What I like the most.

The Beth Or Preschool's four year old class came to visit the Jewish Academy a month or so ago. One of the Moms asked me "What do you like the most about this school?"

I think what I really like the most are all of the benefits that a child gets from being in a small school. My favorite examples are experiential, about teamwork and thoughtfulness. Here are some examples.

For Thanksgiving the children had a mitzvah (good deed) project. They were required to earn money for tzedakah(charity) by doing chores at home for two weeks. They were each expected to earn a minimum of five dollars. It was made clear to the parents that we were not supposed to just send $5 to school for this. In the end, the children all worked hard and exceeded their earning goal. Then, a week before Thanksgiving the school went to Kroger's to buy the supplies for Thanksgiving dinner for two families that are being helped by Jewish Family Services. Each child got a note card with one item they were responsible for finding (written in English and Hebrew). Each child got to help with the self-checkout and feed a few dollars into the checkout machine to pay. Jewish Family Services came to the school to pick up all the food later that day.

Every Friday afternoon the whole school sits in a circle. The general studies teachers for each class talk about what they studied that week and usually engages the kids in some sort of exchange about the topic. Rabbi Aaron or a guest Rabbi shares some wisdom about the Torah portion of the week. Often a Mom comes with her guitar and everyone enthusiastically sings songs. Parents often come to visit at this time and join-in. The nice thing is that all the students sit together and get a chance to participate in the group conversation.

For Hanukkah the school went to a retirement home with many Jewish residents, to sing Hanukkah Songs. The children have practiced every day. They understood that they are doing this to bring happiness to others. They had a good time, had outstanding behavior, and the residents really enjoyed the luncheon. A couple of children even went around to each resident at the table and wished them individually a happy Hannukah. They got lots of hugs and smiles in return.

The entire school plays together on the playground at recess. The big kids play with the little kids. The kids are all nice to each other. I don't hear about meanness or teasing.

The academics are terrific. R.'s brain is challenged and grows every day. But the sort of experiences written above are really shaping her heart and her soul. That is my favorite thing about the school.

Learning Hebrew

R. is learning to read and speak modern Hebrew in kindergarten and she loves it. She has about 10 minutes of Hebrew reading homework Monday through Thursday, and after three months is just beginning to read consonant/vowel combinations phonetically. All the kids in the class are at different levels with their Hebrew reading at this point, as it should be. They are only 5 yrs old.

R. has already used her Hebrew. When we were in Ft. Lauderdale over Thanksgiving break we stopped in a beachwear shop to buy her flip flops. The owner of the store was an Israeli woman and I was speaking to her in my rusty Hebrew . I asked R. (with whom I never speak Hebrew) what color flip flops she wants "Eze tzeva?" and R. answered "adom" (red). The store owner was just blown away. Perhaps she was too easily impressed, but she was so excited about this little American girl learning Hebrew that she ignored all of her other customers for almost 10 minutes and then threw in a stuffed animal and a mini-license plate with R's name on it as a gift.

"They" (the experts) say that learning a second language is terrific for the young brain. I'm pleased that we've been able to send her to a school that teaches a second language that is also meaningful to us as Jews. She will use it every time she attends a religious service and, G-d willing, when we take a family trip to Israel one day. One thing's for sure. When R. finds herself in an Israeli owned store again, I am sure that our little fashionista and stuffed animal aficionado will use whatever Hebrew she can to receive good service.

The common question

When I say that my daughter attends The Jewish Academy of Wake county the most common question asked is "Isn't it Orthodox?"


At the Jewish Academy we are all just parents and kids. Half of the families and kids in the school happen to practice Orthodox Judasim and half of us do not. The philosophy of the school is to teach what we all have in common.

I think what I need to reply when that question is asked is "What specifically are you concerned about?"

For instance, people have often asked if the girls and boys at the school pray and learn together, and if there is a mehitzah (divider). There is no mehitzah at the Jewish Academy. The children participate in all religious activities together with no separation of genders.

Another question that comes up is "Do you have to keep kosher now?" Although we are members of the Conservative movement that also believes that keeping kosher is an important Jewish practice, my family does not currently keep kosher and nobody at the Jewish Academy has made us feel uncomfortable about that choice. The children that come from homes with different levels of kashrut observance have playdates and attend each others Birthday parties.

