“Teacher, I didn’t do my homework because…..” Every teacher
has rolled his or her eyes at this line. However, there are times when school should
accommodate the rest of students’ lives. Perhaps a dog’s wayward eating habits
do not qualify, but what about religious holidays?
The Jewish High Holidays just ended, and my community has a
significant number of Jewish families. Each year about this time, our assistant
principal sends an email to teachers asking them “not to schedule assessments or major projects on the days
immediately following Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur, as many students will be
unable to properly prepare due to family & religious obligations.” The assistant principal sends out similar notices for Easter,
Ramadan, and a handful of other holidays.
It doesn’t matter.
Students report that
they have quizzes, tests, and significant homework assignments due immediately
following the High Holidays. When families are going to services, family gatherings,
or traveling to be with relatives, time is tight. So the choice is to either
participate in family and religious events or do homework.
I overheard two
staff members talking in the teacher workroom. One complained that his practice schedule was altered on the
evenings before the holidays. He said that he made it clear to his athletes
that it was okay if they needed to miss that practice or leave early. The
second coach said something astute and sensitive: kids don’t want to disappoint
the coach (or teacher). Although the practice may be noted as “optional,” kids
fear that will reflect badly on them or cost them a chance at participating in
the next contest.
The same scenario
played out academically. As a teacher noted that his students were reporting
lots of homework and tests the day after Rosh Hashanah, another teacher stated
he made it clear that, if students were not able to get the work done, they
just should tell him and he’d adjust their activities in class. But kids don’t
like doing that. This teacher did note that few students had ever actually done this. I was not surprised.
I just learned that
one coach had scheduled a field trip on the Sunday following Yom Kippur. The
kids reported that it was “mandatory.” Given that some kids travel to celebrate
the holiday, and Sunday after Yom Kippur is the primary day to get all that work
done, this “field trip” was ill timed and insensitive.
School does not
happen in a vacuum. There are many priorities competing for a child’s
attention: activities, work, family, health, not to mention the emotional drama
that is unfortunately part of many of our children’s lives. But none of that
matters when we have to get through unit seven!
I am disappointed in
some of my colleagues. Yes, it takes a little more planning and creativity to
find a way to make a schedule work during the fall Jewish holidays – or the
spring holidays when Easter and Passover come at nearly the same time. But it
is important that we do so.
Kids do need to partner
with their teachers. Students need to use assignment sheets to plan in advance.
They can approach teachers and point out problems before they become issues.
However, the adults have to give them these tools. If the test is announced on
the Wednesday before Rosh Hashanah, the student has been put in an untenable
position – and it is the teacher’s fault!
It is important that we acknowledge that school, specifically homework, is only one of many priorities for students when they leave the classroom. We can help kids manage the “crunch” times, whether they are religious holidays, the play, or playoffs. It is critical to teach them ways to juggle their lives outside of school and stay engaged in their studies. It is a give and take, and teachers need to be better at giving.
