Dream Doctors - Religious School Tzedakah Recipients

This year our sixth graders selected the Dream Doctors Project to be the recipients of our Religious School Tzedakah Drive.  The following video gives an inside look at the profession of "Medical Clowning" in Israel and specifics about the Dream Doctors Project.  It's a fantastic way to help hospitalized children, and I'm proud of our sixth graders for selecting such a wonderful organization!

'Tis the Season... for creative Chanukah videos on You Tube!

The new Fountainheads video, "Light up the Night":


The new Maccabeats video, "Miracle":


The 'old' Maccabeats video, "Candlelight," an oldie but a goodie:

Hebrew through TPR

This year we have a new "Hebrew Task Force" that is looking at better ways to teach Hebrew in our Religious School in the coming months and years.  As part of this effort, we have implemented a form of language learning called TPR (Total Physical Response), based on a curriculum called "Ivrit Bitnuah - Hebrew through Movement" developed by Dr. Lifsa Schachter and edited by Nachama Skolnik Moskowitz and Paula Sass at the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland.

TPR is a method of language learning that was developed in San Jose in the 1970s by Dr. James Asher, and it is based on the belief that people learn languages best the same way they do when they are babies / toddlers.  You begin by listening and watching, then doing, then a long time later, you learn how to speak.  We are implementing TPR in a few of our Religious School classes this year as an experiment to find out how it helps our students learn Hebrew.  My two primary goals for TPR at Isaiah are for kids to find Hebrew learning fun / engaging, and to provide a better aural / oral basis for learning how to decode and recite prayers.

The following links take you to videos of TPR with kids and adults of all ages... see below these links for videos of very our own students learning Hebrew through TPR at Temple Isaiah!

TPR and language acquisition

6^th grade Spanish demonstration of TPR

4-6 year olds learn German (definitely not the first TPR lesson!)

TPR with adults (learning English)

TPR, young kids learning English, run / stop / jump / etc.

TPR in Africa

Hebrew TPR with our Kindergarteners & 1st graders:


Hebrew TPR with 3rd and 4th graders in Teva (nature track):


Hebrew TPR with 5th & 6th graders in Edot (culture track):

New Music by Shira Students

Throughout the year our Shira students learn a lot of new Jewish music.  Some of the music is actually new (i.e. written recently), and some of it is simply new to our students and/or our community.  This year, the Shira students were asked to re-write lyrics to melodies of songs they have learned so far this year.  They wrote lyrics about Thanksgiving or their experiences in Shira... they had free reign to be as creative as they wanted to be!  For more information about what Shira has been up to, please feel free to visit Elaya's Shira blog.  In the meantime, check out the following four videos of their 'performances' for one another in class, right before the Thanksgiving break:

Max, Ben, Benji ("Turn the World Around" melody):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cQmCpT9j_Y

Maddy, Margot, Sophia ("The Hope" melody):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sOnzGpsY6c

Ellie, Lily, Hannah P., Deborah, Emma ("Oseh Shalom" melody): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3zay6iGIyk

Sarah M., Alexandra, Sarah M. ("Sabbath Prayer" melody): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N22GSxB0NA

Creation Story by Teva Students

3rd & 4th graders in our Teva (nature) program created a really cool video that tells the story of creation from Genesis 1... check it out!

Why I can't stand the term "Religious School"

Ever since I was a little kid, "Religious School" has had a bad rap.  I didn't like "Religious School" as a kid, and even though I am the Director of a Religious School now, I still can't stand the terminology.  Let's see if I can break down the reasons why the term "Religious School" drives me bananas (but also why we haven't changed it at Temple Isaiah):

• Neither "Religious" nor "School" describes Jewish education very well.  The term conjures up images of kids sitting at desks with textbooks discussing 'religious' things like what the Bible says about X or Y and what kids should know / believe about God.  However, that is not what Jewish education is (or should be, in my view)...
• Jewish education is best when it doesn't look like, sound, or feel like "school."  Yes, we have a curriculum and teachers, and yes, we are trying to help our students learn.  But in my mind, that's where the similarities between "Jewish education" and "school" should end.  We are not trying to teach subject matter for the sake of mastery of facts or progression from one grade to the next.  We are trying to teach identity, to instill a sense of commitment to and excitement about Jewish life and Jewish peoplehood.  Many studies have shown that the best forms of Jewish education (i.e. the ones that 'work' the best) are informal - Jewish camps, youth groups, trips to Israel, etc.  So the less our educational programs look like 'school,' the more successful they will be in trying to achieve our goals of building Jewish identity, enthusiasm, and commitment.
• Jewish education is not necessarily (and certainly not always) "religious."  Judaism is a religion - sort of - but it is also a culture, a people, a way of life, a tradition, a community, a nation, a sense of identity and a way of seeing and understanding the world.  Jewish education ought to help kids find various entry points to Jewish life - to see themselves as part of the chain of tradition of the Jewish people, in whatever way that might be.  So when we call our program "religious," it is pretty misleading.  For some people, the religious aspect of Jewish life is essential, compelling, meaningful.  For others, 'religion' itself is a turn-off and something to avoid.  We do talk about and learn about 'religious' things in Jewish education - we explore different connections to God, we study 'religious' texts, we experience prayer - but it is a misnomer to say that what we are doing is 'Religious School' in its entirety.

So why do we still call our program at Temple Isaiah "Religious School"?  I think it's due to advertising / PR... because of the longstanding view that many parents have that they should send their kids to "Religious School."  When people visit our website, and they have children ages Pre-K to 6th grade, one of the first things they look for is information about our "Religious School."  If we change the name of our educational program to something else, we would probably still have to put the term "Religious School" in parentheses to let people know that it's our version of Religious School, even though it has a different name.  

Also, what would be a better, more descriptive name?  The term "Talmud Torah" is a little bit better, since the word "Talmud" comes from the Hebrew word for learning / teaching, and the word "Torah" of course refers to the actual Torah but also to the whole corpus of Jewish literature / text / learning.  So that could work.  Do you have other ideas?  I'm open to suggestions!!

Health

Health is a funny thing.  One minute you're fine, and the next you've got something that won't go away.  I was diagnosed with pneumonia recently, and it's been a strange and somewhat new experience for me.  The doctor keeps telling me to stay home and rest, but it's just not in my nature to take it easy!  Nevertheless, I'm trying to follow doctors' orders and take care of myself.  In the meantime, I've been thinking a lot about the miracle of our bodies (see my previous post) and my gratitude that most things do work, most of the time.  Baruch Atah Adonah, rofeh kol basar u'mafli la'asot.  Blessed are you, Adonai, who heals all flesh, working wondrously.