[HANASHIR:13000] Re: Fw:Jewish Education, Jewish continuity...

[Dina Rachel Herbert <drh2002...>]

Hello list,

I just wanted to comment on the day school thing.  I am a graduate of 13
years of a day school.  I originally went because my parents needed a full
time kindergarden--they intended to keep me there for only a year, but
things changed, I was happy, they were happy, and 2 years ago I graduated
high school there (I chose on my own to go there) and I am curtently
continuing my Jewish education at JTS for college.

Fortunetly, my parents were able to send me and my younger sister to day
school.  But what they did is not stop my education in school: my mother
learned the Bible by helping me study for tests, my father learned some
hebrew so he could keep up with us.  We talked about Jewish topics at
home, and during shabbat and holidays, my parents would alter what we did
at home based on a new thing we learned that year.  Even in  the
"secualar" subject like english and history, we would talk about Jewish
subjects: in 6th grade we did a massive Holocost program where we read
books and put a bi-lingual play on about it for the school, or in my 12
grade english AP class we read Bernard Malamud' _The Fixer_ about a Jewish
topic.

This is my second year teaching music at a hebrew school, and I am also a
counslor and songleader at Crane Lake Camp in MA.  I too noticed the
apathy of the kids I teach and work with.  But people should know, that
happens in Day Schools too.  Many of my peers had no desire to be at day
school--their parents forced them--so it made learneing a struggle and
challenge for me.  My judaica classes were tought my amazing and
knowledgeable teachers who often had trouble getting material across to
us because of the apathy of students.  It is not merly a non-day school
phenomenon, but unfortunetly a Jewish phenominon.  Jewish education is
often put on the back burner.  Perhaps we should rethink how it is doe,
even in  Day schools.

For the finacial end, yes it is expensive.  Many of my peers who went to
day school's parents were doctors or lawyers or grandparents paid.
However, I think especially in the highschool around half of the students
were on scholarship.  School want students and parents who will  foster
Jewish education, and they will often help people out.

Just putting my 2 cents in...

Dina Herbert (Solomon Schechter Day School, Middle School, and High School
of Long Island grad)

Dina Herbert
Student, The Joint Program At List College of the Jewish Theological
Seminary and Columbia University (whew!)
drh2002 (at) columbia(dot)edu
moocow022 (at) aol(dot)com
AIM: moocow022
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