The last day of school, or, what to do with all that stuff
Today I sent my kindergarten students home with a shopping bag full of their creations - lots of drawings, quite a few stories, some paintings, some collages, and prints, and, yes, a few math and...
View ArticleJewish day schools never looked better
Today was my last official day of work for the school year, although every teacher knows that we never really stop working. (In fact, I haven't even finished cleaning my classroom.) At our final staff...
View ArticleHomeshuling’s first *ask* – support small town Jewish education
I'm a lousy fundraiser. We have a $1,500 fundraising obligation each year for our daughters' day school, and every year we end up paying almost the whole thing out of pocket because I hate asking...
View ArticleFirst days of school, first days of Elul
Today is the first day of Elul (although Rosh Chodesh began yesterday for reasons that are, well, complicated. For me and my daughters, it was also the first day of school. I'm exceptionally thoughtful...
View Article9/11 and the sounding of the shofar – one Jewish day school teacher’s experience
Beliefnet bloggers were asked to contribute our memories of 9/11 for a collective piece called "Where were you on 9/11?" My piece can be found there, shortened to 200 words or less. Here's the...
View ArticleMake Love, Not Kapparos
Most sensible Jews (and all left-wing poultry) are opposed to kapparos, the High Holiday tradition of transferring one's sins to a live chicken by twirling it over one's head. I agree that it's a...
View ArticleWhy I send my children to Jewish day school, part #4
My daughter, Zoe, and her fifth-grade buddy beating willow branches on the ground at their day school's Hoshanah Rabbah assembly: Here's part #1, Read the full post here »The post Why I send my...
View ArticleWhy I send my children to a Jewish Day School – the Thanksgiving edition
One of the many things I'm thankful for is that my children love school. There's never a battle in the morning to get them out the door (or if there is, it's because I HATE THESE SHOES.) We are...
View ArticleTeaching our children about Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream
Another glimpse from my kindergarten class at a Jewish day school: This week, the Gan has been learning about the lives of Martin Luther King and several other key figures in the civil rights movement....
View ArticleTeaching the Four Questions to young children
One of the greatest privileges of being a kindergarten teacher in a Jewish day school is having the opportunity to teach children to recite the four questions. Unlike almost anything else I teach them...
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