When I was in school they offered two classes per grade, or at least for my grade. One was the Yiddish class and the other was the Hebrew class. I was in the Yiddish class. I didn't speak Yiddish at home. My mother didn't speak Yiddish anymore, and my father (z"l) did not speak Yiddish either. So why was it requested for me to in the Yiddish class?? Well my mother heard that the Yiddish class was more refined. The girls came from better homes and the school favored the Yiddish classes and often received better teachers, which in my case was indeed true. They did like us better and they did give us better teachers, as for homes, I can't really say, we were more the "Hungarian" grandmothers opposed to the "Israeli" parents. The girls in my class spoke Yiddish at home to their grandparents while the other class spoke Hebrew to their parents. Not saying that is the case for 100% of the class, I am talking about majority or not even. Unfortunately for us this caused a great distance between the two classes throughout the school years.

The "other" class was always referred to as the other class. We had nothing to do with the other girls. We hardly knew their names. Yet they were the same age as us. I was different. I knew the class and was friends with 1/4 of the girls. Granted the ones that lived near me...and we used to walk home together. We would laugh at the majority of our class and laugh at the "ice" that was between both classes.

Slowly in seventh grade the "ice" thinned a little. I guess somewhere between the shabbaton in Lakewood and the trip to Philly the girls needed to plan things together. The mingling started a little. It wasn't unheard of to know the name of a girl in the "other" class. By eighth grade, things even melted more. You had G.O and yearbook that combined both classes together to work together and make one yearbook. It was hard. One Editor in Chief, but from two classes, what do you do? G.O. was from both classes...and the other jobs were split pretty evenly. But it wasn't like the two classes became best friends.

By ninth grade the entire grade split up. You had about half if not more of the grade went to the same HighSchool while others went off to different ones. Let me fix that sentence. Half of my class went to the same highschool while the other class had 75% went to that same highschool. I was curious to see how things turned out. What do you know. The other class stuck together. The friends went as a group...and stayed friends...My class went in pieces but they managed to break into the other class and became good friends with the other girls. I was shocked. Here 8 years of a cold war was definitely over!! No more of not knowing what their names are, and who they are...And saying they are from the "other class". Amazing.

I wonder what it would be like if you got the grade together for a reunion? Would they stick together with the Yiddish class vs the Hebrew class? I think so! I think somethings still will stay the same. Even if they are friends now...They will socialize with their peers from grade school who are "more" like them. But why would people do that? I mean, if in HS they are good enough to be friends with them in HS why not when the other girls are there too? Why is it that people change their personality pending on who is there? Sometimes they can be sweet and nice...And another time they feel the need to be snobby and put on a show? Why is that?

Anyway, in my daughters school now, they separate the girls by birthdays. Go figure. There are three classes and she is in the youngest class. So all the birthdays are now...Sept-December birthdays. Of course since there are 23 girls, and they like to have birthday parties at home there are going to be conflicts. So my little social butterfly has her birthday this Sunday after another girls birthday party. And next Sunday she again has two birthday parties to go to. I guess after December there technically should not have any more parties to go to. From camp she has a friend in one of the other classes. I sure hope her grade does not turn out like my grade did...

Schools Have Rules

Schools have rules. They want you to follow them. They want you to tell the truth as well. Sometimes it is hard to tell the truth and follow their rules. Some of the rules are easy to follow while others are not so easy. So what happens if you follow some and not all? Can you still stay there? Are you still part of their student body? Is it better to lie on when asked the questions or tell the truth and get punished for being honest?

Schools have this policy of no TV’s in the house. They don’t want to accept “those” type of children into their schools. They don’t want the kids to watch TV, as it is evil and bad for them. TV is bad for you. There is nothing good on TV so therefore don’t watch it and you cannot have it in your house.

My question is like this. If a potential student comes with good qualification, and the family is a good family, why is the TV issue so threatening that the school will NOT accept the student based on the TV. If you have a TV in your house, don’t bother applying to certain schools. They don’t want TV’s in their students’ houses. Just eliminate the evil thing. If the potential student is smart, creative, good kid, too bad You have a TV, we don’t want you.

But what about the grandparents? The student can go to the grandparent’s house and watch all the TV they want…that isn’t against the rules. Or if the neighbor has one, go ahead, watch. As long as you don’t have one in your house. Who cares if you have more access to watching TV or have unlimited exposure at other peoples houses. You don’t have one at home, that is what counts. But you know what. The ones who have a TV at home have more rules about it. Have more rules about when and how and what they can watch. It is not unlimited. They don’t abuse the privilege of watching they know what they can see and what is not for them. They know their limit. Those who don’t have a TV don’t know their limit and watch when ever they can whenever they go somewhere that has one.

So who is right? The ones with a TV who know their limit? Or the ones who watch whenever they can and that can be very often?