In Israel, there's a state exam for second-graders that aims to identify advanced students. There are two stages of this exam; the children who pass the first stage go on to the second, more challenging stage. I don't have all of the information about this exam, but, essentially, children who are identified as "advanced" are… Continue reading The exam for advanced second-graders
Some tidbits of context As I've noted, Simchat Torah (literally: 'The Joy of the Torah') is the final holiday of the Jewish High Holy Day season in Israel that begins with Rosh haShannah (literally: 'The Head of the Year'). As somebody who lacks the basic tenets of faith that underlie the theological intentions behind the… Continue reading Three parenting highlights from Simchat Torah
And, just like that, my seven-year-old entered second grade today. My regular readers will recall that my wife and I were particularly nervous last year about her beginning first grade because she was one of three "new kids" in a class of thirty. The majority of the children in her class had been in preschool… Continue reading Entering second grade
Children's life stories A couple of months ago, the mothers of the girls in our daughter's class had a social gathering to discuss their children's relationships with one another. By all accounts, it was a very successful and sweet get-together. Each of the mothers talked about her respective daughter and the child's life experiences, personality,… Continue reading Empathy: Our daughter & her friend
Last night, my wife and the other mothers of the girls in our daughter's first grade class had an evening gathering to discuss the social dynamics that have been developing among our children. This was exclusively a meeting for the girls' mothers, rather than for all the mothers, because the boys and girls tend to… Continue reading You don’t know until you know
An Israeli tradition On Friday, our daughter's first grade class had their siddur (prayer book) party, which is considered a milestone for Orthodox Jewish children in Israel. Our daughter's school is unusual in Israel in that half the student body identifies as religious (Orthodox) and the other half identify as non-religious (i.e., secular), unlike the… Continue reading Prayer book party ’22
Our first-ever parent-teacher conference Last week, we had our first parent-teacher conference with our 1st grade daughter's teacher. It was uplifting. Her teacher told us that our child is wonderful that she wishes she had a classroom of thirty children just like her. To be entirely honest, we weren't surprised by her feedback, but it… Continue reading Poor advice from a 1st grade teacher
My 1st Lai She has a playdate with her new classmate today. Her excitement's great; the skip in her gait conveys her overjoyed state. Adventures await - Hooray! Their teacher is wise and good sense applies in class. Seating plan devised, sixty anxious eyes, en masse, up to hers did rise, but her poise defies… Continue reading Roots, or: Wings
The Skeptic's Kaddish 🇮🇱 
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