High school girls | Imamother

LK1

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 10:17 am

We can't really say since the schools need a big variation for all the different brains that are sitting there.
For example: I cannot memorize for the life of mine and always flunked the Limudei Kodesh classes even though I really enjoyed learning.
I did way better on the English subjects (Math just makes sense...)
My friend always got 100's straight since she just memorized everything but she didn't really enjoy learning.

The schools have the have a really delicate balance of Hashkafa, in text subjects, life skills...

Although I would have loved to learn more economics. We had such a subject but didn't really learn anything...

LovesHashem

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 10:17 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

Are we completely eliminating parents from the equation? It is the parents' responsibility to teach kids how to run home, be mentschen and be emotionally healthy. The school's responsibility is to provide an academic (and religious) education. As the years go by, it seems like the parents only want to retain the responsibility for the physical needs of their children and want to abdicate all their other responsibilities to the school.

DBT, emotional awareness, and skills like that isn't necessarily something all adults know. It's a newfound thing to talk about feelings and emotional health. It was very different 20 years ago.

This would be taught by a mental health profesional.

I also think it's the parents job to teach their kids basics in Emunah, what our purpose is here, and who Hashem is to us - but most pepe rely on schools to teach their kids that.

amother

Poinsettia

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 10:18 am

amother [ Amethyst ] wrote:

I would love if we can introduce academic tracks in our high schools. Our kids are all different, and have different future plans, and not all benefit from intense or advanced classes. Wouldn't it be great if we can define core classes that all kids must take, and allow them to choose their other classes?

This. And not limited by age, but by ability.

It's so difficult to watch my brilliant child waste away in class learning math she knows since she's 5 for the simple reason that socially she belongs in her grade. If she's on 9th grade level math in 5th grade, she should have the option of utilizing her brain, but still socializing and spending most of her day with her age group.

momallhours

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 10:22 am

I didn't read through the whole thread, here are my thoughts.
I learned tremendous amount and keep all the kodesh subjects!

Wht I would have loved to learn:
Real financial literacy
Business preparation skill - I.e. more computer skills
More emotional awareness DBT mindfulness skills

amother

Springgreen

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 10:32 am

My dream hs experience would have been learning tanach in the context of history and understanding where we come from. Tons of discussion and reflection. Not tons of text and translating and memorizing. Lots of Psychology and practical pple skills and understanding of child development and personalities. Finances and money management. Starting early letting the girls explore dif types of fields and letting them see what speaks to them and maybe having dif. Tracks by the time 11th/q12th grade comes along. Instead of research projects and big reports being done at home, I believe they should be done in class totally with teachers as guides. What else hmmm lots of extra curricular and discussion groups. Obviously the basics of all the regular curriculum but like basics not overdoing it

GLUE

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 11:06 am

amother [ Obsidian ] wrote:

Why did you have very little idea what was gong on? What language was it taught in Hebrew? I’ve never heard of a school not translating the words as they go through it that’s part of the learning. Usually you start with the basics in younger grades and move up. Unless a kid has a learning disability or is a weak student most of the class is keeping up and knows what’s going on.

I do have a language problem. The problem is that the school were I went did not translate directly into English, first into Hebrew then English by middle school it was mostly in Hebrew. The whole lesson was mostly in Hebrew and the test were in Hebrew. Not knowing Hebrew so well I despised Chummesh ect. despised might not be strong enough to describe my feelings.

It did not matter if my father would teach me what was learned in class I still would get Incomplete in those classes because the tests were in Hebrew and the teachers would only translate a very small part of the test. My DD has this problem now because the school needs to teach Chummesh in Yiddish.

When teaching a language teach it as a language don't make our kids despise the Holly Toarh.

amother

Junglegreen

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 11:40 am

ADD Bubbie here. I somehow pulled my way out of high school, Seminary. Hard for us ADD folks. In those days it was called Lazy, stupid, not trying hard enough. I just wish I would not have been broken by all the learning that I couldn't follow. I still have nightmares being in school and having to learn. There is life after school. That's one of the important messages that schools can pass along. You can be a great wife,mother,DIL, even if you didn't learn well. Drill that in. Please dont tell me that nobody looked down on us. They did. Good Luck to all.

amother

Orange

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 12:41 pm

Hire good teachers, not people who are there solely for the paycheck. My daughter will sometimes tell me things that her teachers say and it's unbelievable that they are allowed to teach. Hire teachers who will be role models, who our daughter's could look up to and respect no matter what subject they teach.

#BestBubby

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 12:50 pm

amother [ Aconite ] wrote:

You're right, I'm sorry.
I deleted it, please delete the quoted, thanx

THIS is an example of great middos.

We all mistakes and many get carried away in the heat of debate.

