Teaching the plagues in a sensitive way is difficult, as are many of the stories derived from the Torah that need to be covered in our syllabus. Over the years, I have developed a method that I am happy to share with you.
For my class, Pesach begins at the start of the school year although the children don’t know it. I have a frog unit, a hail/rain unit, and a bugs/locust unit built into my curriculum. Using those themes as a jumping-off point, we talk about conservation and ecosystems, spending time in nature, and looking closely at the garden. All of this offers the children broader opportunities to learn about the world around them in an age-appropriate way.
By the time we arrive at Pesach, the class already knows that too much of anything can be bad. This is where I mention in passing that terrible things happened as the Jews fought for their freedom in Egypt.
There is so much to learn about Pesach that I have no problem focusing on all the other non-plague related aspects of the holiday. I like to focus on freedom of choice, kindness, and compassion, as well as the ability to use one’s voice to be heard. I give a tiny mention to the plagues along the way, but it is in passing and I don’t elaborate. In my opinion, the plagues are not age-appropriate, and the move by some to blunt the horror of those terrible events by creating cute plagues teaches the wrong lessons. We should be using our time with our children to teach compassion, not making light of the suffering of others.
Ultimately, plagues shouldn’t be taught in a preschool.
Spring:
In South Africa, we often focused on Chag Haviv, The festival of Spring, celebrating springtime in Israel. This despite the onset of fall and the beginning of the chilly, gloomy winter. Now that I am in the Northern hemisphere focusing on Spring is fun and easy, especially as we leave the classroom for more outdoor activities.
Recycling and Upcycling:
As teachers, we are often tasked with making ‘things’ for the children to take home. With the world suffering from excess waste and pollution, we should try to limit our impact by choosing our annual projects carefully and using recycled or upcycled materials. Most families don’t need 5 seder plates or many Elijah and Miriam cups. The children have a lifetime of learning ahead of them, giving them time on really interesting and meaningful projects, and showing them how to recycle are great lessons for the future.
Home and School:
I feel it is important to make a distinction between the Pesach seder at home and what is being taught at school. Not all children are the same, and family traditions vary widely. It is prudent for us to err on the side of caution when teaching difficult subjects. I believe in providing the structural framework on which the family can hang the details and provide more vivid color to the stories. Each family treats Pesach, the seder, and the plagues in very different ways that work for them. If a family decides to treat the plagues with silliness and sing funny songs at the seder, that is fine and should be embraced. Each family has its own traditions, and that is what makes Judaism into such a beautiful tapestry.
Life Skills:
The world around us seems to be awash with people who lack empathy. As educators, we can help one child at a time. It is incumbent upon us to use this time of change to turn children’s eyes towards compassion and caring. Schadenfreude, taking joy from the pain of others, seems to be on its way to becoming a social norm, especially as our lives become more intimately entwined with the online world. While this world is in flux and experiencing social upheaval, we have the remarkable power to affect change for the better.