tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18070454616645882662023-11-16T02:14:34.594-05:00Frontal Free - Getting Jewish Teens to Teach Themselves - Kikayon ProductionsDave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-85961034572117831462017-05-10T14:40:00.002-04:002017-05-10T14:40:31.305-04:00FRONTAL FREE: The Death Star
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<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder
of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Kikayon
Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">, creating turn-key solutions for Jewish
education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> Our
“TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt. Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://www.kikayonproductions.com/torah-time-live"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">click
on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">OK, fine, the above title <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">might</i> sound a little overdramatic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But it’s a specific reference, not to the <u>Star
Wars</u> saga, but rather to a metaphor often and effectively used by the
director of my college a cappella group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was often complicated getting the guys in our all-male group to
settle down, pay attention, and put away their snark long enough to practice
some actual music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But as the end of the semester
performance approached, and we realized we night soon face upwards of 800
ticket-buying customers waiting for a fantastic show, rehearsals became more
intense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was absolutely crucial that
we quiet down and focus up in order to hear each other, emphasize our dynamic
crescendos, and be sure not to overpower the lead singer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of these were pitfalls we’d encountered
from other groups countless times, and we refused to put on an underwhelming
show, especially one that alienated the paying crowd.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, one time around October, our
director, in his own quiet, metered manner, had us stand in a circle, no music
in our hands regardless of whether we’d really committed the sheet music to
memory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old “feel the music” bit
seemed to loom in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rather
than giving us his best Robert Preston monologue, he instead told us to close
our eyes and picture the Death Star.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
the most recent <u>Rogue One</u> solo film from the saga, there are numerous
sequences featuring the Death Star firing its planet-vaporizing laser as the
device blazes a path of destruction through a stream of guinea pig worlds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But each time the laser is fired, we
see the same guys in helmets push the same button array, then throttle up the
same switcher handle, then, for some ungodly reason, cower right beside the
green beam as it spouts from the sphere towards an unsuspecting doomed
population.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the same visual
sequence each time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And each time, it
yields massive success, albeit in massively destructive form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But hey, they’re building a weapon, so bully
for them.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL8rCyVyKG-EJGE9Es-FC7m9IOuEAJsceeLf19rDRf32hoE4WFd1EgcAXiowgd1GQ4BgEXtr33DcKas1xa6dTJCJbhW4Miy2L4bQnxFZdV6VnuM3CADDSfwIXnEyO3OGj5fFGUvgjBOU/s1600/Lego_Star_Wars_-_Set_10188_Death_Star_%25286884957101%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL8rCyVyKG-EJGE9Es-FC7m9IOuEAJsceeLf19rDRf32hoE4WFd1EgcAXiowgd1GQ4BgEXtr33DcKas1xa6dTJCJbhW4Miy2L4bQnxFZdV6VnuM3CADDSfwIXnEyO3OGj5fFGUvgjBOU/s320/Lego_Star_Wars_-_Set_10188_Death_Star_%25286884957101%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Back to the rehearsal room in
college:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>what our director would tell us
is how all those techs in the Death Star worked together to yield the full
destructive power of the laser weapon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if we could focus ourselves likewise, centering ourselves in the
circle on a single purpose, a unified sound, then we would be able to unleash
that sound directly at the audience, leaving any other group in our wake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I must say that, even the first time we tried
it – standing in a circle, eyes closed, stretching out our arms with hands
sandwiched together directly into the middle of the circle until we just barely
touched fingertips – it worked.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">From the quietude burst forth a high
energy, yet fully controlled sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
learned, we experienced, in an instant how powerful the group dynamic could be,
how capable we were when we found focus and solace, and how difficult it can be
to get yourself to that point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Death
Star metaphor brought us there in an instant, and we continued to use it throughout
the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So this blog post is about many
things:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>shared experiences, group
dynamics, meditation/self-awareness/mental contraction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When dealing with students or kids coursing
with energy, whether because of personality or time of day or their excitement
over an upcoming event, it really is possible to find a way for them to
self-calm, self-soothe, and move along smoothly into the next activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have a busload of kids jumping at the
bit to hit the street and run into whatever your destination was for the field
trip, and you need to give them rules and regulations regarding where they are,
don’t waste your time shouting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Establish a visual metaphor for them to
practice their focus, find their inner calm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You will never, ever be able to calm them down any more than you can
make a kid go to sleep or do their homework.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s no sense using logic to convince a child to do something if they’re
too hungry/tired/ramped up to pay attention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Give them a visual to clue them in to your expectations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have them practice the calming when they’re
able, in a predictable setting, so that they can recall the feeling of calm on
cue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Find your Death Star and teach it to the
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It could be the best gift you
ever give</span>.Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-76642380859306945812017-03-28T10:41:00.000-04:002017-03-28T10:41:36.976-04:00FRONTAL FREE: Coddling
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<div style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder
of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Kikayon
Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">, creating turn-key solutions for Jewish
education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> Our
“TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt. Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://www.kikayonproductions.com/torah-time-live" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">click on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes, someone I work with will
overhear a classroom activity I’m doing with my 5<sup>th</sup> or 6<sup>th</sup>
grade and peek in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, they might
just listen in from nearby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
sometimes I hear about it later, from them, or my principal, or feedback from a
parent.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Of course, there’s always going to be a
disconnect when someone partially observes your class or group session or
meeting out of context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine you’re
at work in the middle of an icebreaker where folks have names and facts of
other people at the meeting put on a sticker and stuck to their back, and they
must learn what’s on their back from having other people read the sticker, then
they have to find the person who’s mentioned in the sticker and meet them and
confirm the info…you get the gist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">NOW imagine someone with no idea what’s
going on suddenly entering the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re out of
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe they simply write off what
they’re seeing as a bunch of people screwing off at work instead of taking
things seriously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Considering that an
icebreaker has many benefits to it, not the least of which is improving
employee morale and boosting team bonding, what the person peeking in has to
say about the activity, and how they couch what they’ve seen when complaining
about it to someone else, can become altogether destructive to the office.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For me, this perfectly sums up the
occasional unfortunate turn of events when a parent or shul officer happens to
be near my classroom when my students are engaged in an energetic and even
silly game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If my students are tired and
I want to build their energy and enthusiasm and focus, all I need to do is play
a game, any game, that gets them on their feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Doesn’t have to be complicated at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Could be something as simple as having 2 teams of kids try to walk
across the room by laying Hebrew flash cards on the ground in a path and
telling them they can only move ahead after they’ve read a card.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">While many teachers I’ve met will
complain about having to teach grades 5-7 Hebrew school students, from what
I’ve heard, the complaints seem to revolve around the fact that this age of
students doesn’t like to sit still and be told what to think.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if you think that you’re not necessarily
telling them what to think, well, the kids are reacting to and rebelling against
a passive and frontal style of teaching, having the teacher stand in front of
the group and talk while the kids passively sit and presumably absorb the
information.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You, dear Reader, might
know by now that the theme of my blog, and what permeates my teaching efforts
and educational products, is the clarion call to frontal free pedagogy.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40RFOI2TlUikwfcwm2Rp09CiKF4I3kuo-UIOS-F6y7mXzqr8IgdFWKv43QcuxlwDBNXaYkuGv3a5Q72Me7NXIXIAtJImJcbX-SfGeb-x-CNUzP57_e11o5F1r3t4A60xB4Gf8fEzRbuc/s1600/1024px-PikiWiki_Israel_4250_Daliah_dancing_festival.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40RFOI2TlUikwfcwm2Rp09CiKF4I3kuo-UIOS-F6y7mXzqr8IgdFWKv43QcuxlwDBNXaYkuGv3a5Q72Me7NXIXIAtJImJcbX-SfGeb-x-CNUzP57_e11o5F1r3t4A60xB4Gf8fEzRbuc/s320/1024px-PikiWiki_Israel_4250_Daliah_dancing_festival.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m hoping and praying for a day when
someone walks by and sees or overhears my class doing something fun, whether it
be loud or silly or both, and rather than unfairly judge me and the group as
flaky or irreverent, they assume that we’re find new and exciting way of making
Judaism come alive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not coddling
the students by doing a fun activity, or a food-making activity, or an outdoor
dance activity, or a play or songs or improv or artwork or anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t do an activity without a lesson
attached, without a tangible takeaway, without assessment and follow-up and a
depth of understanding for my students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My biggest mistake over the years has
been not overindulging but under-indulging students in creative approaches to
learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The truth is that Hebrew is
more fun when you can keep the kids on their feet, and the kids who seem the
mouthiest become the best leaders in the class, sometimes taking the reins on a
project or activity and improving upon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So if you come by my class some time, and you see a kid whom others have
written off for bad behavior, and that kid is now leading a class activity…and
the activity addresses and explores something within our curriculum…and the
kids are wearing masks or making funny noises or building something elaborate
and cartoonish…please don’t judge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because
the next time we have class, they enter the room laughing, they’re open with
their opinions in discussion, and they remember and understand the material we
explored during that activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that
is how we not only teach but inspire these students as they’re flung headfirst
into the age of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">b’nai mitzvah</i>.</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-10113871624496910432017-03-21T10:00:00.000-04:002017-03-21T10:00:19.987-04:00FRONTAL FREE: Eraser
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<br />
<div style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder
of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><a href="http://media.wix.com/ugd/59c715_dcbbd4980dc442ab81f30e927dc2aeca.pdf" target="_blank"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play </a>series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt. Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: windowtext; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">click on “Our Store” for
more!</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m not proud of it, no sir.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, before the world, I shall
