As educators (really, I would hope, as human beings), we want to teach toward nuance. Living an un-nuanced life may be simpler. We could easily be lulled into a binary life of true/false, right/wrong. In truth, social media and media in general seduces us with echo chambers. Why do I need to even consider a nuanced life if I can easily surround myself with people who think like I do all the time? Yet, you lose out on being an individual. Your emotional life is not as rich. So, from a young age, we can educate toward nuance. We can disrupt patterns, engaging in play and jokes. We can lightly guide children to begin to understand different perspectives. Anytime we can bring perspective, we have the potential to find a moment of growth.
March 2024
Pedagogy of Nuance: Finding Comfort Through Storytelling
The pedagogy of storytelling allows us to value nuance and new perspectives.
Devorah is a Jewish educator and entrepreneur. Devorah began her career as assistant director of Young Judaea’s Year Course and then moved into the world of classroom teaching, informal education and curriculum development. She founded challahcrumbs.com, a website for parents with young children and ran a successful kickstarter campaign to make inclusive Parsha coloring pages. Devorah wrote curriculum for the Lookstein Center, Camp Moshava, and the iCenter and became the educational editor for the Global Day of Jewish Learning. In 2015, together with her husband, Devorah opened an artisan sourdough bakery, which focused on building a community around their products and workshops. Pat BaMelach became a nationally recognized brand with its crackers being sold in over 3000 stores. Devorah and David sold their bakery and are currently collaborating on Meshek48, a cultural space for workshops, events, and artisans with a focus on sustainability and farming.
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