Necessities for my class: Hebrew Letter Cards, tzedakah box and, of course, candy
Autumn. That wonderful smell in the air, foliage changing colors, no more lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer. However my love for this time of year is for a completely different reason: religious school begins once again.
For most children, the return to public school brings with it mixed feelings. There is excitement regarding new clothes/backpacks/school supplies/teachers, coupled with the let-down regarding the end of summer camp/late nights/homework/return of responsibility. For Jewish children, the addition of “Sunday School” or “Hebrew School” can bring an additional groan of despair and the start of a list of excuses to miss class.
Growing up, I was one of those kids who was bored in religious school. The textbooks were boring and outdated. Every year brought more of the same curricula: holidays, Torah stories, and Hebrew – all taught the same way, with the same activities for each. And, quite possibly the worst part of it, was that all my teachers resembled my grandparents. How could I possibly relate to these old, wrinkly, gray-hairs, with their liver-spotted hands and mothball-scent? Easy – they gave out candy for correct answers.
So why, pray-tell, does the beginning of religious school excite me? As a teacher of Complementary Jewish Education (CJE), also known as “Sunday School” or “Hebrew School”, it is my aim to educate and retain young Jews. Or, as I call them, my “Hebrews and Shebrews.” I teach 5th grade Hebrew prayers and Judaic Studies. While the texts I use are updated versions of those I worked with 18 years ago, I refuse to teach straight from the book, the way I was subjected to. This is no easy task, but I am lucky to have a network of 35 Jewish educators from the US and Israel to brainstorm with. This is the main reason I was excited to get back to teaching this year: I spent 10 wonderful days in Israel with 35 amazing educators, discussing the current state of Jewish education, how to make class fun and engaging, and how to go about enacting these changes upon our return to school.
One huge hurdle many of my colleagues and I shared is the dreaded first few days of Hebrew review. For some, this review lasts well over a month. As educators, we smile at the students, knowing full-well that they did not pick up their Hebrew texts throughout the summer. Usually, many students will try to skirt the truth and say they “looked it over” just before school began, or “I went to a Jewish summer camp and we did the Shabbat blessings each week.” Great, kid. Motzi, Kiddush and Candle Blessings recited from memory. Yet you can’t distinguish Kaf from Chaf, still confuse Zayin and Tsadee, and your vowel recognition needs work. Retention problems are par for the course in any secular school subject, so why should religious education be any different? This would usually irk me. However, my fellow educators have helped me realize there are bigger fish to fry, so to speak, so I’ll trudge through boring review with my students, get them all caught up, then move onward and upward (next up – learning the V’ahavta and Shalom Rav.)
While these first few weeks are filled with review, introductory lessons to the Judaic Studies portion of the class, and, of course, discussion of the High Holy Days, they are also filled with excitement and building a routine. I’ve taught my new students for just 4 sessions, and they already know when Ms. Smith picks up her Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, it’s time to be quiet. When they see the Hebrew Letter Cards with vowel wheels emerge from the closet, it’s Round-Robin Review. And there is always the tried and true method from my childhood: candy for correct answers.
