindividual,Gannwasaenactingabasic

rationalefortheexistenceofpluralisticschoolsandotherpluralisticJewish

organizations.CommitmenttotheJewishpeople,klalyisrael,hassharplydeclinedwhile

insularityandconflictamongJewswithdifferentcommitmentsgrows.Many

sophisticatedobserversofJewishlifebelievethathereisanurgentneedtoeducate

peoplewhowillbeabletobridgethegapamongJewishgroupsandworktogether

productivelyonsharedconcerns8.Aswehaveseen,Gannwantsitsgraduatestobe

preparedtodothis.Maintainingone’sowncommitmentswhilebeingabletotalkwith

othersaboutthingsthatmatter,includingdifferences,isacapacitythatGannwantsto

rootinitsstudents.ThisrequiresthatGannstudentsbecommittedtothebroader

Jewishcommunityevenwhiletheydeepentheirpersonalcommitments.Whilenoone


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atorientationpreachedthismessage,studentswerehearingthatcooperationand

collaborationwaspossible.Overtheyearstheywouldbeexposedtoideologicaland

theological,aswellassociologicalrationalesforpluralismandwouldgrapplewithhow

toapplypluralismtorealsituations,sometimestothepointoffrustrationaswellas

exhilaration.

Orientationscanbeseenasritualsthathelpnewcomerscrossthethresholdofanew

organizationandbegintoimbibeitsrules,roles,standardsandvaluesintheemotional

andcognitivedomains.Thiscanbedoneinformalandinformal,didacticand

experientialways.Gann’sorientationwasthefirststepinsocializingtheseteenagers

intoGann’spluralisticculture.Whileitiseasytoimagineotherwaystostructureahigh

schoolorientation,whatwasincludedandomittedinthisorientationrevealedcentral

elementsofGann’scultureandpreparedmanyofthestudents’antennaetoreceivethe

messagesthattheschoolwouldbetransmitting.Andtostatetheobvious,these

messageswerevariouslyreceivedbyeachoftheyoungpeopleforwhomtheywere

intended.


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91FordiscussionofthetheoryofsocializingpeopletonewsettingsandofsomeapproachesseeJ.VanMaanenandE.Schein,“TowardaTheoryofOrganizationalSocialization”.InB.M.StawandL.L.Cummings(Eds.),ResearchinOrganizationalBehavior(Vol.1).Greenwich,Conn.JAIPress;A.Ellis,T.Bauer,andB.Erdogan,“NewEmployeeOrganizationalSocialization.InJ.GrusecandP.Hastings,HandbookofSocialization(2ndEdition).NewYork,GuilfordPress,2015;C.Wanberg,“AnIntroductiontoOrganizationalSocialization.”InC.Wanberg(Ed.).TheOxfordHandbookofOrganizationalSocialization.NewYork:OxfordUP,2012.ADDEXAMPLESFROMACTUALSETTINGS:L.SaxeandB.Chazan,TenDaysofBirthrightIsrael.Waltham,MA.BrandeisUP,2008.Saxe,Sales….oncamp.??Fox,Visions2EdgarSchein,OrganizationalCultureandLeadership:5thEdition,JohnWileyandSons,2017.PAGE?3Schein,2017.4Scheinsuggestsseveralwindowsintoaculture:theobservedbehavioralregularitiesandgroupnorms;espousedvalues;formalphilosophy;unwritten“rulesofthegame”;itsclimate/feeling;skillsandcompetenciesthatmembershave;habitsofthinking,mentalmodels,andlinguisticparadigms;sharedmeanings;rootmetaphors;andformalritualsandcelebrations.5Withoutgettingintodetailhereaboutwhatpluralismlookslike,hereisatypologyofpluralismthat,withcolleagues,Ideveloped.XXXXXDETAILTHIS


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6Globearticle7Pluralismpapers,empirical8J.Sachs,D.Hartmann,etc.

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