Pardes Educators Alumni Support Project August Newsletter
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The Jim Joseph Foundation
Pardes Educators Alumni Support Project Newsletter
August 2009 Elul 5769 | |
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Dear Hevre,
As
the summer draws to an end, we hope that it was restful, enjoyable and
re-invigorating. For those of you who are about to start teaching
again (or those in Atlanta who have already started), we want to wish
you b'hatzlahah rabbah. Do read through the newsletter for
updates on important happenings of the alumni support project. We want
to call your attention particularly to the new on-line learning
opportunities and the upcoming retreat.
We
want to remind you that you have access to all secure materials on the
Lookstein website. You will need a password that you can obtain from Debra. You can sign up for the Lookjed and Mifgashim listserves for free. There are interesting discussions, such as, the recent article on mentoring. Links to these are on our website: http://pepalumni.pardes.org.il
We look forward to a wonderful new year working together with all of you.
Kol tuv,
Pardes Educators Alumni Support Project staff:
Dr. Susan Wall, Abby Rosen Finkel, MA, Debra Weiner-Solomont, MSW
The Pardes Educators Alumni Support Project is funded by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation.
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| Dvar Torah - Sarah Margles Cohort 3 |
| Approaching Elul |
 I
was recently at a Shabbat table where a lively conversation was taking
place. In the course of the conversation, one of the men at the table
made a sexist comment - the subtle, unintentional kind. The man, I'm
sure, would say that he is not 'sexist', and I'm sure that he would be
earnest in his statement. Still, he made a comment that had that
connotation. And I, the listener, said nothing.
I said nothing because I'm not supposed to
embarrass another person in public. I said nothing because it might
have made him angry. I said nothing because I was afraid. I said
nothing because I felt small.
But
saying nothing meant that his comment went unchecked. My feeling small
and scared stopped me from living according to my values and the world
around us was not made better in a moment when it could have been.
It was such an obstacle that landed Jonah into the belly of the
fish. In fact, it is our fears, our sense of powerlessness, smallness
and self-doubt that limit all of us. We are about to begin the process
of examining a year's worth of moments of falling short. We will
account for the ways we were small, afraid and failed to act on our
deepest values. Yet this process of seeking forgiveness is quite
unforgiving, as we beat our chests and berate ourselves, making
ourselves even smaller.
In truth, we are most able to embrace change and make good
choices when we feel capable and smart and courageous - when we feel
big. It is when we feel not-good-enough that we make mistakes, that we
hurt others, that we fail to take action, that we find ourselves
distanced from The Ever-Listening One.
This year, rather than diminishing our own worth, I invite us
to set our sights on what it would really look like to live big, to
embody our values and our vision for the world in the fullest way
possible. Let us show kavod to every person we encounter.
Let us live in relationship with the Compassionate One and let us
internalize what it means to be compassionate to ourselves and to those
around us.
I invite us to name the things that keep us from reaching
these sacred goals and to throw them in the river. Let us not dwell on
the mistakes of the past, asking only for forgiveness; let us also ask
for the courage to move forward with open hearts.
May this season, and the new year that follows, be sweet for all
of us. May it be more joyous and transformative than we thought
possible.
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Save the Date! PEP Alumni Fall Retreat
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Save the date for the Fall retreat - October 29-November 1, 2009 - to be held on the grounds of Barrack Hebrew Academy
in Bryn Mawr PA (right outside of Philadelphia). Plans are well
underway and it is shaping up to be a fantastic program with a special
track for our more veteran alumni. You will shortly receive the letter
for registering. Do R.S.V.P. as soon as possible, so that we can move forward with our planning.
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| New On-Line Learning Opportunities |
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We
are excited to announce several new text learning opportunities
specifically for our PEP alumni. This is an experimental program,
based on input from several of you as to your interest in continued
Pardes-style learning. One course will be offered by Levi Cooper (the commentary of The NETZIV using Parshat hashavuah.)
This will start as an experimental unit through Genesis, but we hope
there will be sufficient interest to continue throughout the year.
The second option, with Neima Novetsky, will be a short, limited piece on the Book of Jonah.
We hope to have the Book of Jonah materials on the website by the
beginning of September, and the Netziv materials shortly after. We
will inform you as soon as the materials are available. |
Focus on Adam Tilove - Cohort 6
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I
have loved teaching from the first time I remember doing it, which was
teaching my best friend to ride a bike in second grade. Not only did
it improve our lives - from being land locked to suddenly having the
freedom to ride together to the local store to buy baseball cards and
Hubba Bubba gum, but even as an eight year old, I remember a feeling of
power and immortality. My friend would never forget who taught him how
to ride a bike. I thought that every time he rode a bike for the rest
of his life, he would think of me.
