Monday, November 30, 2009

Remembering the Values

In my classroom the curriculum comes from the children. That being said, the curriculum is anchored around the Jewish holidays. Each year I try to focus on the central value represented in the holiday, rather than on the project associated with the holiday. For example, during Chanukah, we help the children think about how they would feel if someone came into the classroom and broke our materials, table and chairs, as King Antiochus' soldiers did in the Jewish temple. Like Macabee's we pretend to pick up chairs, clean floors, and mend our toys. We even pick up our pretend menorah and wonder aloud what to do about the spilt oil.

While most parents understand the value of having their child "own" the story and the struggles of the Jewish people, there is always the question about when the projects will start coming home. Parents want to see a menorah, a seder plate, or a challah cover. And while these are important tools for helping to celebrate, far too often they become the focus of the holiday. I've been thinking about how to make "Jewish Values" present every day, rather than just during holidays. I've wondered how to help parents and other staff members understand the importance of shifting the focus from projects to the process of a child understanding their "Jewish Identity."

-How do you accomplish these goals?
-Do you begin thinking about values before the holiday starts?
-Do you continue working on them after the holiday ends?

Friday, November 20, 2009

Visual Torah

While traveling in Venice two summers ago I found a small Israeli Art Gallery. On the wall, was the most amazing piece of artwork I have ever seen...an illustrated Torah! I knew this would be a wonderful addition to the Nursery School's Shabbat experience. Well, I was right! It's been an important part of the curriculum. The children not only hear, but now they see the Parsha of the week. It has brought meaning to the story of the Jewish people. Check out the website and see for yourself. Shabbat Shalom, Debbie Zamoiski

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Hot Off the Presses


We are so thrilled with the Winter edition of Reform Judaism magazine which has two great articles supporting early childhood education. Please share them with your lay leaders, colleagues and communities at large.

The first is a wonderful conversation with Rabbi Jan Katzew, entitled, "Preventing Post B'nai Mitzvah Dropout." Click on the link below to learn more about this important topic!
Interview with Rabbi Jan Katzew

The second is the "Chairman's Perspective" with Peter Weidhorn, urging members of our movement to "give the gift of an early start on the road to Jewish Identity."
Chairman’s article on Identity


Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

L'Shalom,
Cathy Rolland

Friday, November 13, 2009

URJ Biennial 2009


The URJ Biennial took place in Toronto last week, November 4-8, 2009. Early Childhood had a significant presence there for the first time. About a dozen early childhood directors came to Toronto from coast to coast. We were inspired; we made connections, and we had a lot of fun.

For a sample of 2009 Biennial moments click on the following website and click on the "Memories" box. http://biennial.urj.org/

The people in the picture, from left to right, are Jill Cimifonte, Cathy Rolland, Tammy Vener, Sari Luck Schneider, Tricia Ginis, Edye Summerfield, and Norma Cahen. Also attending were Shelley Sender, Karen Goldstein, Nan Blank and Jill Band. All of us attended the Biennial and/or preceding Symposium.

The focus of the Symposium was on Jewish Identity and Identification. See more information at http://http//urj.org/learning/teacheducate/symposium/

Some of the highlights included outstanding musical moments with all of us singing and swaying arm in arm. There was traditional Jewish music, current and more camp-like music, Japanese drumming, Gospel music, Arabic/Muslim music. There was a feeling of hope and openness.

Study sessions were inspirational, taught by leaders in their fields. There was text study, history, and various other topics including ones for those involved with early education. There were also many inspirational moments of Tefila.

Perhaps most importantly, was the lunch we had with a representative of the Early Childhood Education Committee. We discussed the importance of providing rabbinical and cantorial students with information about early childhood; why the age group is critical for continuity and how to connect with that age group. We are hoping that there will be classes or seminars at HUC.

The next Biennial will be in Washington in 2011. We hope the influence of the ECERJ will grow and that more of us will be able to go and benefit from the power of the Biennial.

Monday, November 9, 2009

The Role of the Lead Teacher As Mentor

Over the years, in addition to educating the children, supporting the parents, being part of the staff, and growing personally, I have realized that lead teachers have another role...mentor. When working as a team, I believe it is the lead teachers' role to guide, educate, and model how to be a great teacher.

In my classroom, we begin each year by creating a "vision" for the room. Each teacher in the team contributes ideas about what they feel is essential for the children, some things they do not like to see in a classroom, and some goals for their own personal growth. This can sometimes be a difficult conversation. On the one hand, I want to honor all members of the teaching team and their ideas. On the other hand, it is my job to make sure the room is developmentally appropriate, supportive of the children and their families, and reflective of the philosophies of both the school and the temple.

Particularly at the beginning of the year, I try to use my education and experience to set the tone for the class. Sometimes that means overriding the input of the other teachers. I explain the reasoning behind my decisions by describing typical development, theories of education, and some of my personal experiences. As the school year progresses, I encourage the teachers I am working with to put some of their ideas in to practice and then try to help them evaluate the experience. As is true with the children we teach, "hands-on" is often the best way to learn!

On a weekly basis throughout the year, we reflect on the children's development, our goals for them individually and for the class as a whole. I use these weekly meetings as a time for mentoring. Separation, parent orientation, curriculum night, informal parent conversations and formal parent conferences (both during preparation and the actual event), are other times when I am particularly cognizant of my role as mentor.

I am curious how others develop their role as mentor.

-Is it presumptuous to think all lead teachers are/should be mentors to the teachers in their teaching team?

-Lead teachers:
  • Are there specific things you do as a mentor each year?
  • How do you make this relationship successful?
  • Do you find this role fulfilling? Challenging?
  • What happens if the other teacher is resistant or not receptive?

