Process vs Product

“Mommy/Tatty… look what I made for you at school!” “Ima/Abba, I made a cool decoration for our Sukkah!” We all enjoy hearing those words coming out of our children’s mouth, excited and beaming with pride about what they have created or accomplished. As we leave for Sukkos break, some children may be bringing home art projects, while others may not. If your child has not brought anything home, don’t fret. Children respond in different ways to having a project to make. Some children relish the making of the project and are eager to take it home. Others may refuse entirely to participate in the project. There are others that will work hard on their project only to throw it in the garbage when they are done, or to say that they do not want to take it home. All of these are completely legitimate. Our children take ownership of their work, as we teach them to do, and therefore they may choose what to do with their final product. 

In our school the emphasis is on the process much more than on the product. The process is where the magic takes place! The learning, creativity and deep thinking and concentration happen while the children are working. Understanding what they are doing and feeling good about it are the main goals in any activity in the school. We want to respect the students' need for choice and therefore do not force them to create projects, or to take them home. We of course always offer and even discuss the values of making cool projects to take home, however, if a child refuses we do not force it. ​

​-Daniella