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On This Night We Are All Teachers  

Haggadah 2024 

Pesach 2025

Thoughts from Dr. Ilana Turetsky

During the Chagim season, the rhythm of school is often choppy and disrupted. Planning lessons can be challenging, as students frequently return from days off having forgotten material taught just before the break. To adapt, I like to design modular lessons. Instead of building content that depends heavily on continuity— where the ideas build on one another, whether within the lesson or leading from one lesson to the next next—I prepare a set of smaller, self-contained “lesson nuggets.” These mini-lessons stand on their own, allowing for greater flexibility when learning is interrupted.

For example, if I structure a class around three 15-minute segments instead of a single 45-minute lesson, I can adjust in real time. If a period is shortened by a late start or a school-wide assembly, I simply teach one or two segments. If I find myself with more time than expected, I can progress through additional mini-topics.

It’s also helpful to prepare lessons on themes that are broadly relevant throughout this season. While Tekiyat Shofar is specific to Rosh Hashana, the theme of Teshuva spans from Elul through Aseret Yemei Teshuva and Yom Kippur. Similarly, the concept of Universalism and Am Hanivchar is relevant across multiple holidays: Rosh Hashana (“Meloch al kol ha’olam kulo”), Yom Kippur (Maftir Yonah), and Sukkot (Parei HaChag). In this way, lessons remain meaningful and timely, even when the calendar is in flux.

Wishing everyone a strong, positive start to the new school year and a year of success and growth!

Interview with Benji Davis