ד׳ מרחשון ה׳תשפ״ו | October 25, 2025
My Chinuch Pitch: Shut Down the Shaimos Factory
“I saw all the excitement over the big Chinuch pitch competition and figured I’d share the idea that somehow didn’t make the cut — the one that would’ve actually saved money, time, and sanity.”
Forget gamified Gemara and Moshiach-themed youth centers. My revolutionary idea would save more money, time, and sanity than all the finalists combined.
Every week, schools send home a small forest worth of “important” papers — homework, announcements, photocopied divrei Torah, and full-color laminated projects. Most of it belongs in the trash… except it can’t. It’s shaimos. So it piles up in shopping bags, boxes, reminding of many nooks and crannies I’ve long forgotten about.
It’s not just the paper clutter — it’s the mental clutter. Every worksheet is another project, test, or “just review this together,” multiplied across multiple kids in different grades, each with their own unique stack demanding attention. Half of it is a duplicate anyway — same parsha sheet, just different handwriting. And this isn’t even counting the glossy Yechi flags that get churned out by the millions every Simchas Torah.
And yes, there’s precedent. Back in third grade, my melamed — a talented artist — had a giant poster on his wall of a boy drowning in a sea of papers labeled קנסים. At the time, I thought it was a joke. Turns out it was a prophecy.
This idea wouldn’t need $18,000 in funding. It would save that much, ten times over. Less paper means less waste, less shaimos, less stress — and maybe, just maybe, parents could actually focus on what teachers have to say, because it wouldn’t be buried under last week’s photocopied avalanche.
So next year, maybe put this pitch in the lineup. I’ll even make a slideshow. On one sheet of paper. And then I’ll burn it.
COMMENTS
This article expresses tremendous disrespect to teachers and the hard work they put into their talmidim. it is surprising that it passed the bar of publication on anash.
instead of being grateful, this parent has decided to be extremely kafuy tova, and to play the “blame the teacher” game, for all their children’s failures, in order to feel less guilty in failing to properly educate their child with middos tovos such as hakaras hatov.
Did you even read it?
Surprised that someone’s “stomach ache” is printed here.
Why do the children’s papers related to school belong in the trash?
Children spend most of their day in school. The papers they bring home is a tiny reflection of what they do all day. As parents, let’s take interest and pay attention to the papers they bring home. That’s how we can show them that what they do all day matters and is important to us.
This is what’s called a rant, there are many “issues” being complained about and absolutely 0 suggestions being put forth for how to solve them. Is the author against homework, tests, dvar torah papers, reminders about schedule changes, or arts and crafts? who knowns, but let’s just complain and bash the hard work others are doing to improve chinuch.
It is very unclear to me what the writer is trying to bring out hear and what solution he has . I wish it was written clearer with more clear sentences and points.
I am not sure if the writer is aware of the appreciation and pride children have in showing what they dod that week in school (and lerhaps saying the Dvar Torah).
I think that is beautiful they kids have what to take pride in.
I don’t know if the writer talks to his kids about school and about their week in school. And I also dont know what type if papers he recieves in school.
Perhaps the writer can begin spending time by the meal discussing school with his children. And perhaps going thru the weekly Dvar Torah and find interest in the pictures of his son’s class and have a nice discussion with his son on how school went. I think that the focus of the Shabbos meal should be the kids.
If the writer needs Shaimos, there are plenty of stores who accept Shaimos. Perhaps there should be a designated box for Shaimos.
I am very sorry that the writer had a painful experience in 3rd grade – (if that’s part of what he intended to bring out) – unfortunately, years ago there were some teachers who had trauma themselves and were not able to show love and kindness to their students, and had a fear based relationship with their students, rather than one that is based on positivity, love and connection.
These days we are blessed with so many amazing educators. Education and teaching are of the most sophisticated, and require much talent (educating properly is complex).
[It’s amazing to see the fascinating skill that exists in our community, so many teachers are tremendously skilled in their field. It is truly phenomenal. Often, educating and teaching children can take more skill and effort even more than other Shlichus].
Anyway, educators, please continue to send the papers. Thank you
Much Hatzlacha!
This isn’t only referring to crown heights. It’s referring to schools around the usa in broad range of locations where shaimos drop off and pickup isn’t common.
I don’t understand why people are trashing this article. The shaimos issue is one that has never been brought up before. On another note regarding worksheets and shaimos, if you are going to make it, please make it look proper and respectful.
A teacher is a mechanech not a graphic designer. If you’d like to sponsor a graphic designer for every teacher you are more than welcome.
Teachers are not paid to create worksheets. They create it when they see a need. They create it on their own time. They are possibly created at the expense of their family.
Say thank you. If you have criticism they’re are bonds all over Kingston Avenue for it.
It’s a good point, I too find myself drowning in shaimos/non shaimos papers from school. the sarcasm is unnecessary and distracting.
I wonder how other families manage with the great amount of papers
While I agree that teachers are worthy of our admiration and we have much bigger issues, I tend to agree that the papers are overdone. But I venture to say that in some ways, it’s the fault of the parents.
Teachers are under a lot of pressure to please parents, leading to an abundance of crafts and divrei Torah which parents can see and hold. A child can learn a ton of Chumash, Mishnayos and Gemara, but if he doesn’t have a cute craft or dvar Torah to show his parents – his parents won’t “shep nachas.”
Back in the day, a father would sit with his son by a Gemara and listen to what he learned that week. That did more for the son’s learning and didn’t involve shaimos.
Likewise, tests and homework involved chazering the material inside, which led to better learning skills. But you can’t show that to a parent or “prove” how well the child did (or didn’t do). More trust in both teachers and students will breed more confidence in teaching in learning.
BH
As a teacher and mother I actually agree.
Children learn better from seforim than from sheets. Authentic learning is from seforim. Seforim give a child a sense of REAL Torah, it gives ownership and it allows the child to learn how to learn. The child can come back to those seforim when he is older and all the learning is right there. We have lost the love for seforim.
If a teacher does give sheets it should come home in a binder, folder, diplay book and go back to school after Shabbos so that the child can have a full folder of Parsha sheets by the end of the year. It gives the child a sense of accomplishment and continutiy. progress can be monitored. It is respectful to the child’s work.
Sending home loose sheets teaches the child that their work is disposable and doesnt allow them to come back to their learning when they grow older.
This is the first time I ever heard a parent complain about too much papers from school. My parents always complained when I didn’t bring back a Dvar Toira printed from school. My mother was just telling me how cool it was when she found a booklet of Divrei Toirah from when I was in third grade, and my younger brother even used it this past shabbes when he didn’t bring back any Dvar Torah from school. Maybe try to have more interest in your children’s Chinnuch like the Rebbe writes in Hayom Yom to think about the Chinnuch of children for at least a half an hour a day.
With blessing for the Geula Hoamitis Vehashleimo.