On my first day, one of the students, upon identifying me as the new teacher, said right to my face, “We’ll get rid of you like we got rid of the other two teachers!”
At that point I vowed to myself that this student would not get rid of me.
On the first day, the class behaved terribly. I cried all night and almost quit. The second day was worse than the first.
I asked another teacher for advice on how to control such an unruly mob. That teacher said any student that misbehaved in her class had to stay after school.
On the third day, I announced this new rule to the class. When the bell rang, I asked several students to remain after school for 10 minutes. Without hesitation, one of them declared he was leaving. I told him I could not keep him by force. However, I also told him that if he left he could not come back without a parent. Despite this warning, he left. Five minutes later he returned with his mother who made him apologize and promise never to leave without permission again.
The next day, I asked a few students to stay after. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed one of the students begin to rise slowly from his seat. Another student whispered that he was crazy because if he left I would make trouble for him with his parents.
As the student lowered himself back into his chair, I felt like I had entered the Garden of Eden.
Every Yom Kippur, I ask God to bless that mother wherever she may be. It is because of her, and the sentence, “We’ll get rid of you,” that I am still involved with Jewish education more than 40 years later.
Parents who support teachers are dearly appreciated. God bless them.