confess.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After these many years of
teaching and tutoring, I am most suspicious of the kid who always volunteers to
erase the board.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Not to be completely misanthropic, but
keep in mind that empathy is a learned, and not congenital, trait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So a child who perpetually volunteers to do
some chore in the classroom is not one I emphatically trust.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d even go so far as to say that they’re
doing it for, dare I say, ulterior motives.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Then again, you’ll never know what
those motives are until you give into them, no?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>So I let them erase the board, or clean the papers off the carpet,
rearrange books, what have you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they
do it until the day they take liberties, i.e. turnarounds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I turn around, and there’s the kid:</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 130%;">sharpening every pencil down to a nib;</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">erasing the board after I’ve filled it
with info for the next project;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">putting their feet on the desk, leaning
their chair precariously back on 2 legs;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">making countless suggestions for
improving the environs, including offering to open a window, close a window,
move the thermostat, make paper fans for everyone;</span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">and more!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But should I worry about this kid?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What do they really want, overall,
holistically?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They want attention, sure,
but also recognition of some sort, maybe even a closer relationship with the
teacher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I usually see the repeated
behavior as a cry from a student who feels they’re not going to be noticed for
the usual expected classroom interactions, like raising your hand and having
something cogent to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they’ve
practically given up on participating and think I’ll give them equal standing
for doing some light cleaning around the room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They’re wrong.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUi55ZMdID23peD_EKydHqXiA0rUyjO8ChHnjAu2BnxZkwckYeOKetqLGV-JSC76KPWUGa_wHQQ-i1IhWh8iuT5UufANYZSbCMiiRCATrvv74FUXqm_AEpGq8a5FzqdeJ5vaBsD7AiZ8/s1600/chalk-tray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieUi55ZMdID23peD_EKydHqXiA0rUyjO8ChHnjAu2BnxZkwckYeOKetqLGV-JSC76KPWUGa_wHQQ-i1IhWh8iuT5UufANYZSbCMiiRCATrvv74FUXqm_AEpGq8a5FzqdeJ5vaBsD7AiZ8/s320/chalk-tray.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I’m not upset when they offer to
help.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m pleased, I encourage it, and I
share my gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I certainly
don’t consider the kid to be rude or duplicitous or even cavalier in expecting
me to fawn over them just because they’re tidying up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, I figure that if they want to be
noticed, and they want to be put to work, I’ll make them an example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stop the class 5 minutes before the end
of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Announce that they have 5
minutes to clean up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And put the eraser
kid in charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then sit back and watch.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Do it every class for a week, a
month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And watch the eraser like a
hawk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, they’ll become proud of
their leadership role, which in turn might get them in better standing with
their classmates, despite their possibly falling behind in their studies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because when that kid connects with another
who knows what they’re doing, suddenly they become a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chevrutah</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">voilà!</i>,
you’ve solved another problem.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sometimes, though, the eraser doesn’t
like the attention drawn to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
want your confidence, not the spotlight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Gradually, you might see them regress from helper mode and maybe even
start finding reasons to leave the room, e.g. bathroom, water fountain, left my
_____ downstairs and my parents will kill me if I don’t get it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I let them go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t stop the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if they’re finding joy in finding success
in avoiding the classroom, that’s when my boss tells the parents, and we try to
conference to find the source of the kid’s behavior and how to amalgamate them
into the room again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It’s all for the best, in the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The eraser doesn’t really bother anyone with
their cry for help and acceptance, and if I let it go and see where it leads,
it almost always leads to the kid find the appropriate way to handle their
particular situation, or properly articulate on their particular complaint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Heaven knows I was an eraser kid for a while
years ago, that is, until I ran into the teacher who saw through me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I survived, persevered, graduated…and his
chalkboard never looked better.</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-66928705027465693012017-02-28T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-28T10:00:28.867-05:00FRONTAL FREE: A Fallacy of Empathy
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<div style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder
of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Kikayon
Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">, creating turn-key solutions for Jewish
education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> Our
“TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt. Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">click on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My goal in teaching children is to
teach Empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And Empathy cannot be
taught.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Empathy can be defined as the
human being’s inherent capacity for reaching into their own experience in order
to connect with another’s tragic loss or inspiring achievement, then lording
over a group of teens or toddlers or seniors, and dictating how they should
feel, isn’t the course of action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
yet for me, teaching Empathy is the most important aspect of Jewish education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So out of necessity, I’ve tried to develop a
teaching style that somehow, even indirectly, reaches this goal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unless you’re teaching students in a
daily, formal pedagogic setting, I argue that you must create lesson plans that
get the kids out of their seats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
acting out scenes or walking through their lessons, kids begin to internalize
the material you’re trying to convey, creating their own sense memory which
then helps them somehow attach and associate their own personal experiences to
the lesson.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I repeat this idea to myself
every time I see their eyes wander, squint, and gradually migrate to the clock
on the wall above me in the classroom…and if they actually get to the point of
asking “When’s recess?” before I’ve transitioned them into something active and
fun, I know I’m behind the 8-ball and should’ve been moving faster in my lesson
and paid better attention.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">That being said, all of us are now
experiencing what appears to be a ramp up of anti-Semitism in the United
States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it’s possible for me to face
and address the course of recent human events without emotion or personal
opinion, I’d like to be true to my blog and this company of Kikayon Productions
by talking about Empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’d like
to explore how these nefarious times we live in can be used constructively to
build sensitivity in the next generation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Experiential learning helps kids take the subject matter we teach and find
connections to their own lives, helping them build those emotional and synaptic
bridges that lead to a deeper, more personal understanding of why their Jewish
identity and heritage should mean so much to them.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I write this in the wake of at least 16
bomb threats called in today alone to Jewish community centers and day schools
in multiple states across the country, on the heels of numerous similar
incidents that have occurred just since the beginning of 2017.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I insist that we need to use the awful
events of today as teachable moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
should imply to students the gravity of the situation without dictating to them
how they should feel and react.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We must
trust in them that, once the kids are in the right frame of mind, their minds
will accept what we explain to them is going on around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And then what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which kids will feel righteous anger?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which will feel pity for those communities
affected?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Which will feel mercy for the
lost souls committing these crimes?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I don’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You won’t know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m not afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not afraid of the perpetrators of these
crimes, I’m not afraid to live in my community as a Jew in my own respect, and
I’m not afraid of opening discussions, and dialogue, and creative outlets and
outward responses with a group of ten-year-olds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And I have no agenda.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to see what happens, what they do,
what they come up with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe the
greater good in the room will lead to discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe it will lead to their wanting to write
letters of support, or raise money for a cause, or plan a trip to somewhere to
support a silenced minority in our community, who knows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But any one of these elements arising from a
quieted room will mark the burgeoning and blossoming of Empathy in our children,
in their hearts, in their minds, and in their collective conscience. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvW_2tMZ1rf-3EXFQFVVPEW4n5JsZsbovHmtTaiR8HKSToQoH-Gn_Y52q4TlYRJ0T6tjjJ3gbU6CmxZC2DGakUkeVWfdac0-xfgwiwRuDuICJgqVEH46TveL2YuE4BrJtnQ4FwQLPhuc/s1600/Look_for_the_Silver_Lining_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvW_2tMZ1rf-3EXFQFVVPEW4n5JsZsbovHmtTaiR8HKSToQoH-Gn_Y52q4TlYRJ0T6tjjJ3gbU6CmxZC2DGakUkeVWfdac0-xfgwiwRuDuICJgqVEH46TveL2YuE4BrJtnQ4FwQLPhuc/s320/Look_for_the_Silver_Lining_4.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We have a golden opportunity now to
make a true “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">gam zu l’tova</i>”, find a
Jewish silver lining from the recent ravages of anti-Semitism, whether brutal
or subtle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give your kids an article
about what’s going on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have them read
one paragraph.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Say to them, “Circle a location you
recognize.” “Tell me if you’ve heard about this from your friends.” “Do you
think it could happen here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because it’s
happening…right…now.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This isn’t about kids today being hyper
and sugared up and disrespectful to the extent that the only way to teach them
is to play a game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To me, this is about
the empiric need, in our community and society in general, to help our Jewish
children find and grow their sense of Empathy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When they truly feel for the characters or events or Torah stories at
hand or in the world around them, they will automatically become sensitive to
the material and take it personally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
lecture, no arm-twisting, nothing more needed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And once <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> as a teacher,
leader, or parent, realize they’ve crossed that line, you can do as I do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stare at them, stand up before them, and
simply ask them: </span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">“So…what do we do
now?”</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-7495707681426934792017-02-21T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-21T10:00:29.313-05:00FRONTAL FREE: What’s Your Point?<style>
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<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
creating turn-key solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series
is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt.
Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">click on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m sure it would be paradise to kids if,
at any given moment, they could face a grownup who’s addressing them, look the
adult in the eye and say, “What right do you have to tell me what to
do/think?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then again, they only respond
that way when they feel cornered, whether it be physically, emotionally,
functionally, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this makes
things difficult when trying to teach kids anything, the paradigm also implies
a destructive situation, where adults expect the kids to be voluntary, gentle
sponges, ready to sit there and absorb whatever information we throw at them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Imagine sitting in a room with a
message to deliver to the person walking in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You have no idea where that person was before walking in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t know what they’re thinking,
pondering, worrying about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they have
an instinctual coping mechanism of associating people with other people, as a
means of seeking familiarity with a situation and, therefore, a comfort level
in anything that comes at them and their capacity to handle it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, here comes a kid – maybe your
student, maybe it’s your own kid, maybe even your kid’s new friend – and you
don’t know how to approach them in order to teach your lesson or communicate
your message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, sure, I
calm down and observe them, maybe asking some open, innocuous question to gauge
their response, mood, attitude <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">du jour</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then I try to ask myself the same
question, the mantra I roll back over repeatedly throughout my time with the
kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What is my point?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Jewish education, if you’re truly
trying to reach and influence and instruct and educate a Jewish child, you
really should figure out what the point is of what you’re doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, honing in on that purpose, that
underlying goal of Jewish education, involves am examination of the philosophy
of the institution I’m in, be it a synagogue, school, camp, etc., or even the
family of the child I’m teaching, especially if I’m tutoring one-on-one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I consider how often the kid received
any Jewish education during the week as well as their exposure to it at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is why I occasionally have class
discussions on traditions and legacy and customs and holiday celebrations:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>not to test the kids but to ask what do <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">they</i> do, where do they go, what do they
make or eat or create to celebrate any holiday?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My point certainly changes over time,
not so much evolving as morphing to fit the needs of the children and the
situation at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, if it’s
raining outside and I’d planned a day of games for the kids, no matter what I
say, they still might feel like dragging their feet or complaining about broken
pencil tips even when I tell them I have fun things to do with prizes and open
rules and – they don’t care if they don’t care.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If they’re not in the mood for learning, then my point is to get them in
that mood, get them to where I want their attitude to be <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">before</i> launching into anything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other day, I had a student who
reads Hebrew well but flat out refused to read, at all, shutting down and
clamming up even though she’d just spent 10 minutes before class loudly
chatting with friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess what?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My priorities changed, right then and there,
to getting her and the others onto the same page before moving on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, remembering that the kid LOVES mythology,
I asked her to read the translation of the line of prayer I wanted her to read,
then used it as a launching pad into talking about metaphor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The line I wanted her to read, which
four other kids had just read aloud before I got to her, talks about G-d’s
house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I asked her what it could mean
for a god to have a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She
demurred.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another kid jumped and said it
could refer to a temple of worship, and I responded by confirming that it might
specifically have meant the Temple in Jerusalem.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What else, I said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Another mentioned that G-d’s house might be
the world, since G-d built the world to suit His plan, then that’s like
building your own personal home or space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With all that said, I circled back to
the kid in question and asked her not about the prayer itself, just to make
sure she didn’t shut down again, but now that she was listening to her friends,
I asked generically about a god having a house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>She said, it could refer to Olympus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I responded, devil’s advocate, that Olympus was the mountain that the
pantheon lived on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She argued back, no,
Olympus was the name of Zeus’ palace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
asked if it was his or if all the gods shared, and she said it was his palace,
but the gods all met there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I led her
into a tangent arguing about gods versus Titans, who was who, who won, which
god represented what, if Prometheus was a god or a mortal, what was a demigod
like Perseus, and she loved it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And she didn’t read a thing in Hebrew
that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What she did, though, was get
engaged in conversation, not isolate herself, hear her colleagues involved both
in that conversation and in the Hebrew reading so as to normalize it all in her
eyes, then bound off to recess in the building auditorium, where she and her
friends sat with notebooks and pencils and proceeded to write out the names and
attributes of every single Greek divinity they could remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tried to contribute and was cut down each
time, either for coming up with someone they’d already written down or coming
up with a name that didn’t belong on the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What’s the point, indeed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That table, the writing of the names of
mythological creatures, that was only mildly related to the context of the
prayer that, frankly, I wasn’t interested in discussing but, rather, just
wanted the kids to try reading the first 3-4 lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Something that should’ve taken 10 minutes at
most ended up taking 30 minutes of time, in which the kids got a solid context,
from me and each other, of the meaning of the words.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I used that talk to get into translation,
which I then used to break down longer words on the board, which led to repeat discussion
of Hebrew roots and morphology, etc. etc. etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We were supposed to practice the
prayer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But we also discussed and learned why the
prayer was there, what it meant, and what the kids might be thinking of while
reciting or singing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we
reinforced their reading skills along the way by doing more than just reading
it over and over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you read the same
word, you’ll memorize the word, and good for you, until I show you the same
word but with a prefix or suffix on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If you’re a kid and you read until you memorize, or you sing or chant
something into rote memory, you aren’t learning a thing about reading Hebrew,
and you’re truly cheating yourself out of the opportunity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But that’s what I did, then what they
did, and what we did, and what happened for the first part of class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not delving into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the point</i> of what we did, or I did that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what was the point, and how can it be
universalized to fit an overall mantra on teaching the next generation of
Jewish souls?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The point, the mantra, was that I wanted
to spot the kid in that group who was having the toughest time and find a
reasonable, relevant, but respectful way to get her back into our good graces. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I stopped the reading activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But then we together broadened the activity
into something more meaningful before I ultimately did bring the activity back
to having kids practice reading the Hebrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Again, whatever happened, happened, but my intention was to do what I could
to get that kid back on track with what the class was doing overall.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In fact, while the mantra might be “each
kid is their own person and has a right to be included in the class,” the
broader goal I have almost every time I enter the classroom is to have the
children leave the classroom at the end of that day with a smile on their face
about Hebrew school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their lasting
impression should be of a place of fun and philosophy, offering ideas but
asking for their input, where everyone’s ideas are valid and experiences
valued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They feel how wonderful it is to
celebrate their Jewishness, creating and developing their own Judaisms ahead of
their b’nai mitzvah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And at the end of a really good day, I can’t
get them to leave.</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-54943828061100847392017-02-14T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:51:29.560-05:00FRONTAL FREE: The Fiction of Circadia<style>
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<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
creating turn-key solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series
is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to Mt. Sinai, </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">click on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This shouldn’t take long, but it might.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as always, my situation might be specific
to Hebrew school but should apply universally to any teaching activity geared
towards grades 5 and up [ages 10+].<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids,
folks, crowds are different in the morning than they are in the late afternoon
and evening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know, this isn’t rocket
science nor is it breaking news, but I’m just here today to shine a light on
it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It needs to be addressed, in a world of
curricular goals but infinite pedagogic methods and modules, that we have to
prepare lessons while taking into account a myriad of factors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But those factors, while limiting our scope,
shouldn’t hamper us but, rather, guide and fashion how we approach each topic
and how we unpack the material for the kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of any or all of these factors, many of which are clearly independent
variables that could never be foreseen and, consequently, must be dealt with on
the spot, there are the predictable behaviors and expectations of students in
proportion to the time of day of the lesson and activity.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBKEh_HtTu79ZqMGI5IsmTuQtSX5F_wdvi7pbxjfMmuQlsNGIQkn-hHaXfV7HnytI7mD8v-MAA5AbDegWrMV-TOk1V-CT7ric05wKSKsh7eBCLSPU465p_381Zg-8jMDhB1XeMyxEiIY/s1600/Blue-Sky-Day-Sunny-Day-Sunset-Sky-Beauty-Summer-1331088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBKEh_HtTu79ZqMGI5IsmTuQtSX5F_wdvi7pbxjfMmuQlsNGIQkn-hHaXfV7HnytI7mD8v-MAA5AbDegWrMV-TOk1V-CT7ric05wKSKsh7eBCLSPU465p_381Zg-8jMDhB1XeMyxEiIY/s320/Blue-Sky-Day-Sunny-Day-Sunset-Sky-Beauty-Summer-1331088.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And I’ve known teachers, master
teachers with decades under their Torah belts, who completely eschew any classroom
or activity planning whatsoever, depending only on a combination of their
classroom management skills, wrangling kids into appropriate and acceptable
decorum, and their Spidey</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><sup><span style="color: black; font-family: "lucida grande";">®</span></sup></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> sense, knowing right away which games
to play or stories to tell or art project to develop in class based on the
