<HTML>
Regarding the issue of making t'fila more meaningful, I agree with
Rabbi Kosofsky that students must learn about the prayers they say.
However, I believe decorum is also a key component. I found that last
year, when leading a mixed group of sixth graders every morning, I had a
far better response from my students when I davened Shacharit with them,
than when I acted as a police officer. It is vital for the teacher to set
a certain tone about the kedusha and seriousness of t'fila. I think this
applies on all levels, whether the students daven in their classrooms (as
is usually the case in the lower grades), or with the minyan (junior high
and beyond). If teachers talk to one another or sit and grade papers
during t'fila, it sets a particular tone about the nature of those
moments.
A child who learns that reading from the siddur and not talking to one's
neighbor are the appropriate behaviors for t'fila, even if he/she does not
fully understand the content of that t'fila, is more likely to maintain
that sense of decorum in a shul setting.
Tzipora Ross
Faculty, Ramaz Middle School</HTML>
