The

Way,
We -\\

In Jewish Education

Learn

If I Ran Hillel

Teach the "how to's,"
promote hands-on, involve parents.

SHERI DEVRIES

Special to the Jewish News

A

s- a frequent volunteer at
Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit, I
have been able to achieve a
"fly on the wall" perspective on the
teachers and students. Generally, the
quality of education received by
Hillel's students is exemplary ,. In this
light, my comments are not a critique
of the current curriculum but, rather,
suggestions for programs that I would

Sheri Devries earned her doctorate in
instructional technology from the
Wayne State University College of
Education. She is an active volunteer-
at Hillel Day School of Metropolitan
Detroit in Farmington Hills. • Sheri
and her husband, Jeff, are the parents
of three Hillel students — Danny,
entering 7th. grade; David, 5th grade;
and Rachel, 3rd gs rade.

'offer. I have discussed
my suggestions with
the administration and
at our recent Long
Range Planning
Sheri Devries
meetings, so these
suggestions are more
heartfelt than mere dining-table dis-
cussions with family and friends.
If I had the opportunity to run Hillel
Day School, I would strengthen certain
components of the Judaic curriculum.
First, I would like to see greater
emphasis on teaching the "how to's" of
.
Judaism. I call it "doing Jewish."
Jewish ritual is our constant reminder
of who we are. Our marrano cousins
kept the traditions alive for many gen-
erations after they were forced. to con-
vert to Christianity. These traditions
are what kept their Jewishness alive.
Students need to learn both why
and how to perform these rituals, such
as shaking a lulav on Sukkot; the
proper order of lighting Chanuka can-
dles, rules for keeping kosher or rea-

sons we wear costumes on

Purim. Young people need
to see that the richness and
variety of our Jewish lives
are reflected in thefact that
there are specific prayers
for those who are ill, as
well as for viewing the
beauty of a rainbow. We
need to make Jewish ritual
meaningful and fun.
My second suggestion,
related to the first, is to
develop additional hands-on
experiences to promote more
comprehensive learning.
More often than they do
now, students could gather for periodic
Shabbat weekends, an all-night Shavuot
study session, and a reading of Megazt
Esther on Purim with a meal. Hillel stu-
dents also should be actively encouraged
to attend services for Shabbat and holi-
days — either at their own synagogues
or through the school. These programs
could and should begin with the
youngest students, and should appear
prominently throughout all the years of
school.
These programs could never get off
the ground without parental support.
The Hillel parents that I have met
have very strong Jewish identities.
However, many of the parents admit
to lacking confidence about their own
personal b knowledge, and often joke

Changing The Focus

Efforts grow to help the learning disabled in the regular classroom.

JUDY PAZOL

Special to the Jewish News

A

change in how public schools
concentrate their efforts to
help students with learning
disabilities could have a sub-
stantial effect on similarly handicap)ed
students in. Jewish schools.
In Michigan, the Auxiliary Services
Act delineates the types of support ser-
vices that public schools provide to non-
public schools ► such as the Jewish day
schools in metropolitan Detroit. The
services include student evaluations,
speech and language, occupational and

Judy Paw! is the retired director of special
education for Southfield Public Schools.

8/6
1999

68 Detroit Jewish News

physical therapy, and reacher consul-
tants. Following a recent U.S. Supreme
Court decision, all these services may
now be provided on site in the nonpub-
lic schools. Direct classroom instruction-
al programs are still provided in the.
public school setting.
Curiously, the district where the
nonpublic school is located provides
the auxiliary services. If students
choose to receive public-school
instructional programs, they attend in
their district of residence.
. In general, the public schools, in
compliance with federal legislation, are
trying to provide most special-education
instructional services and programs
within the context of the regular educa-
tion curriculum and setting. Thus, most

students can now benefit from special
support, whether they have a special
education label" or not.
This has greatly reduced the need for
diagnostic services that previously had
labeled students (learning disabled, emo-
tionally, impaired, speech and language
impaired, etc.) and, in turn, provided
students access to service.
Within the public schools, the
focus has shifted to meeting the needs
of all students within the regular class-
room. Special-services personnel, such
as psychologists, speech therapists,
special education teachers, etc., have,
in a parallel move, shifted their focus
from that °Fa formal diagnostician to
one of a partner with and consultant
to the classroom reacher.

nervously that their children know
more than they do.
Therefore, my third suggestion is to
create additional educational opportuni-
ties for parents. The education should
be varied in content and format
including written explanations, learning
sessions and hands-on opportunities —
w meet the learning styles and time
constraints of each family. For example,
articles in the school newsletter could
explain the "how to's" of each holiday, .._
parents could be encouraged ro attend
morning minyan followed by a class,
there could be Shabbat dinners designed
for learners," and tapes of the Havdala
service could be passed out to every
family at the third-grade Havdala pro-
gram.
Judaism is a participatory religion. •
Day schools are excellent places to teat
not only students, but the whole family
We often, and correctly, speak of the
Hillel community as a "family." Families
have the opportunity to learn From each
other, without being limited to the con-
straints of classrooms and school hours.
I believe that Hillel has an excellent fac-
ulty and facility that lends itself to pro-
viding extended and hands-on opportu-
nities for lifelong learning. In this way,
we will enhance the likelihood that our
families can "do Jewish" by incorporat-
ing Jewish principles, values and rituals
into their daily routines, thereby enrich-
ing their lives. 1_

.

Emphasis in the nonpublic schools
should reflect this change. Classroom
teachers, public and nonpublic, will
need additional training -- training to
understand not only the philosophical
underpinnings of a more inclusive sys-
tem but also the practical application
of inclusion. The difficulty with this
change is that it moves slowly; change
is a process, not an event.
All this having been said, auxiliary
services to nonpublic schools still
bring about a great deal of angst: for
the parents, the nonpublic schools an
the public schools.
The more mild the disability or need
of the student, the easier it is to provide
the services within the nonpublic school
setting. As student classroom needs
become greater, it is more difficult to
provide the appropriate services within•
the nonpublic school.
This creates a situation where all
parties need to make choices and
compromises, some of which may be
extremely difficult.

