Viewpoints expressed in letters, commentaries, cartoons, and other opinion pieces reflect those of the writer or artist and not those of the Light. We welcome submissions of letters and commentaries to [email protected] Jewish Federation of St....

The Jewish Community Center is now accepting applications for the Club All Day, an extension of its before-and after-school program, which will offer space, supervision, safety and structure for an online school day for students in K-5th grade.“We...

As a longtime teacher, I have been contacted by friends, family and acquaintances asking me to help them decide between choosing virtual learning or an in-person learning plan for their children. Like many parents, my head is spinning. Do I...

Normally at this time of year, back-to-school angst begins to arrive, usually in the minds of students who are hardly eager for summer vacation to end.But nothing is normal in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. This year, the anxiety typically felt...

As St. Louisans deal with a swelling in the number of local coronavirus cases and wait to see if they will be filling backpacks and heading to school or simply opening their laptops on the kitchen table, local Jews offered a range of responses — from...

At Torah Prep School of St. Louis, a majority of the families not only live in University City, they also attend Agudas Israel of St. Louis, an Orthodox synagogue in the suburb. As educators and government and health officials anxiously work through...

A couple of weeks ago, I joined a Zoom call with parents at Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School, which is hoping to be able to resume in-person classes this fall even though the pandemic is far from over. While most schools in St. Louis County aren’t...

Perhaps the most important lesson that Stephanie and Mark Ruter have taught their son and daughter during the coronavirus pandemic is an appreciation for the simple things in life and to not take their health for granted.  Both parents are nurse anesthetists...

Shelley Hoffman Dean, mom of four kids ages nine through 13, is used to juggling a lot of things. Family, career, music, dance, art, and inspiring children to love Judaism is all in a day’s work. But teaching school to her own children during a pandemic...

Teaching from home is old school for Kalanit Chappell, who points out there are major differences between actual homeschooling and distance learning, which is what most students are doing now.A single mom who lives in University City and member of Bais...

In August 2018, I began a yearlong program called the High School Leadership Program at Cultural Leadership, an organization that focuses on understanding cultural differences and injustices through Jewish and African American lenses. Over the course...

Studying dark days to enlightenUnder the heading, “highlights of my summer vacation,” teachers Ellie DesPrez and Jill Donovan say their time spent at the Belfer Conference in Washington, D.C. about tops the list.English teachers at John Burroughs...