It's that time of year. Schools are either starting up or getting ready to. This capsule from USA Today: "Godley Elementary School teacher Brandy Young told parents research doesn't prove homework improves performance..." For that reason, she would not be assigning her second graders homework this year. I saw an interview with Ms. Young on Wednesday. The reason for the change was simple, she reviewed the way she had been teaching over the years and determined that assigning homework was not best for the children or the families, so she decided to try a different way this year.

     Wow!

     We're only in Av, but this woman was following the best of traditions for Elul and Tishri! She did the task that each of us are to do as the Jewish year comes to its close. Tradition tells us to do a serious review of how we have lived this past year in order to find ways to try and improve ourselves. A life review might be more complicated than determining if giving homework is a wise educational stance. No doubt we lack the concrete data on which to base our decisions.

     No homework was the headline. My sense is most people have not read or considered the rest of what Ms. Young said. The compliment to no homework, "time after school is best spent eating dinner as a family, reading together, playing outside and getting children to bed early." No-homework is only part of the solution. What makes that concept work is more time together, eating together, participating in important activities together.

     Sounds like, to me, she's describing Shabbat and Holy Days. Even if we don't have second graders in Ms. Young's class her family assignment, eating and talking together, sounds like a good one to me, no matter the age of family.

     We hope your family will be joining us for eating and talking together at our Hava Nagrilla BBQ  tomorrow evening.  And families with young children can celebrate Shabbat in the garden at  5:15 pm with their young ones and other families.  If you can't join us for dinner, we invite you to join us for the Shabbat in the Round service at  7:00 pm.

Rabbi Paul Drazen
rabbidrazen@adath.org
(315) 445 - 0002 x121
450 Kimber Road
Syracuse, NY 13224
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