While that may not be true, the
feelings of excitement and passion I feel for teaching are still just
as poignant today as they were then. Today, I teach kids about Judaism
(6th and 8th grade), helping them form their beliefs and values
for the rest of their lives. It is an awesome and humbling task, but
one I find endlessly joyous and rejuvenating.
I am currently the chair of
Jewish Studies and Hebrew at the Rodeph Sholom Middle School in
Manhattan. I am lucky to have an administration that trusts and
respects my interpretation of the school's mission and vision. When I
come up with crazy ideas, like taking the 8th graders to hear renowned
(or infamous) atheist Christopher Hitchens debate Rabbi David Wolpe on
the existence and value of God, I find my school receptive and
enthusiastic. I thrive in the open-minded and fearless way Reform
Judaism struggles with issues of faith, God, and Israel.
I also love the opportunity to
teach to the whole child through art, music, and discussion. We talk
about our weaknesses and insecurities in a safe and honest way. We
encourage each others secret talents, and we talk about what success
and pressure mean in school. In other words, we get into all the
essential things that don't make it on the academic curriculum assessed
by the ERB and SAT. As head of Jewish Studies and Hebrew, I am constantly asking myself, "Why?" Why do we need to know Hebrew? Why study Gemarah?
Why pray? Will this lesson make these student better Jews and better
people, or am I teaching them facts and skills that will be forgotten
as soon as they know they are done being assessed? I try to make
Judaism as relevant and meaningful as possible so that Judaism becomes
a living, evolving, and personal ethical system rather than a series of
dogmas and/or customs they don't understand. While I have not
succeeded in exciting every student about their Judaism, I was thrilled
to have been chosen to deliver the 8th grade commencement speech.
Truly, having one's students ask to hear MORE from you is the most
trustworthy award one can receive. A
great deal of my recent success and growth I owe to Machon Pardes. I
met my wife, Marni, at Pardes and so I consider our 9 month old son
Naftali to be 100 percent Pardesnik. The fact that I have enough
subject knowledge to teach middle school I certainly owe to Pardes,
having been a kindergarten teacher before my two years in the Pardes
Educators Program. My participation in the Day School Leadership
Training Institute this past summer was at the recommendation of the
Alumni Support Project. I want to thank all of my teachers, as well
as Rav Landes, David Bernstein, Susan Wall and Gail Kirschner for their
untiring efforts. My gratitude goes to the fellows of cohort 6 for
supporting me, believing in me, and giving me knowledge and ideas to
become the teacher I am today.
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| Education Corner: Another Activator...5 Word Brainstorm |
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By Dr. Susan Wall |
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In previous issues, the education corner featured Word Splash (June 2008), ChalkTalk (November 2008) and Carousel Brainstorming
(December 2008), all of which can be used as activators. Activators,
as the name implies, are activities that get the students' minds
engaged in accessing prior knowledge. We know from the research on
learning that students can take in new information much more
efficiently and meaningfully if they are able to connect the new
learning to what they already know. An analogy would be scattering
seeds in land that has been well prepared for planting, versus simply
throwing the seeds on the ground.
How does this activator
work? Hand out five slips of paper to each student in the class. Ask
them to write down five words or phrases that come to mind when they
think of the topic raised. The topic should be sufficiently rich that
it doesn't engender the same five responses. For example, if you asked
about Sukkot you would probably get a very limited range of
responses. Topics such as prayer, Israel, holiness, Jewish identity,
the Biblical period, etc. are more likely to engender a wider range of
responses - which is what you want for this activity.
After
the students have completed the individual assignment, put them into
groups of two to four students and ask them to share what they came up
with. They should start by discarding any duplicates. Each person can
explain why he chose to write what he did. If it is appropriate, they
can then categorize the terms. Finally, they should chose either three
terms/phrases or three categories and share those with the entire
class. .
These can then be posted on a chart in the room to be revisited as you teach the unit.
Make
sure to try the assignment yourself first. If you can only think of a
few terms (and you are worried that everyone will come up with the same
terms) it isn't a worthwhile exercise. Remember the idea is to
expand the students' thinking.
Adapted from, 'Five Words-Three Words' in Activators by Saphier and Haley (Research for Better Teaching, 1993).
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PEP Update: Welcome to Our Colleagues Entering the Field
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Graduates of Cohort 8 are beginning their first year of teaching
in Community, Orthodox and Conservative day schools in Atlanta, Boca
Raton, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas, New York and Palo Alto.
