Teaching - Reaching them all

היום עשרים יום שהם שני שבועות וששה ימים לעומר

Today is twenty days, which is two weeks and six days of the omer
יסוד שבתפארת
A day of foundation in a week of compassion

I recently subscribed to The Accidental Talmudist on Facebook. In this time between Pesach and Shavuot, he is following the custom of studying the Pirkei Avot - The Words of our Sages, and sharing some of his perspectives with us.

Today's offering came it just as I was making notes for next year's curriculum. And how timely it is, as it serves as a reminder to keep the different ways students learn in mind as I develop my methods of teaching.

There are four types among those who sit before the Sages:
the sponge, the funnel, the strainer and the sieve.

The sponge absorbs all. The funnel takes in at one end and lets it out the other. The strainer rejects the wine and retains the sediment. The sieve rejects the coarse flour and retains the fine flour.
                                           Pirkei Avot 5:15

While I'm far from a sage, I do see these four types--and more--in my classes. The challenge is to find a common ground to which they can each contribute in their own way.

I have a feeling this will be a life-long quest . . . . . . . :)