Student Reactions
Most of the students this author teaches prefer to use
these modified texts with syllabified words when given
the choice between these texts and modified texts with
whole words. Once offered either of these two options,
they rarely want the official study texts supplied by the
synagogue. Many students appreciate the syllabified
texts and comment on how helpful they are.
Colleague, Classmate, and Teacher Reactions
Some colleagues have requested copies of these texts for the Torah and Haftarah texts they need for their students and children. One colleague wanted a copy of the syllabified Ashrei prayer for her daughter who is in 2nd grade at a local Jewish day school and has some difficulties reading. Her daughter was motivated to learn how to chant this prayer, but found the siddur difficult to read.
Dr. Joshua Jacobson has provided the whole word v ersions of these texts for the assigned Torah readings in his Cantillation I class at Hebrew College for the last two years. His students are not required to use them in their chanting preparations, but this author has seen that these texts are used by the majority of the students in his classes.
Some colleagues are concerned that using these texts will prevent students from learning how to read the more tightly typeset Hebrew that is rendered in a siddur. In this author's experience of teaching over a hundred B'nei Mitzvah students, she has observed that each student was able to transfer their reading skills from the modified texts to the Torah scroll. To be sure, the students had learned to chant their assigned reading fluently before making the transfer, but all were able to find and keep their place when chanting from the scroll.
This author views the modified texts as a stepping stone
for novice Hebrew readers to get used to reading and
mastering novel texts and that the goal is for them to
become more proficient readers able to use and read texts
from standard prayer and study resources.
Supervisor Reactions
This author's education director has copies on file of this author's modified texts for all the prayers and blessings taught in grades 3 through 6 in her congregational Hebrew school and makes them available for teachers to give out to students who may find them more visually helpful than the siddur or workbook versions of the texts.
Parent Reactions
This author receives numerous comments every year from parents, who know how to read Hebrew, and have seen their children struggle to learn to read Hebrew before using these texts. Their comments are appreciative and validate the use of these texts for novice Hebrew readers.