We are looking forward to greeting the seventeen incoming students of Cohort 10. This is our largest cohort ever.
Please recommend us to your friends or colleagues and encourage them to visit the Pardes website |
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| Tisha B'av Program in Memory of Ben and Marla |
Approximately five hundred people attended the Tisha B'Av
program at Pardes in memory of Marla Bennet (Cohort 2) and Ben
Blutstein (Cohort 3) of the Educators Program, as well as in memory of
former Pardes student Sarah Duker and her fiance, Matt Eisenfeld.
Click here to read Rav Landes' remarks.
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| Educational Resources and Opportunities |
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1. Sarah Margles (Cohort 3) set up the site, on1foot while working for American Jewish World Service. This is an online database of Jewish social justice texts.
2. The Beurei Hatefila Institute was established in order to encourage the study of the words of the Siddur as a Jewish text, in day schools and to assist educators who are developing courses on Tefila.
4.The Gemara Berura project has been piloting "Hascholas Hagemara", a new curriculum prototype currently being used in select schools.
5. Legacy Heritage Fund Smart Board Project is pleased to
announce the availability of the Smart Board Jewish Educational
Database to teachers and educators throughout the Jewish educational
world. Click here to learn more.
6. For those using Hebrew word processing on a MAC computer,
Shifra Kaufman (Cohort 8) recommends downloading a free word
processing program called NeoOffice . She finds it works much better for bilingual than Word for Mac and Pages (Mac's word processor). |
Summer Curriculum Workshop: Report
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 Twenty-six novice
teachers participated in our summer curriculum workshop, seventeen of
whom were PEP alumni. The seminar included professional development
workshops, time to work on individual curricular units, sharing
sessions and trips. In the words of one graduate:
I can't emphasize enough how important this workshop was for
me...being here has not only re-energized me, it's also made me feel so
much more confident and so much more prepared. I felt proud of what I
was able to accomplish because of the help of my mentor and peers. I
re-connected to what I love about teaching and Jewish education - and
I'd honestly thought I'd lost that connection.
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| Website, Forum and Blog |
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The PEP Alumni Support Website has
been reworked, with a greater emphasis on sharing curricular
materials. New pages have been added from the Summer Curriculum
Workshop with unit plans for Elementary, Middle and High School, as
well as handouts used during the workshops. Please send Debra your own units and activities for posting.
The forum and blog are
accessible only to our alumni. You do need a gmail account in order
to have access. If you are having trouble getting onto either of these
please let Debra know. Lisa Bodziner (Cohort 7) will continue to
blog as a second year teacher, to be joined by one or more first year
teachers. We will keep you posted.
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Alumni Updates
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Condolences to Scott Kaplan (Cohort 7) on the loss of his father, Mark Kaplan.
May he and his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
Mazal Tovs:
Ron Einhorn (Cohort 6) on his recent marriage to Heidi Vexler.
Benny Levy (Cohort 7) and Sarah Rubisnon ( Cohort 9) on their upcoming marriage on Sunday, August 23rd.
Eliana Seltzer (Cohort 5) and Joel, on the birth of a daughter, Ayelet Martha. Yael Krieger (Cohort 8) on her engagement to Joshua Laden.
Stef Jadd (Cohort 8) and Matt Susnow (Pardes '06-'07) on their recent marriage.
Micha Levin (Cohort 8) and Nechama on the birth of son.
Professional News:
Tamar Rabinowitz (Cohort
1) co-directed the Pardes Educators Summer Curriculum Workshop with
Susan Wall. Tamar is moving to San Francisco, where she will be
teaching part-time at the High School of the Bay.
Gayle Adler (Cohort
4) is moving to Denver, CO where she will assume the postion as
a Judaic Studies teacher at the Rocky Mountain Day School.
Keren Romm (Cohort 5) has moved to
Toronto, Canada where she will teach, as well as serve as Co-Director
of Student Activities for Jewish programming at the Community Hebrew
Academy of Toronto, Kimel Family Education Centre.
Adam Tilove (Cohort 3), was the recipient of a 2009 Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education.
Thanks
to everyone for sending us updated contact information. Please keep us
posted about changes of address (home, email) moving jobs etc.
We are sorry if we missed something. Please help us by sending in your news!
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Pardes
Institute of Jewish Studies | POB 8575 | Jerusalem, Israel 91084 |
American Pardes Foundation | 5 West 37th Street, Suite 802, New York |
NY | 10018
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