Judaism, Academics, and Community
Can We Do It All?
Ray Levi, Head of School
This question is often posed by those new to Jewish day school education. It’s a fair question, and as educators with such an ambitious agenda, we’re constantly checking to see how well we’re building a strong foundation in all areas. However, there are moments when the response can indeed be, “Yes we CAN!” Last week’s Simhat Dor L’dor program provided one of those moments.
It’s easy to take the confidence our students show when sharing before an audience for granted. Even so, watching kindergartners dramatizing humorous Thanksgiving chants as the older children laughed with them—while expected—should be appreciated. Only three months ago, these same students needed hand-holding as they entered the auditorium.
The personal narratives that our fourth graders read demonstrated the impact of the work we have done in strengthening our writing program. Carefully crafted pieces, these dramatic readings captured the interest of listeners with the use of similes, descriptive language, and engaging dialogue. The writing process also contributes to depth of thinking. I was struck by the students’ abilities to see situations from multiple perspectives. One girl, describing her Moroccan grandmother’s first visit to the United States, captured that remarkable combination of excitement and anxiety about communication as well as the complexity of her grandmother’s emotions—reminding us that Lower School students can demonstrate empathy.
Second and third graders who had participated in the Judaic Studies enrichment class “If These Walls Could Talk” (Yes, youngsters who stay after school to study with a Pardes-trained educator) joined the long Jewish tradition of writing midrashim as they offered commentary on the Noah story. The connection to Writing Workshop in their English language arts classes was apparent in the carefully written and beautifully illustrated material that was projected on the walls as the children read. And like their older counterparts, these youngsters were wrestling with multiple perspectives as they wrote from the point of view of God, Noah, and the animals.
Eighth graders shared beautiful paper cut collages, using a traditional Jewish art form and speaking about the use of symbolism. Each piece of artwork exhibited extraordinary attention to detail. Students had taken time to read with care, observe carefully, and patiently craft narrative writing and original art.
Young children are capable of thinking more deeply about spiritual issues than developmental psychologists sometimes acknowledge.
In class, I listened as sixth graders described the issues they’d be researching in their ethics project to our guests. Just as 8th graders were clear on the process, so were these students. But, there was more as they too reminded listeners of the importance of understanding multiple viewpoints, underscoring the importance of this work if “we’re going to do what’s right and ethical because the dilemmas are complicated.”
I have long believed that young children are capable of thinking more deeply about spiritual issues than "experts" sometimes acknowledge. The second grade thank you journal, some of which were shared at our assembly—offered appreciation to God for such diverse groups as garbage collectors, doctors caring for members of their family, and “Mrs. Siegel helping to make me a better person.”
We welcomed our guests with the singing of Mah Nora’ Hamakom Hazeh, a text drawn from the week’s parashah (weekly Torah portion) in which Jacob awakens from his sleep and declares, “Surely, God is present in this place, and I did not know it…How awesome is this place!” Last Wednesday morning, we certainly felt God’s presence in the voices of our students as they built community, reaching out to their grandparents and special friends by weaving a fabric that integrated academic skills and Judaism.
B'shalom,