overall tone of the kids in the room that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And I applaud those teachers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
I am them, at times, though I don’t think “winging it” to be an ideal plan for
success, nor is it ultimately an inclusive way to teach, as I’ve often heard
from students of these teachers, and their parents, who complain throughout the
year that their kid’s needs are overlooked in lieu of the rest of the class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While it’s easy to predict that kids
will be more tired on a Sunday morning in consideration of the fact that preteens,
for the most part, are just getting to the point in their lives where they’re
finally allowed to stay up and watch “Saturday Night Live” or some other social
late night activity [or maybe a Shabbaton], it’s just as easy to predict that
the mid-week Hebrew school kids will be tired after a 630am wakeup and full day
of school, thin lunch, sugary snack, and schlep in the car or bus to your
classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This means, as it seems, that the students
are always tired, regardless of the time of day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chronobiology, be damned.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So in planning classroom lessons and
activities, we use what we know, or think we know, to our advantage whenever
possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when we overthink whether
the students will be tired walking into class on a given day, we end up with
the Catch-22 that could lead us, frankly, to thinking the kids will be tired
EVERY time they walk in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And if that’s the case, or at least, if that possibility is an
impediment to your attempts to plan anything at all for your class, then simply
take that factor as a given and take it out of your equations.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I would argue the contrast between
“being tired” and “acting tired.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids
are tired, kids are nudgy, kids like to complain, and it’s age-appropriate for
preteens to act this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Notice that I
said they “act” this way, not that they truly “feel” this way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids want to be heard so badly at this age,
they often instinctually revert to the non-verbal cues, almost as if they’re assuming
that nobody will pay attention to them if they simply open their mouths and say
how they feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From this, we realize that many of the
kids now have a decade of experience of being taken, brought, driven, and
dragged from place to place without their consultation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even if that’s not entirely the case, by
the preteen years, they have the emerging need to make their own choices for
their own lives while still assuming that a grown-up will say “no.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It makes sense that they’d feel that way, and
that their manifest behavior reflects this notion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They want to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">want</i> something, and even if they don’t <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">really</i> want anything, they feel they <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">should</i> want something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wait,
but they also assume that nobody will give them what they want no matter how they
ask for it, even though they don’t really want anything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So they jump over the steps of identifying
and clarifying what they want as well as asking for it out loud, and they skip
right to the point of internalizing their resentment for grownups or leaders or
older kids or anyone who might take their request and hold it over them,
tantalizing them with…well, nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It’s this feeling of “I’m never gonna
get what I ask for, so I’m gonna sulk to get attention” that must be addressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And it’s my assumption, every single time I’m
in front of a group of kids ages 10+, that they’ll have this attitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re not tired, they’re not lazy, and they
didn’t suddenly forget the English language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There’s no such thing as spontaneous illiteracy, and I would guess that
sudden onset nominal aphasia would probably be ruled out as a reason that
they’re non-communicative. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I leave you with this notion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While teachers, leaders, and program
facilitators want so much to include every single child – and that’s a great
instinct – we must assume that kids need the time to ease into the classroom
each time, even when you’re bringing them back from recess or break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t want to be lectured, they don’t
want to feel like someone’s going to pounce on them or fire 100 questions at
them, and they aren’t so eager to launch into a complex activity with a lot of
rules and boundaries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I try to gauge my students’ attitude
and energy level by standing out in the hall for 30 seconds, listening to who’s
talking, what they’re saying, and if it’s relatable to Hebrew school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I walk in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, especially if it’s a small group, I
join their conversation and have it bloom into a more pointed discussion
related to one of my lessons of the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If they’re very quiet that morning, I often take out the Hebrew texts
and workbooks and have them do a few pages, then review and have them read
answers aloud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next activity would
start with reading something aloud, then asking what they think, getting them
talking about their own experiences, and families, and traditions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then they have to get up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have them act out a story, or dramatize a
situation they were just relaying, or even offer up alternate resolutions to a
moral conundrum you’ve presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then gradually
move the class into a more independent activity, where they’re either doing
individual projects, working as teams, or creating and running their own
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the end of the day, they
see themselves developing and facilitating their own program, insinuating both
a sense of independence and a feeling of ownership in the group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Those are the feelings the carry out
the door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And those feelings of
belonging and responsibility will grow until they return.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when they return on the next class day,
they’ll openly express to you their excitement for certain activities, their
enthusiasm for creating even more new experiences, and their sincere
appreciation for where they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you
will share with the students the joy and mystery of our Jewish legacy, which
must be rebuilt and renewed by each generation.</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-36961595576136723952017-02-07T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:51:36.039-05:00FRONTAL FREE: Amalgamation<style>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%;">
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dave Smolar is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">,
creating turn-key solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!” Parashah Play series
is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From Creation to </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">click on “Our Store” for more!</span></i></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ve written before about students in
class, or in a bunk or cabin at camp, or in a junior congregation or a friend’s
party or any group dynamic, who don’t tend to socialize.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are quiet, some resort to chronic
avoidance, some are oppositional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
might see a kid who sits down when you ask everyone to stand up, or keeps
asking “when’s recess?”, or simply puts their head down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, one of the few rules in my classroom
is that you’re not allowed to curl up in a fetal position under the table in
the room, which might sound extreme, but I’ve had plenty of students who think
it’s appropriate or that nobody will notice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not to give the wrong impression that
the antisocial child is the quiet one exclusively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, they’re the one that constantly
has to change the rules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if you
give an open-ended graphic arts project to the class, offering them to use
markers and pens for drawing, this one will use pencil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they’ll do a great drawing, but nobody
will be able to see it because it’s purposely drawn so faintly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here you have the child who acts resentful
that you’d give them a fun activity to do when they simply don’t feel like
having a good time that day.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD1WTMEbNALozOlB-PPI-eAfAk35ngYTT8awk2CfLSspnilzyEJdMvdGgvT4AWgpEmGAL4-cxNkcXaN2iTJRQy-P6JbORboA4RnYZARGhLirU4HS1VYUmXTTZheTAWHQZamBxwUvUenw/s1600/9340893312_58715e90d3_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD1WTMEbNALozOlB-PPI-eAfAk35ngYTT8awk2CfLSspnilzyEJdMvdGgvT4AWgpEmGAL4-cxNkcXaN2iTJRQy-P6JbORboA4RnYZARGhLirU4HS1VYUmXTTZheTAWHQZamBxwUvUenw/s320/9340893312_58715e90d3_b.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">OK, so if this behavior happens once in
a blue moon with a certain kid, so be it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I have my bad days, my energy crashes, my moody blues.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when you have a child who consistently stands
up in the middle of a lively discussion, goes to the window, and just stares
outside, you might not stop the class entirely but you should definitely take
note of the behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A distraction is a
distraction, and sometimes, for me, a kid doing that can be just as disruptive
as a kid calling out, or asking questions and making comments unrelated to the
discussion, or simply walking out of the room in the middle of an
activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If these things have happened in my
group work, they’ve happened to you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And
especially for the kid who simply walks out with a blank face, you’ve no idea
what they’re up to or what they’ll do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can’t just leave them unattended for a variety of legal and
pedagogic reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And maybe most
importantly, for their own sake, they can’t wander the building, because when
something goes wrong, they’re unaccounted for and therefore suspect number one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had a class I taught where I was
asked to take over mid-year, and when I asked about what the kids were like, I
was told, well, there’s a mix of interests and behaviors…and there’s also been
items stolen from cubbies, holes poked into the eyes of the photos of younger
children posted on the walls, and the occasional fire alarm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’ll be perfectly honest with you:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew which kid was the probable culprit,
not only of these alleged infractions and vandalism but responsible for driving
out not one but two teachers, both of whom quit by January.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Big deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kids are kids, everyone’s
different, everyone has challenges, you’re not in their head, you don’t live
their lives, and who are you to judge why they do what they do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But, at some point, I have to do my job and
teach the class, or lead the services, or have a discussion at camp, or train
them to read Torah, or plan a holiday celebration, or even write a Purim
shpiel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Obviously, I can’t let their aberrant
behavior go unaddressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But for me,
that’s not enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not interested in
kids who are complacent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want
robots, or sponges, or whatever the metaphor would now be for a child who hears
everything I say, writes it down, and regurgitates it in a monthly exam,
following which they promptly expunge the information from their noggin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what do I want?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I want the future of the Jewish
people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want pride, I want focus, I want
recognition of personal acceptance of legacy, foundation of religion in Torah stories,
and the understanding of the elasticity of Jewish tradition and family
customs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want them to know what they