#BestBubby

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 12:53 pm

LovesHashem wrote:

I think imbuing children with strong Emunah and Bitachon would prevent many mental illnesses.

Depression and Anxiety can have a physical component (lack of brain chemicals) but it can
also be based on attitude, a wrong way of thinking that causes depression and anxiety.

#BestBubby

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 12:55 pm

amother [ Poinsettia ] wrote:

I would allow your daughter to work independently on math at her level - there are
textbooks that are written directly to the student and give several worked out examples
for self-teaching.

amother

Seafoam

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 12:56 pm

LK1 wrote:

Am I that friend? lol
I loved Hashkafa classes - of which we had too few
Did not enjoy learning but was great at memorizing, so that pulled me through

Librarian

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 6:02 pm

amother [ Turquoise ] wrote:

Stop dumbing down our girls!
I have daughters who love to learn. They have the rest of their lives to mop floors. Let them expand their brain, challenge their minds and soak it all in while they can.
My daughters love school, and love learning challenging deep meforshim or a good pachad Yitzchok.
If you want your girls to learn how to peel potatoes, keep them home, but don’t ruin my child’s education.
(Btw every byhs I know has cooking- home ec classes as well)

Could not agree more!

frumie123

Fri, Apr 29 2022, 7:15 pm

Thank you for your responses.

Let me rephrase my question. I work in a mainstream, in town bais Yaakov type high school.
It's a truly amazing school, which has a lot of different limudei kodesh and limudei chol subjects.
We are looking for a limudei KODESH curriculum that the substitute can do, a curriculum that would be a little bit of a change of pace from the regular classes of chumash/Navi/parsha/etc... (There are many many more classes than these!).

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas of limudei koresh topics that would be of need for today's high school girl, which can be done multiple times a year?

I am thinking something along the lines of middos, or understanding our worth as a bas yisroel (some way to help girls understand who they are and how to improve their self esteem) or maybe technology awareness.

Please let me know your suggestions, and please be as specific as possible. Thank you all in advance!

LovesHashem

Sat, Apr 30 2022, 1:37 pm

#BestBubby wrote:

DBT isn't mental illness awareness. It's skills to help regulate your emotions, deal and cope with hard things, how to manage healthy relationships, how to deal with an emotional crisis etc.

These are things most regular teenagers whose brains are in middle of developing struggle with.

DBT has been shown to immensely help regular average teens.

amother

Lawngreen

Sat, Apr 30 2022, 9:28 pm

Been in Bais Yaakov chinuch (a both teacher and principal) for decades. The needs of our girls has changed- for some: school has to be a safe place where she is nurtured and encouraged to ask questions, to delve and to strengthen her Yiddishkeit with teachers as her role models. For others: academics is key- there are bright, inquisitive minds out there seeking to learn and expand their knowledge.
So- as a principal , I need to merge both into a learning environment that stresses middos, education, achdus, lifeskills and hashkafa. The right team of teachers and mechanchos can make this a reality.

amother

Poinsettia

Sat, Apr 30 2022, 9:34 pm

#BestBubby wrote:

I would allow your daughter to work independently on math at her level - there are
textbooks that are written directly to the student and give several worked out examples
for self-teaching.

But she isn't motivated to work harder than her peers. Nor does she want to be different or stand out. But if differentiation were the norm, for students of all capabilities, not just the weak ones, she'd go along with it.

amother

Daylily

Sat, Apr 30 2022, 9:43 pm

Didn't read the whole thread but some really good ideas here.

Problem is that schools get a lot of flack for not toeing the line. I think that if some of the things could be incorporated by guest speakers or on Sunday or as optional it can go over better. I think the schools need to be very confident about what they're doing when they go against the grain. If 80 percent of parents approve but 20 percent don't they won't do it. Also sewing used to be taught but isn't anymore. That tells me something about the world. Parents want kids to learn subjects that will help them get into college.

amother

Calendula

Sat, Apr 30 2022, 10:41 pm

amother [ Aubergine ] wrote:

All I can say is that after sitting through HS over 30 years ago, I walked out of there jumping for joy, and remembered nothing. Klei yakar, malbim,Rambam, memorizing random pesukim of mishlei or whatever, have had ZERO impact on my life, whatsoever. Ever. I hated it, resented it, and couldn't care less about any of that stuff. It was so not relatable to me. Then, now, or ever. Why oh why do we make our girls learn all this stuff? Makes zero sense to me.

I went to a RWMO school.

I also learned kli yakar, Malbim, Rambam and memorized psukim from Mishlei. Also solid math and science education, English writing, Spanish. I have so much hakoras hatov for my HS education. I use a small amount of the knowledge practically. And the rest is valuable just for its own sake.