Yogi Bera once said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” That has not stopped innumerable people, from all walks of life, from predicting what the future will be for our children when they are grown. A day … Read More
Author Archives: sfreedman
It’s Full STEAMath Ahead at Hillel
By Joan Freedman, Director of Curriculum Two years ago we invited our families to school for Pi Night, a wildly successful evening devoted to math in all its magic. So why expand to a full-fledged STEAM Event? Because we feel … Read More
Homework: The Battle Continues
Exercise the brain like a muscle or give kids time to work on the family farm? Educators have been debating the effectiveness of homework as a tool for learning for over a century. Support for and against homework has ebbed … Read More
Small Greatness
I was deeply moved this past weekend by the final words that were shared between President George H.W. Bush, and his long-time dear friend, former Secretary of State, James Baker III. On the final morning of his life, President Bush … Read More
Utopia or Dystopia?
Hardly a week goes by that I don’t come across an analysis that either warns of how automation and Artificial Intelligence are going to wreak havoc on humanity or how they will solve all of humanity’s problems. Either way, our … Read More
You’ve Got To be Carefully Taught 2.0
I originally wrote this blog in 2015, and feel it is necessary to update and share again within the context of the violence of these last several weeks in Pittsburgh, Tallahassee, Thousand Oaks, and this week in Israel. It is … Read More
Just Show Up!
This past Shabbat we witnessed the deadliest anti-Semitic attack against our people in American history. Eleven gentle souls entered their Pittsburgh synagogue, greeted one another with Shabbat Shalom, and settled into their regular seats they have sat in for decades … Read More
Uh-Oh Halloween
I couldn’t resist writing one last blog about Halloween as Head of Hillel. While I have never taken a position about whether Jewish children should participate in this American ritual, I have written about the importance of bringing Jewish rituals … Read More
The “Eulogy Virtues”
A current parent who has a sophomore in college shared with me that she and her husband received a Hillel tribute from their college-aged son. The tribute stated: “In honor of my parents for giving me an education beyond compare, … Read More
The Challenge for Parents: Letting Our Children Be Children
Childhood should be a time of awe and wonder; an opportunity to play, explore, create and to learn in a fashion that promotes healthy living and optimism. Then why do so many children suffer from anxiety and depression, and why … Read More