need to know to get them started thinking about who they are as Jews, what it
means to them, and how their own personal code can be found in our
beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can teach them text, or a
story, or prompt them into discussion, but they need to do the discovery
themselves.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So if I have a child in a group who is
having trouble, the trouble they’re having is allowing themselves to feel a
part of the group, allowing themselves to value THEIR OWN thoughts and deeds and
beliefs and opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only they know
what they need, and sometimes the seemingly unfitting or inappropriate
behaviors they exhibit – maybe even through no fault of their own – signal us
as facilitators that what we’re teaching, or how we’re approaching it, isn’t
what works for them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I love discussions, getting kids to
brighten up and talk about themselves, couching their responses into Jewish
ideals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I know that discussions, as
fair as you might try to conduct them, will die off with preteens and teens
after about 10 minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So when my
brightest student stops me mid-sentence to ask me what time it is – with a
clock on the wall that’s been there for 5 months – I now know that they’re not
interested in knowing the time but want to get out of their chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I get them up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever I’m teaching, even if I’m in
mid-thought and want to continue the idea, I try desperately to stop talking,
get them up, and do some activity where they’re working things out with each other,
without me in the loop.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There is no alternative, there are no
choices here, and if you simply ignore one kid’s behavior, write it off, or even
marginalize it, you’ll marginalize the kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rather than feel a part of our people, they’ll feel more alone than they
could make themselves feel in the first place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The world doesn’t have to revolve around them, nor does it stop for
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But creating a dynamic teaching
atmosphere that brings the kids into the activity, to the extent that the kids
are leading each other and creating the module that day, just by seeing their
peers running the circus for a while, the “quiet kid” will realize that they,
too, can be the leaders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they will
begin to focus their energies that, once distracting and disruptive, now become
creative and productive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And there’s the respect that makes a
success of such lovingkindness in our small worlds.</span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-50340787952485639542017-01-24T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:51:42.747-05:00FRONTAL FREE: The Flag of the Snowflake<style>
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<b><u><span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></u></b><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In my
classroom, I keep a copy of the page from the ship's manifest that recorded
when the oldest of my father's uncles arrived at Ellis Island. Like so many
other things in the room, this too becomes a conversation piece. Often when I
teach about the ever-tightening US immigration quotas in the years leading up
to the creation of the state of Israel, I use this document as a tool for
unpacking my own family's history and travails in the Holy Land pre-1948. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As the
years slip by me, I'm increasingly fascinated by my recent ancestors' footsteps
around the world. But simultaneously, I must remind myself that each student or
program participant I encounter has their own story about how their family
survived as Jews to this day. And as we hear these various stories and map them
out, the stories grow stronger as their connections to each other become real,
intersecting through countries and journeys, and enhancing our collective
Jewish identity. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">These
Jewish kids are snowflakes. Each is a delicate but unique mix of heritage,
secularism, modern tech, and personal Judaism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each is influenced by all aspects of the world around them, both the
passive elements that envelop them and the active elements that are often so
forcefully thrown at them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOWl0dCT0znalA3Cp6Naux7nES3vt2EVqKdUAJI120iTO6CPPaqpV9sncPvasdqzlZiaSyWy802TdcEvEZbD-OxozrO1hqiFZEEqHj8jW9ckh-7QCdbc0MxMOL3AJWoeL34Noo_tZK-M/s1600/1280px-Deep_Water_Life_Apophysis_Fractal_Flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDOWl0dCT0znalA3Cp6Naux7nES3vt2EVqKdUAJI120iTO6CPPaqpV9sncPvasdqzlZiaSyWy802TdcEvEZbD-OxozrO1hqiFZEEqHj8jW9ckh-7QCdbc0MxMOL3AJWoeL34Noo_tZK-M/s320/1280px-Deep_Water_Life_Apophysis_Fractal_Flame.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Young
women and men approaching <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">b’nai mitzvah</i>
often face their first true identity crisis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They feel a need to figure out and concatenate the wide-sweeping pieces
that make up who they are as people, as Americans, as Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as it is for grownups too, their search
for identity can lead to an inner revolt and a demand for individuality,
raising the flag of the snowflake while declaring that they are their own
person and cannot and will not be told who they are or how they should live.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">This is
why outreach, inclusion, and empathy are so crucial in our approaches to
teaching them what it means to be a Jew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They need to feel us trying new techniques in the classroom and at home,
with games or puzzles or songs or anything that gets them up and moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They need to see us bringing them into a
larger circle of the Jewish community, with synagogue activities or youth group
events, anything to help them visualize that they are part of something that’s
not only a horizontal timeline of Jewish history and legacy but a vertical
connection to communities around the world and Jewish kids just like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
above all, they need to feel us empathizing with them, in their world and in
their minds, relating to them on a level that’s beyond adult and kid, involving
them in discussions and planning holiday celebrations and creating new and
novel liturgy, until they gradually feel the pull, the deep-seated responsibility,
the personal need to take ownership of their Jewish heritage and contribute to
their home, or school, or shul, or community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">My
ultimate goal is to teach them to be empathetic towards the Jewish people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But as empathy cannot be taught directly, it
must be seeded and nurtured, inspired and cultured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then, one day, you find them teaching
you, and they’re ready for the world.</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-20056184374911575892017-01-17T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:51:49.097-05:00FRONTAL FREE: The Fragility of Judaism<style>
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</div>
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Before
I begin a teaching session, I look around the room. Maybe I'm in a classroom,
or running a junior congregation, or just chatting with my kid's classmates or
friends. And I often start off by asking them an open question, where they
could really come up with any response. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">And
then, I listen. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">I
listen because I need to know everything I can about them. Where do their traditions
come from? What do they do at home to be Jewish? Would they rank their Jewish
identity ahead of their nationality, their school, or even their gender?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">One
evening when I was a student in Hebrew high school, a teacher pointed out to us
that the term "Judaism" shouldn't really refer to our religion, per
se. A "Judaism," by definition, would be an act you perform or
behavior you display that demonstrates that you are Jewish, that defines your
Jewishness. So when I'm engaging a group of Jewish tweeners nowadays, I prompt
them to discuss their Judaism, their collective body of thoughts, opinions,
knowledge, and traditions that make up their religion, culture, and personal
dogma. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">The fragility
of Judaism lies in the personalized legitimacy of the child's Judaism. At some
point, it's only natural for someone, at any age, to question the validity,
source, or true meaning of a custom or a text. The individual thinks about a
"Judaism," wondering where it came from, how it started, what it
really means, if it's meaningful to them, and if they should keep it up. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">But if
they drop traditions entirely, so goes the Jewish people. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">As I
continue this blog’s theme of “frontal free” teaching, I emphasize the value in
not standing in front of the kids and telling them what they should know or
believe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As kids approach the
traditional age of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">b’nai mitzvah</i>, they
begin to evolve in more thoughtful beings, instinctually wanting to think
things through for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At some
point, most of the 10 year olds I’ve encountered will even push back against
any approach to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">tell</i> them something
rather than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">demonstrate</i> something.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Lest you,
the parent or educator, risk pushing them away, I’ve come to value the need to
engross them in the material you’re trying to communicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them a context for the lesson, a taste
of the material, then hand it over to them for them to explore themselves, at
their pace, in their own way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
leveraging them, or intimidating them, or, dare I say, guilting them, you must
find a way for them to approach the lessons themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Each
year, I have preteen students who are agnostic, some with attention issues,
some with lots of personal experience in Israel compared to the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So how do I teach them deeper understandings of
Jewish ethics, or the value of learning Torah stories, or an overview of
Israeli history?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, it’s always hard,
but the hard part for me is letting go:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>sitting back and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">letting them
drive</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Give them the material but
let them create a project around it; let the more experienced kids mentor the
others; and have them do something active and on their feet to demonstrate
their learning and understanding of the lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #454545; font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">In the
end, when they’re given the reins of their own education, they come to respect
you, the institution of learning, and the value of finding their own personal
Judaisms within the curriculum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their
connections to tradition strengthen, thereby shoring up that fragility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s my hope that through non-frontal,
creative, experiential learning, we’ll imbue the next generation with the
impetus to further their education and pass along their legacy of leadership
and learning to the next generation.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-62239596141760911172016-12-22T18:13:00.001-05:002017-02-17T12:52:00.849-05:00FRONTAL FREE: The Chanukah History Mystery<style>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0poZI7NBwh_0srJpsmj7CwRgNWot29z4ou5BYL3yMcq8DynLSLGbIpLMopd7hRxbyQfRSiSrV1f2A-NFcFihcU9GqJYS2oGYk8rvwePH87WSmphFIebiPsvcgZIfNSwVzJCsUAatcso/s1600/IMG_4536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq0poZI7NBwh_0srJpsmj7CwRgNWot29z4ou5BYL3yMcq8DynLSLGbIpLMopd7hRxbyQfRSiSrV1f2A-NFcFihcU9GqJYS2oGYk8rvwePH87WSmphFIebiPsvcgZIfNSwVzJCsUAatcso/s320/IMG_4536.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actual photo from my actual classroom. Actually.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So I
was looking for a fun, open-ended, creative approach to teaching my Hebrew
school 5<sup>th</sup> graders about Chanukah this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just needed a sign of what to do or where
to start, something to fall in my lap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wouldn’t
you know it, but our synagogue is giving away books from the library.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Every day when I drop off my boy for daycare,
I glance at the rack, looking for free literary gold.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And
there it was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Professor Lawrence H.
