The first days of school have begun. All those nervous days of anticipation are behind us, and stretching before us now is a bright new year full of promise and potential. School is a time of growth, learning, and preparation for what is to come. How can we maximize what our students and children accomplish during these precious months?

Last year at this time, I wrote about the importance of establishing routines to ensure that a year’s worth of learning can take place. Now is the time to set up routines once again. But this year I’d like to talk about another important topic – relationships – without which nothing can be accomplished.

The summer is a very expensive time of year. Between camp, supplies for camp, and requests for special treats, I and my wallet feel drained. I was excited when a friend suggested that I write about teaching teenagers how to budget as I reasoned that would give me an impetus to get a handle on the topic (keeping in mind my husband’s reminder that I should only write about what I know!).

Fortunately, our community is blessed to have the wonderful organization Mesila, which counsels families on how to stay fiscally responsible. I will leave it to them to provide the practical tips on managing the finances in our lives. Many of our local schools also teach financial management during middle and high school, and these programs should be encouraged and expanded. What I can do is provide some additional ideas that can help frame this important topic.

It’s that time of year, when everyone in the school building walks around with an extra spring in their step knowing summer vacation is just around the corner. School years are wonderfully predictable, unlike much else in life. They have a beginning, followed by inevitable periods of conflict and drama, and finish with a predictable end – the last day of school. There is then a brief interlude followed by a sequel with the same format. If you have ever read a good novel, you know that, while all stories have a similar format, the best ones end with a closing that makes them memorable and stick with you for a while.

Children only experience each grade and age once; we want the story of their year to be just as memorable as any good book. More importantly, if we use this time of year correctly, our children and students will “own” what they have learned rather than it being something we have imposed on them. Parents and teachers can provide that satisfying closure that makes the lessons of this past year stick.

The two months before Pesach is an intense parenting/teaching time. Teachers fill every moment with projects and lessons to prepare their students for the two central holidays of Purim and Pesach. For parents, the month before Purim requires juggling and creativity to plan the costumes, calculate who will get what kind of shalach manos, and shuttle kids from party to party. The day of Purim itself is exhilarating and exhausting. Despite the hard work, I walked away this year feeling satisfied, like I was a real mom doing real chinuch (education). 

The minute Purim ended, we went into full Pesach mode. The intensity continued and even grew as we scrubbed, shopped, and planned. The importance of the time superseded anything else – homework, bedtime, dinner; everything had to fit into the mitzvos of Pesach rather than the other way around. The Seder was, of course, an evening devoted to chinuch. And then we had trips to the zoo for the younger crew and trips to an escape room for the older kids. We baked together in the kitchen, listened to music when cleaning up, and spent the long Yom Tov afternoons playing games.

With Pesach coming, writing an article about chinuch (Jewish education) seems appropriate. The whole Yom Tov revolves around passing our heritage along to our children. We have two full nights of Seder and weeks of preparation devoted to this sacred task. How do we teach about Yetzias Mitzrayim (the exodus from Egypt) so that it is joyful and not tedious for our children and students?

Before giving any advice, I need to preface it with a disclaimer that should probably accompany every article I write: Anything I recommend works for some; it does not work for others. The Haggadah talks about four sons – all raised by the same parents – who turn out completely different. Our parenting comprises our hishtadlus (effort), but the results are not up to us. With my first child, I thought I had it all figured out. I read the books, had parenting rules to live by, and thought I had this parenting thing down pat. I did, until number two, three, etc. came along and showed me that it had nothing to do with me. My kids have their own personalities and will grow up into whomever Hashem wants them to be. I can’t take the credit – or the blame – for the results. But I am still expected to try my best.

With that said, I’d like to share some ideas to help us think about how to teach Yetzias Mitzrayim, whether at the Seder or in the classroom.

This time of year brings different reactions from people. Some of my friends start discussing their Purim themes by Cheshvan and use the lights of Zos Chanukah (the eighth day) as a reminder to start cleaning their bedrooms for Pesach. Then I have a friend who responds with a sharp intake of breath if I ever mention Purim or Pesach before Rosh Chodesh Adar. Once, I mentioned the “P” word in Teves, and she didn’t talk to me for a month. I’m never sure when is too early or too late to start talking about Purim and Pesach. Since Purim is this week, I think I’m pretty safe.

When thinking about Purim, Pesach and chinuch (Jewish education), I know I need to get a handle on how I approach these Yomim Tovim myself. Adar and Nissan are the time of geula (redemption) and boundless simcha (joy), yet Purim and Pesach make my heart beat fast. One night, I’ll have a nightmare that I need to deliver all my shalach manos to people who live on one-way streets that are all getting BGE repairs. Another night I’ll wake up in a panic that the Megillah readings overlap and that visiting hours for the rebbeim are at different times, each a half hour apart, so there is not enough time to make other deliveries but too little time to go home and be productive.