The school year is coming to a close in the northern hemisphere, and in-class parties (to the extent they are not on Zoom) have begun.
Engaging Souls: Bringing Elementary Tefillah to Life
Ask a teacher to teach the same short story to children every day for eight or more years, and they will likely look at you like you are crazy! Yet, in a sense, that is the challenge of teaching tefillah (prayer). We have the same tefillot, more or less, that we use with our children day after day for their entire school career. Unless there is a conscious effort to create a rich tefillah experience, group prayer is at risk of becoming a mindless task, with children (and adults!) on autopilot.
A Pesach Reflection: “Everything I Learned about Engaging the Silent Child I Learned from Nechama Leibowitz”
There are always a few students who are the first to raise their hands in response to a teacher’s question even if they have no answer in mind. At the same, many classes have a handful of students who prefer to remain silent during classroom discussions….
Owning Our Texts
I’ve always been envious of my father who can recite by heart the Preamble of the United States Constitution (“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility….”), much of the Gettysburg Address…
Holocaust Remembrance After the Survivors
The linchpin for Holocaust remembrance is Holocaust survivor testimony. The direct meeting with the survivors creates an emotional experience for the student and the pairing of the remembrance with this emotion ensures its retention.
Resources to Discuss “The Social Dilemma” with Students
One of the most popular films on Netflix at the moment is a documentary that was released in September 2020 called “The Social Dilemma.” It is a dystopian film that describes the pernicious impact of social media on our lives and argues for governmental regulation of social media.
Including the Invisible Student
As teachers and students attempt to navigate the ever-changing world of education in 2020, the only thing that seems certain is that distance or virtual learning will remain essential.
Elul and the Benefits of Apologizing to Students
I lived in Canada for four and a half years. One cultural difference between Canadians and Americans is that Canadians apologize for everything. Canadians sneeze, and they say, “sorry.”
Can We Speak to Younger Students about Racism?
No one knows how the new academic year of 2020-2021 will start off. Most administrators have designed a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. One thing is for sure, most of our students will have been on summer vacation during the protests that emerged around the country after George Floyd’s tragic death. Many may well have missed an opportunity to discuss racial discrimination with their teachers. Whatever form school takes this fall, we should not pass up the opportunity to engage our students in a discussion of racial and economic injustice.
COVID-19: Challenge and Opportunity
No one knows exactly how long COVID-19 will be with us. One thing is clear though, its impact on our lives is here to stay, at least for the foreseeable future.