Schiffman’s <u>From Text to Tradition:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>a
History of Second Temple and Rabbinic Judaism</u>, one of my favorite books
from my Jewish History studies in college.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I like the book because it’s so easy to find what you need, everything
and anything about Jewish life under and Jewish revolts against the Greeks and
the Romans, replete with charts and maps and honesty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s right:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>honesty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a book that tries
very quickly to demonstrate to the reader how the period of Hellenization in
ancient Israel was real.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the
Talmudic story of the 8-day miracle, and without the apocryphal Maccabee books
– and without using a dreidel or a latke or even the contrast with Christmas as
a talking point – the book can teach the honesty, the reality of the story of
Chanukah, even to the 10 year old minds of a twice a week, 5<sup>th</sup> grade
Hebrew school class.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">But
they need something tangible to make the reality happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sympathy, if not empathy, is not innate in a
child and must be learned over time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When they hit the decade point, they have the tools to begin to feel
things and understand things about the world around them, if only from their
own perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You need to get an
object and put it in their hands, then ask them to relate it to their own
lives, or at least have them prove to themselves they can relate.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">The
mystery of Chanukah to which I refer comes from all directions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you get kids today to relate to events
from 2100 years ago?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do they
reconcile their past experiences with the holiday?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do they dig out from under the media
blitzes that hit them from all sides every year just past Thanksgiving? </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So I
create my own mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For them.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">One day
in December, I brought out a big world map, threw it on the table, had them
gather round, and told them about ancient Israel from Babylon to Greece, then
the dissection of the Greek empire following the death of Alexander.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had in hand from Professor Schiffman the
lists of Greek emperors, Ptolemies and Seleucids, that followed Alexander so
they could see the links from what they’d learned in grade school history class
to the Chanukah story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I worked them up
and ran out of time.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">The
next time around, I handed them some old Israeli coins I’d found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t really look at them before handing
them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just placed one in front of
each pair of students and told them to identify the value, the monetary unit,
the year, and any symbols on the front of the coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’d never heard of any of the units, which
gave me a chance to talk about the Israeli economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They used their gematria skills to decipher
the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we examined all the
different symbols – animals [a lion], foods [pomegranates], and flora [wheat
and olive branches] – used to establish Jewish connections from Torah to the
land of Israel.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And
then I enticed them by creating the mystery of the last and grandest of the
coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They couldn’t figure out what was
on the front of the coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a
tree, or a plant, or something like that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There were very ancient letters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But
one student recognized that the whole decoration was made to look like it had
been…stamped there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They now realized
that the front of this modern coin had a replica of an ancient Jewish
coin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found them a chart of ancient
Hebrew on my phone which we used to try to decipher the strange lettering.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Before
the next class, I did some online research.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Would you believe that this coin – a 50 shekel bronze piece minted in
the mid-80s by Israel, only 2 years before the state’s economy was revamped and
the coin itself demonetized – this nearly worthless coin had on it a depiction
of a Jewish coin minted during the 4<sup>th</sup> year of the first revolt
against Rome, the year that Rome starved, raided, pillaged, and destroyed the
Temple in Jerusalem, carrying off the golden menorah?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With this coin, the class felt a tangible
connection to the history of Jewish rebellion in the ancient world, even
putting the triumph of the Maccabees against the later tragic loss and exile at
the hands of the Roman Empire.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">With
two more classes to go, I brought in heavy decorative foil and some thin wooden
3” discs I’d found at a crafts store for them to make their own coins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They knew I’d planned the art project as a
way of celebrating the coin studies we’d done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But when I showed up with shiny gold, bronze, pink, and electric blue
foil, they thought it was pretty wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The foil sheets had adhesive backing, like contact shelf paper, so I cut
out foil discs which they stuck on both sides of the coins and, using pencil
tips, dug into them their pre-drawn designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, I made sure the designs included something written in ancient
Hebrew lettering and some Jewish cultural objects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some drew menorahs…some drew pickles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shiny, blue pickles.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Suffice
it to say that the mystery of Chanukah for me entails the annual attempt to
engross my class with both the historical context of the holiday and the
modern-day cultural celebrations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
end, they wrote a play, on their own, which I rehearsed with them for them to
perform last night at the synagogue’s latke party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They took the Chanukah story – including the
rebellion, the Seleucid motives, and the Talmudic miracle of the oil – and used
it as an archetype which they transported to a not-too-distant-future dystopian
Tokyo setting, albeit with a Greek king trying to invade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a little scattered, very funny, and
for me, a completely satisfying confirmation that they’d fully absorbed and
retained the material.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">With an
old college text [now available almost entirely online for free], some random
coins collected over my lifetime, and a piece of foil, these kids are ready for
the holiday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Little do they know that
our talks about the ancient menorah, the Roman diaspora, and the Arch of Titus
will also serve as a segue into our spring semester talks on the history of,
and the true reasons for, the founding of the modern state of Israel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I’ve no idea what my source of
inspiration will be to start things off, what tangible object I’ll put in their
hands to get them talking about their own experiences. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I’m not worried:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll know it when I see it.</span></span></div>
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Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-87495012652828121222016-12-06T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:52:08.212-05:00FRONTAL FREE: Anglicization<style>
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<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">As a
creative Jewish educator, it’s important for me to reach as many people as
possible with my work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I create “turn-key
programs,” i.e. plays and games that parents and teachers simply print out,
make some copies, and give to your kids to read and perform, there are a few
unique issues I face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Above all, I want
my projects and programs to be inclusive, to make participants feel a part of
the Jewish world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To that end, long ago,
I had to decide whether names and terminology I use should be written in Hebrew
or transliterated into English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Ultimately, I thought it safest to transliterate.</span></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Transliteration,
writing Hebrew words by sounding them out using English letters, is not all
it’s cracked up to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, the
Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in an area called Qumran.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get kids to pronounce it, I’d spell it
something like “Koomran”, but no book would ever list it that way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using the letter “Q” to represent a hard “K”
sound is old school, I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when
and who should update the transliteration alphabet?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isn’t the ultimate goal, really, to get folks
to pronounce words properly?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then again,
we’re talking about teaching using standard modern Hebrew, not colloquial, not
Ashkenazic drawls or Yiddish accents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least, I am.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rtsg0_qnJT5hs3pwGphUWDfBV_iRfJF8UZRLfu2pfw7gxExw_5CqAlCVdJMwnA-k-auCNUuiRmztlfXASBVPezHJnIbbeF0jqlN9yjeMC8EMFGaqfKN8s3nV5lF7NpiPLSBfT__ZHaM/s1600/PikiWiki_Israel_32678_Qumran.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1rtsg0_qnJT5hs3pwGphUWDfBV_iRfJF8UZRLfu2pfw7gxExw_5CqAlCVdJMwnA-k-auCNUuiRmztlfXASBVPezHJnIbbeF0jqlN9yjeMC8EMFGaqfKN8s3nV5lF7NpiPLSBfT__ZHaM/s320/PikiWiki_Israel_32678_Qumran.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">But
when it comes to inclusion, we argue more on a cultural level than anything
else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imagine I give you a play for kids
based on a story in the Torah, and the lead character is Moshe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a family grew up in a non-religious
household but wanted to start adding more Judaism to their lives – hence the
reason they send a kid to Hebrew school – they’ll know who Moses is but might
not recognize the name as Moshe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">If I
consistently refer to him as Moshe, in discussions as well as in classroom
materials, then the child would possibly go home and start referring to him as
Moshe instead of Moses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the parents
will feel alienated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They might even
feel offended, like I’m presumptuously teaching the Hebrew names as if to say
their use of English names wasn’t good enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And then they’ll feel betrayed, by the school and the synagogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These things do happen, and if and when they
come to pass, it works completely against the underlying goal of fostering
inclusion and strengthening Jewish identity in the student’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Still,
it’s important for me to use every opportunity I have to teach students Hebrew,
in any way, shape, or form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I teach
Torah straight from the text, especially because I’m using the opportunity also
to help boost the students’ Hebrew reading skills, I refer to the names as they
appear in the Torah.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if I’m teaching
a moral concept prevalent in Judaism, I’ll introduce it using the Hebrew term,
like Tzedakah or Chesed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll first
write it for them in Hebrew as we discuss it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then I’ll insist on students reading and pronouncing it themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">In
fact, because transliteration becomes a crutch for someone learning and practicing
reading Hebrew, I almost never use it in the classroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I sometimes use it as an exercise
where I give students some Hebrew words and have them transliterate them on the
board, then ask the rest of the class if and how they’d adjust the letters used.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great gaming exercise that makes them
really think outside the box, besides getting them to function across 2
languages with 2 alphabets!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">In my
written works, especially the “Torah Time Live!” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">parashah</i> play series, I’ve been developing a method of offering the