As far as Judaic studies go, I am not actually scholarly enough to understand the theological differences in how the kindergarten version of the story of Abraham (for example) would be taught differently in the different synagogue's religious schools or in other day schools. I do know that she is learning a great deal (often teaching me something new) and always takes away a lesson, be it tzedakah, the mitzvah of welcoming guests into your home, or wishing a sick friend a refuah shelemah (complete recovery). She really loves the Judaics lessons and so I'm happy.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

We recently had our parent/teacher conference with R.'s kindergarten teacher, Morah (teacher) Erin. Our kid is doing very well, but we still had a lot to talk about. We had a thorough conversation for almost 40 minutes (much longer than the scheduled time). We were not rushed out. Because of the small class she is able to schedule one conference a day.

The conference started with a self-evaluation sheet that R. had filled out. It asked questions about classroom behavior. R. had filled out the sheet very truthfully with some self-criticism and plenty of self-praise. We thought it was both cute and telling.

Then we looked through R.'s writing journal to see how her penmanship, writing, and expression of ideas has improved over the past couple of months. The kids work in a journal every day and it's R's favorite thing to do. It was really fun to look through and read and the progress was amazing.

We learned something about the way our daughter reacts to pressure that we didn't already know. At first, we doubted that Morah Erin was even correct, but now I see exactly what she was talking about. I am now working on adjusted my own behavior while watching R. do her homework. We were also told to stop spelling things for her, which is a really, really hard habit to break, but we're working on that as well. (A retired teacher who volunteers at the school also tapped me on the shoulder in the middle of Shabbat services to remind me that I need to stop spelling for her. How's that for a community school? I love it. It takes a village!)

As parents we send them off for a day of learning and only get back little snippets of what went on in that time. I do feel very lucky, as a parent, to have my child in a school that is small enough to provide me with such a clear window into my child's school life. I am also thankful for a teacher who is willing to sit down with us for a long conversation about how to help a child who is doing well to do even better.

The Happiest Shabbat Circle, Ever.

Last week Rabbi Aaron told the kids that they are supposed to be happy on Sukkot, and boy did they take that to heart. The singing during Shabbat circle got so loud and so enthusiastic that the teachers were both giggling. As the parents walked in they were very surprised and pleased. A joyous sound filled the room and probably the parking lot. Y., the quietest boy in the kindergarten class was singing the lively version of Etz Hayim Hee so loud and with so much expression that the other kids started singing louder and louder and laughing. At some point R. stood up, raised her hands in the air and started dancing in place like a dancing Torah for Simchat Torah. It was the happiest way to finish the week.

This Week's Thoughts

They are learning something!

Isn’t it amazing when you realize that your child has learned something that you had no idea they knew. We went to Shaarei Yisrael for Kaballat Shabbat on Friday night and R. and a friend (both in kindergarten) recited the Veahavta by heart. The congregation was saying it quietly and Rabbi P. Herman had the two kids recite it outloud in the traditional tune with their little 5 year old voices. Boy, I was surprised and proud! I had no idea that they knew it that well. The whole place was smiles. It was very cute.

Teachers that communicate.

I received a 343 word email from R.’s Hebrew teacher reporting R.’s progress in class. I did a word count for the purpose of this blog because I was just so floored. Not only did it give a detailed account of what R. is learning quickly or struggling with, but it gave me an intimate view into how R. interacts in class with other children. While reading the letter I felt that I was as close as being a fly on the wall as I could be. This is definitely one of the enormous benefits of being in a small school.

Some Thoughts About Camaraderie

About Parents:
I was just reading the weekly newsletter sent to the parents from the K-1 teacher and realized that most of the parents of the K-1 students either volunteer at the school, teach at the school, donate things to the classroom or pick up things from the teacher’s wish list when they are at the store. It’s just a wonderful group of families. I’m so glad that the teacher lets us know what everyone else is doing. If parental involvement in a school is a measure of the school’s quality, we are top notch.

About Kids:
Last week at Shabbat circle Rabbi Aaron had such a large pile of mitzvah notes from the kids that he couldn't even read them all. One was really sweet and stuck in my mind. A kindergarten boy does not like to eat and often refuses to eat his lunch. The Rabbi read a mitzvah note that said that this little boy had eaten his lunch nicely one day. All of the kids and the teachers clapped and congratulated him as the Rabbi explained that taking care of your body is also a mitzvah. The little boy had a big smile. His was the only mitzvah that received applause.

