Sharing some personal thoughts that Rebbitzin Ettie shared with our preschool families in response to the shock and sadness we witnessed this past week...
I know that many have been shaken by current events this week. Whenever disturbing events occur in the public sphere, I find comfort in the reminder that our work here at Preschool of the Arts is to raise the next generation. Our goal in everything we do is to educate our children to grow as learners so that they can one day be thoughtful and engaged citizens. We place a heavy emphasis on character development and deeply engage in developing our children’s social-emotional skills from the youngest age.
Today, as with every Friday, I visited a few of our classes to lead the children in a special Shabbat celebration. During this time, we always include lessons and traditions related to Jewish values. This week, we learned all about the Mitzvah of Tzedakah – charity. In Jewish tradition, Tzedakah is actually translated as justice, fairness. Giving to others is not only an act of good will but it's the right thing to do and makes the world a better place. We had fun plunking pennies into the Tzedakah box and singing songs about helping others. When we really broke the concept down into relevant examples for the children – how can we be fair? How can we help others in need? What does sharing look like? – the children responded with inspiring feedback and ideas on how they can be kind and giving in their own lives.
Every day in the classroom, our teachers are instilling values of kindness, compassion, and respect. When I see the children sharing swings on the playground, mediating small conflicts at the Peace Table, and singing and laughing with their friends, I think that the world might be a better place if it looked a little more like our POTA community. I am strengthened by our vital work in education, confident in the knowledge that the only way to impact the world at large is by educating one child at a time
Shabbat Shalom!
Ettie Zaklos