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.