Kitah Vav Update

Hi All –

 We had a lively week for the 6^th grade Religious ed! On Sunday, the kids were CHAMPS! We were running a special program for the preschool and kindergarteners about taking care of their bodies.  We decided to integrate the 6^th grade class into this program to help the lil ones.  Each 6^th grader was paired with a shortie and they: jammed to dance tunes, snacked on fresh fruit and veggies, made colorful placemats and decorated chef hats.  I would like to tell you that your kids were CHAMPS. Absolute CHAMPS.  Our young kids span the gamut: prickly, hyper, introverted, extroverted, artistic, not so artistic etc…. They are all their own unique selves. Your children got every single kid to participate in each activity and to really enjoy and delve into what they were doing.  I was so impressed to see how the 6^th graders “figured out” the unique character of their partner. IT was heartwarming.  The kids’ behavior was perfect; they were on task; they were enthusiastic; they were profoundly patient with their partners.  At the end of the activity, when the lil ones were gone, the 6^th graders said that they LOVED working with the pre-k kids and that they wanted to do it again. I am going to talk to Morah Emma and plan some upcoming events so that we can partner again. It was a giant success.

 

Tuesday, however, was not a giant success L.  More specifically, my class was not a giant success.  This was largely my fault and I am sorry. Class began with a fantastic scavenger hunt that our Ramah fellow, Miles planned.  The kids scavenged all over the shul looking for clues to learn the order of the Torah service. The kids were running the halls and yelling, goofing, all good stuff. They had a blast. When they were done, they had the energy of 3 year olds strung out on chocolate milk and pixie sticks.  Now this is not my first rodeo. I have been a parent for almost 16 years… I have taught for 20 years… and yet, when I looked at my wonderful students who were literally bouncing off of the walls, I continued to throw gas on the fire. I had planned this incredible (so I thought) program to learn the sections of Tanakh (the red Etz Chayim that we use during services) and we were going to learn about it while playing football. More specifically, by recreating the MSU vs U of M game from last week.  This was my first mistake…. Once I threw the MSU and U of M lens into the day, the crowd went wild…. I swear this is more contentious in Michigan than when people discuss the Iran deal.  You DO NOT joke about the U of M or MSU rivalry and it is no learning experience … it is LIFE…. And yet, I didn’t quite grasp this….  So we went outside, I had our Torahs  out; I had created these cool football field charts that were converted into Torah sections; we were ready to go. NOT! Things got a bit wild.  The learning was not at the level that I’d like and the kids were more wild than I would like.  I take responsibility.  2 crazy activities after a long day of school was too much. Live and Learn. I promise that next Tuesday will be more productive and less wild.

HOWEVER, we did get a very basic understanding of the Tanakh structure in and we will reinforce this more in-depth this Sunday, HOWEVER… I have figured out a way to do it by playing PRETEND football .. on the board… in my room. This should be injury proof and a tad more contained. Fingers crossed.

So apologies all around for the bumps and bruises and hurt feelings on Tuesday.  I promise to be more thoughtful of how I present the information in the future and I think outdoor football will be tabled for a while. However, this is not to say that we don’t have fun planned for the future… indeed: I have a desk worth of exciting and innovative lessons planned for the kids… but I think the Green and White and Maize and Blue allusions need to take a back seat for a while.

Hail! J and Go State!

Be well, thanks for all you do and looking forward to a great year of learning and laughing with your kiddos. We have a GREAT group of 6^th graders!

Morah Leah