We can no longer ignore the data showing that there is little to no correlation between homework and achievement in the elementary grades. Prof. Harris Cooper of Duke University has done extensive research on homework. Cooper compiled 120 studies in … Read More
Blog Archives
The Power Within Us
Our words and actions can impact the entire world – really! A kind word or an act of helpfulness in a child’s life or an adult’s life can literally change the trajectory of that person’s path, and we may never … Read More
Why Jewish Education Cannot Fade Away
By Robert Victor, 8th grade student at Hillel Day School I bet at one point you have been asked, “What are the necessities of life?” Your response most likely sounded like this: “Food, water, and shelter.” Yet you have never … Read More
ANSWERING THE CALL TO SERVICE
By Michael Schostak, Hillel graduate (1993), husband of Alexis, and father of current Hillel students, Hayley (K) and Benji (ECC-2). When we retell the Passover story at our Seders this year, we will no doubt talk about Moses and his … Read More
My Encounters with an Incredible Man: Bill Farber
On a sunny day in October, 2013, Rabbi Harold Loss of Temple Israel came to visit me with an essential question. I remember it clearly: “I have a potential donor who would like to know what transformational dream do you … Read More
I Won’t Back Down – And Neither Should You
In the past month, two anti-Semitic incidents impacted me personally – two more than in my entire life, and I am 58. The first was the bomb threat at school, and this past week, the Jewish cemetery that was desecrated … Read More
What We Can Learn Today Having Been “Strangers” Ourselves
How do we help our older children, who may be aware of all that is unfolding in our country, make sense of the uncertainty and conflicts between large segments of our citizenry? Every family has a right to their own … Read More
The Future Is in Our Memory
One of my favorite twentieth century Jewish thinkers is Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. I found a poignant quote attributed to him as I read reflections in a Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Mahzor (prayer book): “The authentic individual is neither … Read More
Do We Really Still Need Teachers?
Much has been written about how technology is changing the face of education and will continue to do so at an increasingly rapid rate. There are those who believe that online learning and advanced educational software will push the current … Read More
The Theology of Hope: Embracing our Future on the Shoulders of our Past
If you are one who reads the news and is following the presidential primaries, then it is sadly easy to understand why so many people feel that we live in “the worst of all possible worlds!” Much of the collective … Read More