[HANASHIR:8687] Re: A dilemma teaching Chad Gadya

[Meris Ruzow <meris...>]

Amen to everything I've read........ You might also remind this 'teacher'
about the other classics in tradition such as The Three Pigs, Little Red
Riding Hood, etc.!
M
-----Original Message-----
From: Andy Curry <acurry (at) san-carlos(dot)rms(dot)slb(dot)com>
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
Date: Wednesday, March 28, 2001 1:13 PM
Subject: [HANASHIR:8668] Re: A dilemma teaching Chad Gadya


>Linda,
>
>You can probably guess how I feel.  I second everything that Eric and Karen
>and others have said.
>
>You go, girl!
>
>Andy
>
>At 11:55 AM 3/28/01 EST, you wrote:
>>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
>>
>>
>>
>>
>Andy Curry, Kansas City
>acurry (at) san-carlos(dot)rms(dot)slb(dot)com
>
>
>

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