I have to
express my HaKarat Hatov, my deepest gratitude to South Peninsula Hebrew Day School. I attended SPHDS for 12 years in Sunnyvale, CA and I believe it’s
thanks to the Hebrew teachers there that I am bilingual, which became essential for my preschool
job. Three students in my 2 and 3-year-old class came from Israel- two this year- and the fact that I
am able to converse with them in their native language provides a comfortable
setting for them. It also provides a bridge among the American and Israeli
children, as Americans learn Hebrew words and Israelis learn English.
“Chamesh
Dakot! (5 minutes!)” I announce before clean-up time. “Yoni, Nazelet!” (Yoni, boogers!) I exclaim as I run to grab a tissue for the kid whose nose is constantly running. “Is there sheleg (snow) outside?” I asked, as snowflakes fill outside our windows.
I learn
Hebrew too, as my 3-year-old teaches me the word for bending over (Lehitkofef). “Ani lo ben,” she says after I mistakenly
refer to her in using masculine form of a word.
Children pick
up language so quickly. Although my Hebrew didn’t start until after
kindergarten, I learned so much that helped me in later years. It’s wonderful
to think that these kids will group up bilingual from such a young age from
their experience at Alef Bet.
