שלמודו קשה עליו כברזל בשביל משנתו שאינה סדורה עליו
If you see a student who finds it as hard as iron to study, it is because his/her
studies are without system.
(ב) כיצד מלמדים הרב יושב בראש והתלמידים מוקפים לפניו כעטרה כדי שיהו כלם רואים הרב ושומעים דבריו ולא ישב הרב על הכסא ותלמידיו על הקרקע אלא או הכל על הארץ או הכל על הכסאות ובראשונה היה הרב יושב והתלמידים עומדים ומקודם חורבן בית שני נהגו הכל ללמד לתלמידים והם יושבים.
How do we teach? The teacher should sit at the head, and everybody should sit around him so that they will all be able to see him and hear his words. The teacher shouldn't sit on a chair while his students sit on the ground; either they all sit on the ground or they all sit on chairs. Originally, the teacher would sit and the students stand, but since before the destruction of the second Temple everyone followed the practice of teaching while both they and the students were seated.
(טו) אַרְבַּע מִדּוֹת בְּיוֹשְׁבִים לְפְנֵי חֲכָמִים. סְפוֹג, וּמַשְׁפֵּךְ, מְשַׁמֶּרֶת, וְנָפָה. סְפוֹג, שֶׁהוּא סוֹפֵג אֶת הַכֹּל. מַשְׁפֵּךְ, שֶׁמַּכְנִיס בָּזוֹ וּמוֹצִיא בָזוֹ. מְשַׁמֶּרֶת, שֶׁמּוֹצִיאָה אֶת הַיַּיִן וְקוֹלֶטֶת אֶת הַשְּׁמָרִים. וְנָפָה, שֶׁמּוֹצִיאָה אֶת הַקֶּמַח וְקוֹלֶטֶת אֶת הַסֹּלֶת:
(15) There are four types [of students] who sit before the sages: the sponge, the funnel, the strainer, and the sieve. The sponge - because it absorbs everything; the funnel - because it lets in at one end and out the other; the strainer - because it lets the wine out and retains the [undesirable] sediment; the sieve - because it lets out the bran and retains the fine flour.
Guiding Questions:
- What similarities do you see between these ancient classrooms and your classrooms today?
- What challenges do you face today as a teacher that these ancient sages may not have faced?
- What challenges do your students face today that ancient students may not have faced?
- What advantages do teachers and students have today their ancient counterparts may not have had?