Ahhhhh, the famous question that is asked to parents at least once a week!
“Why do I have to go to Hebrew School? My friends don’t have to go and learn another language and study for hours, so why do I have to go?”
This is a question which has plagued Jewish families from the existence of Hebrew School time. Some answers which sound good to adults but not to children can be:
“You need to learn about your religion and where you come from.”
(Yea, while the child is rolling their eyes)
“Because I said so.”
(Never a good answer)
“Your grandmother wants to see you become a Bar Mitzvah.”
(Sometimes that guilt works)
So how should a parent approach their child who is dead set against attending Hebrew School? Unfortunately, there is never a true answer which will work for every child.
Sometimes approaching the situation in a non-defensive way and speaking openly about the child’s concerns about Hebrew School have seemed to help with past experiences. Many parents have found that the child is just exhausted after a full day of school and when they come home, they just need to relax.
The opposite also can occur where the child begins to get anxiety over the school homework they need to complete before the next day, and Hebrew School becomes a problem due to the time constraints it puts onto the child. This does make sense as Hebrew School usually does not end till 6:00pm and by the time the child gets home and has dinner, homework isn’t started till 7:00pm and then bed.
A solution to many issues surrounding the attendance of Hebrew School is private tutoring or home teaching. Instead of a child attending a class two or three times per week for two hours; parents are enlisting the help of a private teacher to come to the home once or twice a week for one hour sessions. This approach is focused directly on the child and they tend to retain more information as there are fewer distractions with one on one instruction.
So next time you get the dreaded question; try one of the approaches and see if the reaction from your suffering child changes.