This Week at YLS
News and Updates from Yeshiva Lab School
10 Adar Alef 5776
A Message From the Principal
Dear Parents,
This Motzei Shabbat, February 20th at 8:15pm, I will participate in a panel discussion at Kohelet Yeshiva High School entitled “Nurturing Emunah in our Children in the 21st Century.” In preparing for this critical event, I've been reflecting on what I've seen through the years has and hasn't worked in cultivating a strong sense of emunah in children while also reviewing the literature on the spiritual development of children. What has been particularly striking to me is the overlap between my observations in the area of nurturing faith and what I've been reading - and what I was privileged to hear last week at KYHS from Dr. Ken Ginsburg - about nurturing resilience.
A common theme that emerges from all of the above is that a parent’s (and teacher’s) ability to positively affect their child’s emotional and spiritual growth is a result of their ability to strike a balance between controlling their child and nurturing his/her independence.
How do we successfully do that?
Dr. Ginsburg suggested viewing raising our children is like a helping them with a jigsaw puzzle. We start by showing them the edges and creating the borders, which include things related to our children’s religious and moral development as well as safety and security, but the middle of the puzzle can be figured out by our children. Similarly, in “How People Learn to Become Resilient,” Dr. Emmy Werner is quoted as concluding from her research that “The resilient children saw themselves as the orchestrators of their own fates.” Creating an environment in which our children are able to make choices and are empowered to own their decisions and the effect they have nurtures their resiliency.
When it comes to emunah, we have to do a complex dance. We need to hold our children responsible for their religious observance, while at the same time creating a space in which they feel comfortable asking questions, voicing thoughts and opinions about their beliefs and practices. Additionally, we need to foster an environment where they feel empowered, inspired, and nurtured to build a relationship with Hashem.
Shabbat Shalom!
Becky Troodler
From the YLS Parents Association
Important Calendar Dates
Friday, February 19- 1pm Dismissal, Afternoon LM Busing
Friday, February 26- 1pm Dismissal, Afternoon LM Busing
Saturday, February 27- YLS Parent Melava Malka
Friday, March 4- 1pm Dismissal, Afternoon LM Busing
Friday, March 11- 1pm Dismissal, Afternoon LM Busing
Monday, March 14- Parent Teacher Conferences -No School
Friday, March 18- 3:00 pm Dismissal - No LM Busing
Wednesday, March 23- Ta’anit Esther, Erev Purim 1:00pm Dismissal - LM Busing
Thursday, March 24- Purim - No School
Yeshiva Lab School
Email: office@yeshivalabschool.org
Website: yeshivalabschool.org
Location: 612 Montgomery Avenue, Narberth, PA, United States
Phone: 6102063926
Facebook: www.facebook.com/yeshivalabschool
Twitter: @yeshivalab