From a kid's perspective:
R. my child, said the other day “My school does not have very many kids in it, but when we all play together, it feels like there are lots of kids.”

Teaching Art

I teach art on a volunteer basis at the Jewish Academy every other Friday to the K-1 class. You’d think by the end of the week the kids would be tired and ready for the weekend, but they are so great and are so easy to work with. So far I have had no discipline issues to deal with and every child has been happy to sit down and work on whatever I’ve brought for them to do.

For the first lesson we did color wheels, starting with primary colors. What amazed me was how exciting they found this simple exercise. One boy got the brown right on the first try and was so proud. They all were very impressed with his color wheel.

Then I passed around pictures of Color Plane and Minimalist paintings for them to look at and say how the colors and shapes were making them feel, and then they painted their own. They all came up with different results. Some wanted to add black tape, to mimic the black lines in Mondrian’s paintings, so they did that. This was a really good project to start with.

This past Friday I brought in tons of photos cut out of magazines and had them make a collage that tells a story. This was a much more complicated project than the first one, but all of the kids attacked it head-on. One little girl, a sports lover, composed a story about a basketball player coming to her house for dinner. Another showed a picture of a lady surrounded by all of her stuff (like in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings).

One first grader started an epic work about a man and woman going on a great adventure to discover new lands. She decided that her plans were too great to complete during my class, so she folded up her project, put it in her box, and announced that she would complete it during the week. Erin, the teacher, has an expression, "If you have think you are done, you have only just begun." I think that this attitude of working on something long and hard rather than just getting it done is great. I am so glad that she is willing to have these art projects last longer than just the time I am there so that the kids that want to can complete something they are proud of.

Uniforms

My first reaction to R. having to wear a uniform to school was negative. I thought it would squelch an opportunity for self-expression. Now that we're into the school year, I realize that I was completely wrong.

First, the uniform itself is open to some variation. The guidelines are a white or light blue collared shirt, and navy or khaki bottoms. The style of these items is not dictated, nor is the policy strict. Nobody seems to mind if a kid shows up missing a collar or wearing brown rather than khaki pants. They can wear any outerwear they want or layer colorful shirts underneath, so the kids walk in looking like individuals. One little girl wears boys soccer shorts under a navy tunic, another layers a sheer lacy tunic on top, and the boys are all untucked and boyish. But still, getting dressed in the morning is easy.

Today the kids are helping a volunteer Mom plant flowers and herbs in the planters on the school deck, so the uniform was waived for the day. Old clothes were recommended.

R. woke up at 6:48 (before the alarm) and immediately set to the task of figuring out what to wear, taking all of the clothes out of the drawers. I suggested that R. just wear an older, stained uniform but this idea was immediately nixed. What was I thinking? 20 minutes later, after 3 inappropriate outfits were tried on, modelled, and returned to the overflowing drawer, R finally came in with a pair of khaki pants (uniform appropriate, actually) and an old long sleeve t-shirt that's a bit too small.

If there was no uniform, we would have to set the alarm 20 minutes earlier or spend time every evening planning an outfit. I'm glad to have that time to sleep or play an extra game of Uno.

The Jewish Academy of Wake County

The reason I decided to write this blog is to give one parent's perspective on our little school. I must state from the onset of this blog that I am not an impartial observer. My heart is in The Jewish Academy of Wake County. I want this school to grow, and getting out the good word is as important as providing excellent education.

I will refer to my child as "R".

The first three weeks of school have proceeded marvelously. R. is learning so much in kindergarten. I am amazed by how much R's handwriting has improved. In three weeks R. has gone from writing in all wobbly capitals to writing a majority of upper and lowercase letters correctly on lined paper. R. loves writing. They have a journal that they write (or draw) in every day and then they have begun to share those journals with the class once a week.

Last Friday I volunteered in the office. I listened through the door as the K-1 class shared their journals with the 2nd and 3rd graders and the 2nd and 3rd graders read stories they had written to the K-1 class. Then, at Shabbat circle on Friday afternoon, they all sat together again, telling more stories about their weeks, singing songs, and listening to a visiting Rabbi talk about the parshat hashavuah. The Shabbat circle is open and parents often attend. One parent brings her guitar to accompany the singing. What a great way to end a week!

So far, every day I have picked R up from school and asked "How was school?" R's answer has been "Good" or "Great". What more can a parent ask for?