[HANASHIR:8664] RE: A dilemma teaching Chad Gadya

[Steve Greenberg <sig...>]

Hi Linda,

I've not experienced a situation where there was concern for the
appropriateness of a song, but I have experienced seeing a person in
authority questioned by a colleague IN FRONT OF a group.

If the teacher had a problem with the song, she should've talked to you
later and IN PRIVATE.  By addressing the class with "I don't think we should
sing  that song again ..." she avoided confronting you directly, undermined
your position as a teacher, and, in a sense, shamed you publicly.

One could argue and compare the damage done by singing an allegedly violent
song versus attacking someone publicly, but I'll simply mention the concept
and leave it to the reader to consider.

I recommend that you talk to this teacher on her behavior and invite her in
the future to talk to you privately when she has concerns about how or what
you teach her class.

You might also open a friendly exchange and mutual appreciation of both of
your opinions on "Chad Gadya" and what and when to teach certain topics to
children.  For instance, at what point is it okay to tell a child that the
Egyptians were drowned in the Red Sea?  That Jesus was crucified on a cross?
That peoples of all beliefs and backgrounds have died in many ways
throughout history for their convictions?

The ultimate decision, however, belongs to whoever has authority over the
curriculum of the school.  I have a hunch that that(those) person(s) may
need to be consulted so you'll have clear direction on what is appropriate
in the school and what isn't, and the whole faculty will understand the
boundaries of when to assert their personal opinions about curriculum
choices.

I'm anxious to see the opinions of others on this.

Good luck,
Steve



> -----Original Message-----
> From: LSalvay (at) aol(dot)com [SMTP:LSalvay (at) aol(dot)com]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2001 10:56 AM
> To:   hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
> Subject:      [HANASHIR:8661] A dilemma teaching Chad Gadya
> 
> Hevrei,
> I encountered an interesting situation earlier this week as I was teaching
> 
> Chad Gadya (in English) to the children at the JCC preschool (I teach
> music 
> there 2 mornings a week to toddlers through pre-K). 
> 
> While the song is rather long, this particular version is "kid-friendly" 
> because it includes noises that the kids can chime in for each
> animal/object 
> in the song (i.e., "then came the dog -- WOOF WOOF -- that bit the cat -- 
> MEEEEOW -- that ate up all the kid -- ME-E-E-EH.....) 
> 
> After I had finished singing the song with a group of 4- and 5-year-olds,
> one 
> of the teachers (I don't think she's Jewish) said in front of the whole 
> group, "I don't think we should sing that song again. It's too violent."
> 
> My immediate response to her (in complete surprise, never having
> encountered 
> any negative reaction to Chad Gadya in my12 years of teaching music) was, 
> "The song is in the Passover Seder, and it had been sung by children for 
> centuries." She rather adamantly insisted that it should not be sung again
> 
> with "this age group."
> 
> Has anyone else encountered a similar situation -- and how have you dealt 
> with it? Sure, I can find plenty of other songs to teach instead of Chad 
> Gadya, but I feel a bit of an obligation to instill some element of 
> traditional Pesach music in these kids, and not stick merely with some of
> the 
> more insipid pre-school Pesach music that's been written in recent
> decades. 
> (Interesting how this teacher feels the need to "protect" children from
> any 
> mention of "the Angel of Death" and the butcher who slew the ox -- the
> same 
> children who witness the gratuitous violence that is so commonplace in the
> 
> evening news, TV shows and video games, etc.)
> 
> I'll be interested in your responses and suggestions. Thanks for providing
> 
> such a wonderful forum to discuss such issues. 
> 
> Wishing a "non-violent" Pesach to all!
> 
> Linda Salvay
> 

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