-Assistant Teachers:

  • Have you worked with a lead teacher you felt was particularly skilled as a mentor? What did they do?
  • Have you had negative experiences in this situation?
  • Do you have ideas about how this relationship can be most
    successful?

-Directors:

  • How do you support your lead teachers in this additional role?
  • What have you seen/heard about that helped to make this relationship
    successful?
  • How do you help when the teaching team is having difficulty?

I look forward to your responses!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Etiquette???

I will begin with what happened...because it started off as a lovely evening walking to the local trendy pizza joint. My family and I went out for dinner and we were engaging in great conversation and enjoying one another's company. The children ordered pizzas and my husband and I ordered salads and soups before the pizzas. The soup and salad never came. Not awful. We didn't really need the calories anyways. When the bill arrived, we asked the waiter to kindly take the soup and salad off as we didn't get these items.

And I watched...

What would be the waiter's response to his mistake? He rushed over to the manager, as he needed authorization to take the items off the bill. I saw them looking our way and speaking in the low and hushed tones that only people who have erred can do.

And I watched...

The waiter never apologized, and as I watched the manager, he made himself busy but also never came over to apologize or offer perhaps a token gesture for the mistakes the very trendy and well-known establishment had made. Instead, we paid our bill and walked out without so much as a kind word.

Who do you think were the parents of these two employees? What did they teach and instill in their children? Who were their teachers when they were growing up? I wondered how my own four children, now ages 10-21, would have responded had they been the employees? As an early childhood professional, I realize that while the children in my care are very young, they are not to young to learn etiquette. Etiquette really is a prescribed set of rules and values that we assign to the many facets of our life. Etiquette dictates how we behave, react, and approach life. Sounds a lot like the Torah! I mean, if you really get down to it, the Torah is nothing more than a set of rules of how to live, a big book of etiquette. It is peppered with stories that illuminate these principles so that those that have a hard time understanding the rules will be able to learn through these stories. And it also tells us that we come from a long line of people who have made mistakes and it was ok as long as they did something about it. So I got to thinking, how would the Torah have taught these two employees to handle the mishap with the ommission of soup and salad? Back in the day, if you sinned, whether by transgression or omission, you begged forgiveness and a sacrifice was in order. I think this was a great idea. Too carry that into the 21st century, and not to offend my neighbors with the awful smell of burning and rotting lamb sacrifices, myrr and incense, I think that a different sacrifice is in order. In the case of the restaurant omission, a sacrifice of a discount, a free dessert for the children, or even something non-monetary would have been in order. In other cases, a phone call, a letter, flowers, or a heartfelt invitation could be in order. The meaning of a sacrifice is that you give up something to show your true feelings.

A sacrifice can actually be therapeutic. How many times have we made a mistake and it causes us anxiety and stress? Offering a sacrifice to make amends has healing properties. We forget to call someone who is sick at home so we send a card of mazal tov on a complete recovery. We forget to follow through on a promise to help a friend so we simply show up on another stressful occasion for them and roll up our sleeves. But how do we teach our youngest children etiquette? How do we bring menschlichkeit back into our world? It starts with me. I would say it starts with you but that would be passing the buck. It starts with me because I am the director of a Jewish preschool and it is incumbant upon me to make sure that the children in my care learn to be appropriate, learn to sacrifice when they have committed a sin of omission, and learn to carry out the well-intentioned promises they will make in their lives. I think the Torah is a great place to start. Stories abound about Abraham welcoming guests and feeding them first, about Moses being humble before God and sticking his nose out for a fellow Jew who was being hurt. It starts with me. I have to be an example for the teachers and families in my center for the menschlichkeit I want them to learn. If a parent is rude and inappropriate, I will be more kind and more appropriate. I will do onto others and I will do more than that. I will go out of my way. It starts with me. I will stick my nose into other people's business if I think they are being harmed or abused. Even if those people are far away in lands I had once never heard of like Sudan and Darfur, I will try to help those less fortunate and will make sacrifices for others and for my own failures.

It starts with me. I am now sharing it with you.

And I am watching...

Monday, November 2, 2009

Diffusing the Issue


Several years ago on Back to School Night a father approached me about his son. The child, who was extremely tall for his age yet socially immature, would turn five two days after the cut-off (in our area October 1st) and so was not eligible to enroll in the public kindergarten program in his community. The father, a high-powered executive with a New York City based firm, was also large in terms of stature, girth, personality and volume! He approached me in front of a group of other parents, invaded my/our space, and publically demanded that I place his son in our private kindergarten.

How many times as educators have we been confronted with a situation without the time to mull over an appropriate answer? When we have been expected to come up with a miraculous solution at the flick of a finger? When we have had to redirect a potentially combustive circumstance within a blink of time? As professionals we are expected to be experts at handling these difficult challenges, but the truth is how often do we walk away with a feeling of “Aha! I did that really well! Hooray for me!”

What’s your experience with this? What challenges have you faced? How many times have you felt as if you had “aced” it?

OUTCOME: Sometimes thoughts just flow into your head from nowhere. That’s what happened to me in the above situation. Realizing that the father was impressed with his own power, I asked him if he wanted his son to be a successful adult (don’t we all!)? I explained that all the skills he would need in life would be learned in the Pre-K classroom: negotiating, evaluating, persuading, team building, selling of ideas, etc. The father walked away feeling comfortable; the child had a fabulous year of growth, exploration and stretching; I was able to diffuse a potentially combustible situation; and more importantly the child went on to have an extremely successful academic career!