students both the Anglicized version and the transliterated version of the
names of the folks in the plays and stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But in the body of the play, I only use the transliterated Hebrew
names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So students can refer to the
chart at the top of the play to make sure they know which person is which, but
throughout the play and in subsequent discussions, we use only the Hebrew names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At some point, I only spell the names out in Hebrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And as
time goes on, I take the opportunity to teach the students any origin stories I
have regarding the characters’ names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
furthers the grammar discussion on recognizing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">shoreshim</i>, root structures of Hebrew words, the bedrock of reading Hebrew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So teaching the students to refer to Torah
characters by their proper Hebrew names not only deepens students’ connection
to the Torah, it broadens their understanding of the important of Hebrew in
their lives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And sometimes, it gets them
to question and explore their own Hebrew names and take ownership thereof.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-29683749718743776492016-11-29T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:52:17.448-05:00FRONTAL FREE: In the Car<style>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">I know
I’m preaching to the choir, but I just want to add my voice to the clarion call
for teachers to send regular emails to the parents of their students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s possible that, while Hebrew school is in
session, the most crucial time of the day occurs when the student is in the
car, on the way home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The parent
justifiably asks, “So, how’d it go/what did you learn/what did they teach
today?”</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">What
comes out of the child’s mouth next, if it’s verbal and above a grunt, could
serve to make or break your career, the synagogue, and the Jewish people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So this week, I’m strongly suggesting sending
emails home to the parents, even if it’s quick, friendly, and scant on detail. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here’s a typical yet nightmarish scenario.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Imagine
that, at some point when you’re trying to conduct a nice, provocative
conversation in class, a student, either in a bad mood or a sugar low or just
wanting to be more active at that moment, will hold against you the fact that
you’re not letting them run around outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, you can’t please everybody 100% all the time, but it’s always
possible that you’ll respond to this particular student with annoyance when
they keep jumping up or throwing things across the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So just in case your seemingly innocuous
teaching method rubs them the wrong way, the child is bound to misrepresent
that day’s classroom proceedings, even going so far as to misquote you,
exaggerate your reactions to them, and generally create more mayhem than they’d
imagine and anyone can afford.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">There’s
another overarching reason to stay in contact with families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so important for tweeners to feel a part
of what’s around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you play to
these needs by emphasizing how they’re part of the legacy of the Jewish people,
the ultimate goal would be to build empathy within the student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While sympathy might mean the child feels
good or bad for a person or a story or a situation, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">empathy</i> occurs when the child feels like they’ve actually been
through the same thing being discussed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
recall the traditional sentiment from the Passover seder that we should each
feel as if we ourselves had been present at the Revelation at Mt. Sinai.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is key to everything I do with kids in
class and at home.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">To
that end, you’ll invariably want them to personalize your lessons by sharing
something from their own family or background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You’ll want to tell them to find something that means a lot to them,
something with a story attached to it, something unique to their family,
something of accomplishment or gravity to them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the most effective way to get this to happen is to email parents of
your plans, and spread those plans over a month or so, thereby giving students
6-8 days of Hebrew school, 6-8 opportunities to remember to bring in the thing
and have their story ready to tell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Emails will emphasize the creativity in your method and help parents
feel a connection to what’s going on in school.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And
make yourself approachable by sending emails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Emails might not be talking to a parent face-to-face, but they are a
prime way to connect with parents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Finding your comfort zone might not be easy in an email, as you’re trying
to remain professional while not appearing too stiff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But an attitude of kindness will always show
through in your writing tone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coupled
with your retelling of the out-of-the-box activity you did and how the kids
built on those ideas, your words should endear you to parents and alleviate any
concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So
if you don’t already, please start sending out emails on a regular basis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will only take ten minutes or so after
class, and it’ll improve relations between kids, parents, teachers, and
admins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you continue to become more
creative and allow students to expand on your lessons, emails become a
chronicle of classroom activity, a great way to remember what you did that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ll help you recall the past, connect
with the present, and plan for your class’ future.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-eJwIrXDHWNlONcEX01lQRo5cqodFEdlBJy94rqrEfUS8RDfVIMANWyoAkcYy3_sZnuDvzKQ1Y0I1Q__x9_XXrimeFh9YXjXF-4cHA9ykJHZbxXLIps139fD0MrlPnJo-KIOsQcRtMc/s1600/1280px-1971_Dodge_Polara_Station_Wagon_1ff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-eJwIrXDHWNlONcEX01lQRo5cqodFEdlBJy94rqrEfUS8RDfVIMANWyoAkcYy3_sZnuDvzKQ1Y0I1Q__x9_XXrimeFh9YXjXF-4cHA9ykJHZbxXLIps139fD0MrlPnJo-KIOsQcRtMc/s320/1280px-1971_Dodge_Polara_Station_Wagon_1ff.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-7569285318699886362016-11-22T10:00:00.000-05:002017-01-14T12:23:51.907-05:00FRONTAL FREE: Beyond Kitchen Judaism<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
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<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to Revelation, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
</div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 130%;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 130%;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">This post isn’t about keeping kosher.
A long time ago, around the time of the birth of standards for kashrut in the
United States and formations of unions of kosher butchers in American
metropolises, there emerged the idea of “Kitchen Judaism”. And while this
term means different things to different people, it also evokes different
connotations to different people. Because of this, I’ll tread lightly and
try to be clear in my usage.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> </span></span></span> </div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">I keep kosher in my
own way. At home, I keep separate milk and meat vessels and only bring
kashered meat into the house. Sometimes I bring unhekshered cheese home.
Sometimes we get pizza and veggies and eat it on paper plates. And when
we go out to eat, we restrict ourselves to eating only dairy and fish, unless
we’re at a kosher supervised restaurant.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">To some of my friends
and family, I’m not strictly kosher enough. To other relatives, they’ve
no idea why I’d restrict myself at all, as life’s too short and is meant to be
savored. But in either case, I’m judged to a certain extent on the basis
of my preferred religion-based eating habits. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And that is what I
mean by being defined according to Kitchen Judaism.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So often, the
politics of Kitchen Judaism prevail in American Jewry. For some of us,
keeping kosher may be the last vestige of publicized Jewishness. If I went
about my day among strangers and never ate a thing, it’s possible they’d never
know I was Jewish. After years in day school, then public high school
with a Jewish population over 90%, it wasn’t until college that I lived with
and worked with and sang and celebrated with so many non-Jews. And every
time the topic of food came up, it became clear to many that I was a Jew,
defiant in my dietary practice. From then on, the onus was on them as to
how they’d treat me knowing I was Jewish, regardless of whether my level of
observance and practice was active or passive. They knew who I was as
defined by my level of kashrut, and things would be forever changed for us all.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">As a teacher, I
believe the Hebrew school classroom should be a bastion of inclusion and
sensitivities, of embracing the differences among Jewish students.
Kitchen Judaism has no real part in Hebrew school, Conservative or Reform or
otherwise. This is not to say that synagogues won’t have policies on food.
Nowadays as we all know, sensitivities to kashrut stand side-by-side in most
institutions with tree nut, peanut, pollen, dander, and other allergies, with
fears of sickness or anaphylactic shock almost superseding fears of using the
wrong fork with the cheese.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">To me, the concept of
Kitchen Judaism is more than divisive, it’s irrelevant. I’ve had students
who, after a month of lessons about Passover and the Seder and the Exodus
story, come to class during the Chol haMo’ed intermediate days of the holiday
and whip out a bag of corn chips for snack. I’ve been to a congregational
seder done potluck style, where more than one volunteer brought pasta salad. I
also have a very early memory of going to home of an Orthodox friend for a
Sunday dinner where they put fake soy bacon bits on the salad. That one
confused the hell out of me. But I digress.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">My point is that
arguments of Kitchen Judaism tend to do little more than alienate us from each
other. Rather than allowing us to learn from each other and explore our
traditions, they set us up for disenchantment, with each other, our community,
and even our own ways of belief. But as a “conversation piece,” Kashrut
can become wonderful tool for generating discussion among your students.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">In fact, everything
in life can be used as a springboard for conversation for kids in class, at
home, or anywhere I want to teach about being Jewish. And this is not
about relating some object to a story in the Torah or a specific custom that
some follow and others don’t. Try to get away from talking about any one
thing. My goal is always to get the students to talk about themselves,
their experiences, observations, and burgeoning beliefs and ideas in what it
means to be a Jew.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">I had a sixth grade
for a while where the shul was near a 7-11. I’d stop to get a drink to
bring with me but sometimes grab something else as a conversation piece.
One time early in the school year, I brought in some aluminum foil. I got
them talking about keeping kosher, then about how you know if something is or
is not kosher, and finally talked about hekshers, the symbols put on food
packages by organizations certifying the products as kosher. I pointed
out the best-known Orthodox heksher – the “O-U” symbol – was on the roll of
foil. </span></span></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 130%; text-indent: .5in;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyVBphWSlJSvRsy6ZL4OPUL6eehJYG2iRoGQfFdHANUGhgv0HwPfGSnsEux9r6HjjGOWaXNeuFReQnqSxbHtKlrF3K_yQyicwSYupO3m7CkY1yQRABTA5Nr-smX93V1XmeIOsdr-jU9s/s1600/Aluminum-Foil_14964-480x360_%25284999892549%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwyVBphWSlJSvRsy6ZL4OPUL6eehJYG2iRoGQfFdHANUGhgv0HwPfGSnsEux9r6HjjGOWaXNeuFReQnqSxbHtKlrF3K_yQyicwSYupO3m7CkY1yQRABTA5Nr-smX93V1XmeIOsdr-jU9s/s320/Aluminum-Foil_14964-480x360_%25284999892549%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"> </span></span></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Then I stopped
talking and waited. Within 5 seconds, half the class had their hands up.
Of course the foil is inedible. So why should something you can’t eat
necessitate a symbol used for foods? The conversation turned away from
customs of kashrut to the more esoteric: why do folks keep kosher; how
else do you express your Judaism openly; where do you think kashrut will be or
be changed when you’re in high school or college or maybe married with kids?
