Yearly Hebrew Review

The goal of the Yearly Hebrew Review is to establish a system of checks and balances that confirm that our students are learning the material taught in their classes and are ready to move up to the next level of Hebrew. Sample reviews with an answer key will be given to the students so that they are not surprised. Teachers will receive the Reviews, Sunday April 27^th, in their folders. Please administer and grade the Review on May 4th. I need all the results by Sunday May 11^th.

Dessert Seder Tuesday Night

Tuesday night, April 22 at 7:00 P.M., is our annual Dessert Seder. Our second grade, led by the teachers and our music and dance specialists, will do a special presentation of Passover songs and Israeli dance, and our Hebrew students will help lead the Seder itself. I encourage all to attend--If you are interested in joining us, contact the Temple as soon as possible.

Checking Your Folders

Dear Teachers,

We put notices in your folders. I often will comment on your lesson plans or on your attendance rosters. Please check your folders every time you teach for something new. Thank you.

- The Management

Always Being On

School begins when the first child arrives and ends when the last one goes home. Please inscribe this on the doorposts of your brains. We are here for the children and we are a team that must work together to make sure ALL of our students are in a safe, warm, welcoming, Jewish, and friendly environment. If you see that something is going wrong or some child seems lost, or is not where they should be or is doing something great, please take responsibility for that child. Take ownership in all 400 of our students. It takes a village of teachers to raise a school of children.

Passover Lesson Plans

Take the concept of the 4 sons from the Haggadah. Take a piece of paper and divide it into 4 sections. Have the students artistically interpret each of the sons in their own way. This should only be after a detailed discussion of the four sons.

Reinterpret the fours sons to be . . . the four daughters, the two daughters and two sons, the 4 futuristic children, the 4 children of the XBOX generation, etc . . .

Redefining the Seder plate. Go over the symbols on the seder plate. Discuss the meaning of all of the symbols on the plate and then reinterpret them. What else could be used? Have them create their own personal seder plate the uses the meanings of the symbols but uses different symbols.

Ten Texts for Jewish Teachers-Text 8: Loving Corrections

The word "reprove" means telling someone that that he or she is doing something wrong. Teachers do a lot of "reproving" (or rebuking). For the rabbinic tradition, reproof is both a mitzvah and a skill. We are obligated to find ways of giving negative feedback that do not embarrass and which are possible for the person receiving them to hear. Listen to this piece of Talmud.

Rabbi Tarfon said, "I wonder if there is anyone in this generation who accepts reproof...." Rabbi Yohanan ben Nuri said: "I call heaven and earth to be a witness for me that Akiba was often punished through me because I used to complain about him to Rabban Gamaliel. The more I did it, the more he showered love upon me. This makes true the verse in the Torah "Reprove not a scorner less they hate you; reprove the wise and they will love you (Proverbs 9.8)." (Arakhim 16b)

In his book, Sparing the Rod, A Torah Perspective on Reward and Punishment in Education, Meir Munk gives the following commentary in this passage.

Punishment is effective only when administered by a loving friend, for then the recipient understands that it is meant for his/her own well-being. Indeed, even if it hurts, his/her love will grow as a result... The Chofetz Chayyim points out that Rabbi Yohanan acted as he did only because he was sure that Rabbi Akiva would respond positively. The pupil's positive response to a teacher's disciplinary measures depends on knowing that the teacher loves a student. The Hazon Ish teaches, "To influence students you must first shower them profusely with profound love."

Our job as teachers is to figure out ways of correcting our students that feel loving.

Gris

-taken from the weekly email from Torah Aura