Anne Stein's Writings

Kindergartener's Important Rules to Follow

There was a book written a number of years ago called “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” that contained many little simple lessons that we as adults often forget. As a semester finale, the kindergarteners reviewed the importance of the Torah by singing the Little Torah song and focusing on the part which says "Tell me many pretty stories, Teach me what is right". The teachers reminded the kids that the Torah is filled with rules about what we should and should not do and that the big word for "rules" is "commandments." They then asked the kids to "put on their thinking caps" and come up with their list of the most important rules to follow so that people will be happy and get along with each other.

Here is their list:

Say "please" and "thank you"

Listen to each other -- pay attention to each other

Be nice -- don't be mean to people

Show people around if they are new, so that they don't feel left out

Play what your friend wants to play -- don't be bossy

Do not hit / punch / call names / kick / tease / pinch

Do not hurt others physically or with your words

Do not lie

Do not tattle tale

Do not brag

I hope all of us adults can take the words taught by our kindergarten students and use them as a life lesson. If we all do this, our world will be a much better place. Thanks to Ellen Simsohn and Sue Push for sharing these gems with me.

Last Edited by Jvillage Network Support at 8/1/2011 12:20 PM

Sixth Grade Hebrew Homework

(Shabbat, School) Permanent link

Who would ever think that giving sixth graders Hebrew homework while they are on spring break would produce results? A few weeks ago an idea came to me and that Wednesday I spoke with Rachel Wood about my idea. She thought it sounded interesting so I took the idea to the kids. In sixth grade the students study all the prayers in the Shabbat morning service. Not only do they read the prayers, they learn the roots of key words as well as gain an understanding of the meaning of each of the prayers.
My assignment to the students was for them to take pictures, wherever they were on their spring break, that represented the theme of each of the prayers they studied this year. We gave them the list of prayers, along with the theme for each one. I expected to have a few students do the assignment. I was floored when I received over 100 pictures. I was amazed at the beauty and the thoughtfulness the kids used in taking the pictures and deciding what prayer each represents. Some were very clever such as a cell phone representing the Barchu, our call to worship. Many of the Yotzer Or (creation) pictures looked professional. For the Shema, one of the students took a picture of a sea creature in an aquarium stand upright about of the gravel looking like a number one. For Birkat Shalom (peace) someone took a picture of her dog sleeping.
Most of the time I spend days, sometimes weeks, planning new projects. This was one that came to my mind one day and the next was in the hands of the students. Little did I know that we would have so many students doing their “Hebrew homework” while they were on vacation. Our pictures came from Brazil, Morocco, Mexico, Florida, California, Arizona, the Smokey Mountains and some came from peoples’ homes. It proved to me how important it is for us to meet the kids where they are. Obviously this was something that struck a chord with them and they ran with it. At least half the class submitted pictures.