[Incidentally, these kids would be in their mid-30s now, so maybe I should’ve
had them write down their answers. Idea for another blog post.]</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Start a conversation
somewhere with something, be it an object, an article, song lyrics, even a
piece of liturgy tied to an upcoming holiday. But then use that something
as a means of generating discussion by the students, among the students, one at
a time. Get them to see what they have in common, how they differ, and
where their ideas are coming from. Value each answer on its own merit,
reminding the class that these are opinions, life experiences, beyond the scope
of anyone’s judgment. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">We’re here to teach
and learn, not judge. And if we can get past the Kitchen Judaism and see
the value in our individual traditions, whether they reflect a family history
or sense of renewal, these kids will learn not only what it means to be a Jew
in the 21<sup>st</sup> century but, more importantly, what it means to build a
Jewish community in America today.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span></span>Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-23492790095601780942016-11-15T10:00:00.000-05:002017-02-17T12:52:25.993-05:00FRONTAL FREE: That One Kid<style>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">To
start off, the plays, musicals, games, and other teaching tools I’ve created generally
focus on students in grades 5-9, ages 10-14.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I continue to have the honor to work alongside teachers with far more
years in the field than I, as well as battle-worn parents facing all kinds of
behavior every day from their kids (and their kids’ friends).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I know that it’s a universal complaint
when a grown-up complains about “that one kid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">“Oh
that kid, he won’t sit still.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">“She
has a comment for everything and can’t keep it to herself.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">“Those
two:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>never EVER put them together.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why, I ask?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Because they’re TROUBLE, that’s why.”</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">In this
posting, I’d like to explore this issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>To begin with:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">every child
is a person, different from you and the rest of the class, with their own
likes, quirks, and ever-growing bag of ideas and trepidations;</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">by age
10, it’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">age-appropriate</i> for kids to
have an instinctual need to participate aloud in groups;</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">it’s
your class or group to lead, not theirs to wrangle or hijack.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">I’d
imagine the worst case scenario, that as a substitute teacher, you cover a
certain class for the first time without being told of a certain student’s
special needs, or IEP, or personal issue with their home life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’re in the dark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You don’t know what’s going on with
them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, no, you cannot hold up the
entire lesson just for one student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So
how do you include them and not marginalize them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How to do you get that student to focus on
what the group is doing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How do you get
them to cheer up and forget about what might be ahead of them at home?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Please
consider the following:</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">You
can’t walk into a room of kids and expect them to behave or respond to you
exactly the same way every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a
student who loved sports so much, she’d show up in uniform each week for Hebrew
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But when I taught the students
Israeli dancing (as a fun way to introduce the first Aliyah migration of the
1880s), guess which student was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i>
one sitting aside?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t comment or
shame her into doing anything because I wanted her in her comfort zone at
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And she was with us for my
introductory talk, so she got the point of the lesson and contributed later on
with stories of how her family came to the U.S.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">What is age-appropriateness?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_appropriateness">the editors of
Wikipedia</a> describe activities, reactions, and emotions “</span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">appropriate to a child's development of social skills…divided
into a number of development stages based upon the child's age.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Conversely, this means you can’t present kids
of a certain age with a lesson approach, critical thinking exercise, graphic
art project, dramatic activity, or simple discussion that is either too far
below or too far above their age level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Of course, you can, if you like, but don’t expect any results other than
revolt.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">c.<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">When doing a post-mortem on a youth event or Hebrew
school class or activity, think back on how the day ended, not how it
began.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you come home from a day of
teaching or a synagogue kids’ service or a family holiday event only thinking
of how much you’d prepared and how psyched you were for the day…BUT your day
ended with students thrown out of class, administrators coming in to see what the
noise was about, art supplies everywhere, and kids feeling steamed beyond
speech, well, chances are that you lost the entire class earlier in the day
than you think. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Kids
really want to express themselves, especially when faced with an adult.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then more they hear the adult speak, the more
they want to confirm to the adult that they, too, have something to say and
that they understand the material being presented.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But if they don’t understand or appreciate or
relate to the material, things can start to turn the wrong way.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">It’s
like a switch goes off in the student prompting a defense mechanism against a
lesson approach or an activity that makes them nervous or confused.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Students become evasive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They cut you off mid-sentence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They fire irrelevant questions at you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, they all have to go to the water
fountain, en masse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make public
service announcements:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Uh, there’s a
smell in here and it’s going to make me throw up EWWWWWW.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And
finally, we get to “that one kid.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
have the most adroit toolkit in misdirecting everything around them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are verbal, some are physical, and some
are both.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had a student who always
showed up 10-15 minutes late, but when they arrived, they’d barge into the
middle of the room, splay their arms into a superhero pose, and announce “I’m
here now!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of the kids every
thought it was funny, but he did it every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>[By the way, without parental and administrative support, that student
will not succeed in school, no matter what you do.]</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">When
children get intimidated by a lesson, they’ll turn against it and invariably
turn against the teacher as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No
matter how much of a buddy you want to be, as the service leader or group
facilitator, you’re the adult who’s making them feel less of themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you’re doing it in class, which is
setting them up for embarrassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
must act quickly to grab others’ attention, to do something funny or loud or
altogether disrespectful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">So
what do you do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tend to start broadly
each day, giving the students or kids a big open-ended question for them to
answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they cannot answer until
they’ve time to ruminate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And better
still, if they can, they should write the answer down so at least they don’t
feel that others are dominating the discussion and they won’t be heard.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">On
many fronts, this gives the verbal, non-verbal, disaffected, even the passive
student a chance to express themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the open question – usually something about a moral choice they’ve
made or their place in Jewish society – becomes a window into their lives and
minds, a Rorschach test that can reveal not only their deep thoughts on the
subject at hand but what might otherwise be bothering them that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of all, on an emotional level, if they
need to speak out about something, here’s their chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if they want to stay quiet, that’s
fine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, I run into a kid who’s
ticked off at another kid in class for some reason, and that conflict emerges,
giving us a chance to air grievances openly, honestly, and early in the day.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">After
discussions like this that can last for anywhere from 5-15 minutes, the class
really feels at peace with themselves, knows that they have a voice in the room
and a say in what we do, and knows that I respect their opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And to be honest, sometimes “that one kid”
says something in the discussion that might be tangential but ends up sending
the discussion somewhere I’d not originally intended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They become the catalyst for the journey of
the discussion, and they see their worth in the dialogue.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 130%; margin-bottom: 6.0pt; text-indent: .25in;">
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">This
is a long post, I know, and I’ll have more to say to expand on these ideas over
time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And you’ll have more to contribute
as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For now, just assume that any
student, any kid might walk in the room having a bad day, brought down by
something someone else said, and can’t help carrying those emotions into the
room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given the opportunity right off
the bat to either get it out of their system or just soak up the room, it’ll
help them settle, cool off, and get in the game.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any kid on any day could be “that one kid,” but
if you give all the kids an opening, they might just surprise themselves at
what they can do.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKDv7OmYJRi0X378Z2iAZ_vIooILu36h6O7Tj-FtbNtXwSNPJt3NtddYZaahRc4X0DcxJEsw7_aL_ldvj-BIv9zcqunKz4S0qSGJvxeSf4A2GiJvk-USPxaqmw12l0E1T9sWYQ0eGjrA/s1600/1280px-Girls_silhouette_on_wall_child_is_bouncing_on_a_trampoline.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKDv7OmYJRi0X378Z2iAZ_vIooILu36h6O7Tj-FtbNtXwSNPJt3NtddYZaahRc4X0DcxJEsw7_aL_ldvj-BIv9zcqunKz4S0qSGJvxeSf4A2GiJvk-USPxaqmw12l0E1T9sWYQ0eGjrA/s320/1280px-Girls_silhouette_on_wall_child_is_bouncing_on_a_trampoline.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0Silver Spring, MD 20902, USA39.0451663 -77.03917539999997638.9958348 -77.119856399999975 39.0944978 -76.958494399999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1807045461664588266.post-52636089611653675502016-08-07T00:00:00.000-04:002017-02-17T12:52:32.055-05:00FRONTAL FREE: The Raison d'Être<style>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Dave Smolar
is co-founder of </span></i><a href="http://dsmolar.wix.com/kikayonproductions"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Kikayon Productions</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12pt;">, creating turn-key
solutions for Jewish education.</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Our “TORAH TIME LIVE!”
Parashah Play series is now for sale!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>From Creation to </span></i></span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Mt. Sinai</span></i>, <a href="http://dsmolar.wixsite.com/kikayonproductions/storefront-page">click on “Our
Store” for more!</a></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Welcome
to Frontal Free, your home for creative approaches to Jewish learning for
tweens and teens, in the school or at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This blog strives to provide ideas and inspiration for Hebrew school
teachers and parents in Jewish homes wherever they may be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kikayon Productions is your home to “Jewish
fun in a box”, turnkey solutions for Jewish education.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you need a full lesson on a certain
holiday, tradition, topic, or Torah story, we will give you everything you need
with little preparation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But first,
here’s our simple truth.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Frontal
teaching just doesn’t work with kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Remember
when a teacher stood before the class and dumped their brain of knowledge while
either begging the class to focus or throwing out distracted students?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did that method do little to impart
the information, but the only lesson the students gathered was that Hebrew
school is just no fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And at the other
extreme, folks thought that creativity meant getting kids each week to build
Mt. Sinai/the Garden of Eden/Theodore Herzl’s beard out of macaroni and
glue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">We’re
changing that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is the home of Frontal Free lessons and advice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">Many
Hebrew school teachers work only a few hours a week while maintaining other
work on the outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are authors,
writers, tutors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some are raising a
family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And some, like me, are
freelancers with a hodgepodge or self-regulated schedule, and Hebrew school
teaching is a fun break from everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A lot of times, though, you look at the clock and realize it’s time to
get to school…with barely time to prepare for the day.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">If
you’re a sub who suddenly has to appear before a random set of kids; if you’re
a parent who wants to boost their child’s Jewish identity; if you’re a ritual
leader looking for a fun but educational Jewish holiday event; c’mon in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">On the
Frontal Free blog and throughout Kikayon, we strive to find and deliver to you
interactive, experiential approaches to Jewish learning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know how hard it can be to walk into a
classroom or synagogue gathering and always have a clear path for what you’re
trying to teach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 130%;">And as
always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.</span></span></div>
Dave Smolarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11758219349408817988noreply@blogger.com0