Joyful Learning In Every Season at KSDS


By Dr. Robyn Blum, Principal, K-8

As Jews, we call this time of year “z’man simchateinu” – the time of our joy. We are actually commanded during this time period to be happy! The holiday of Sukkot, as the culmination of all of the Tishrei holidays, gives us the opportunity to come together as a community in a spirit of celebration, joy and appreciation of life. 

As Krieger Schechter Day School teachers, we recognize that every time of year is a time for such joy – specifically, for joy in learning. We are so lucky to have such an amazing faculty who facilitate joyful learning experiences for our students each and every day. They understand that joy in learning comes from so many aspects of the educational experience – sometimes it’s about making learning activities “fun” or interactive or outside of the regular classroom, while at other times, joy in learning comes from students passionately challenging themselves to gain a skill or solve a problem. At times, joy in learning comes from collaborative group work that lifts each other up, and at other times joy in learning comes in the quiet moment of self-satisfaction and passionate inquiry.

I could go on and on, describing the joyful learning that goes on at KSDS every day. But it’s much better to allow the experiences to speak for themselves, in the words of our talented faculty:

KSDS students feel joy in their learning when:  

  • 4th graders ride the Lady Maryland boat, enjoying hands-on activities from fishing (and identifying what they caught) to examining phytoplankton under a microscope to testing the pH balance and salinity of the water, all as part of their social studies exploration of the Chesapeake Bay.
  • A 1st grader learns about coins and counting money, and at home that night sets up a store with fake money to play and count with.
  • 6th graders ask to continue their independent novel silent reading in class, so excited to discover what comes next for the main character. Following the student-initiated discussion about the character, one student notes, “It’s like we have our own book club!” 
  • 5th graders explore the world in minute detail as they engage in their first science microscope experience, in awe at the amazing things that can be seen.
  • 3rd and 4th graders learn and discover in nontraditional learning environments, while embracing the various spaces of our beautiful campus. One day they might be singing or reading in the lobby with the new furniture and another day doing the Jewish meditative practice of hitbodedut in the amphitheater.
  • 8th graders create watercolor paintings about the positive symbols of rainbows, relaxing at the end of a rainy week and studying the Bible story of Noah.
  • 2nd graders become so invested in a philosophical discussion related to the Jewish holidays and God that they put aside all other planned learning for the rest of the class time as their curiosity about the world was on full display.
  • Middle School students sing and sway with beautiful energy during Ta’am Shabbat.
  • 6th graders create Pokemon (complete with eligible upgrades!) to reflect the changing symbolism and observance of Jewish holidays across the centuries
  • K, 1st and 2nd graders meet with Kathy MacMilliam, KSDS Silverman Brown Author in Residence for 2024-25, and they excitedly incorporate sign language and hear stories of empathy and love.
  • 3rd grade Hebrew games help the language learning come alive.
  • 2nd graders are excited as they learn to read and spell words with longer and more complex syllables, and realize their growing skills
  • 5th graders practice test review with kinesthetic games that get everyone moving around the classroom.
  • 2nd and 3rd graders experience “brilliant mistakes” – showing amazing thinking and creativity, and changing a mistake into an opportunity for constructive feedback and improvement.
  • 7th graders choose, on their own time, to prepare a song and dance about Jewish identity to perform for the class.
  • 7th graders prepare and perform skits about the weekly Torah portion.

Many of us recall the beautiful Jewish tradition of using a paper covered with honey to teach a child how to write the first Hebrew letter the child will learn. As the child then licks the honey off a sticky-sweet finger, the association is made between the sweet taste and the initiation of learning.

At Krieger Schechter, each day of learning is sweet and joyful (even with its challenges and bumps along the way!). Thank you to our stellar faculty for making the learning “z’man simchateinu” all year long!