Tuesday, September 28, 2010

D'var Torah: Bereishit

Baruch Atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech haolam, asher kid’shanu b’mitzvotav v’tzivanu la-asok b’divrei Torah.

Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Ruler of the universe, who has sanctified us with Your commandments and commanded us to engage in Torah study.

This week’s torah portion tells the story of creation. As one who doesn’t always know the stories, I thought I’d start by giving a brief overview. In Bereishit we learn that G-d created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. G-d made the Garden of Eden and created Adam and Eve to live there. G-d welcomes Adam and Eve to eat from any tree in the Garden, except for the Tree of All Knowledge. Fruit from that tree is forbidden. Adam and Eve give in to temptation, eat from the tree and are exiled. They must now work for their food and existence. They have two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain kills Abel and is punished by G-d, sentenced to wander the earth. Adam and Eve go on to have another son named Seth. The Torah lists the generations from Adam to Noah. At the end of the portion, G-d is regretting having created man and decides to destroy the earth and, with it, man’s wickedness, but Noah has found favor with G-d.

As I was reading this story I was struck by so many points. First of all, how interesting that we begin a new school year at the same time we start at the beginning of the Torah. As we are creating our school and classroom environments, we are reading how G-d created the world. The Garden of Eden was an idyllic place where man and woman would have everything they could want or need. They had no shame as they walked around the garden in their nakedness and felt completely comfortable with themselves. While our schools and classroom are not always idyllic, we certainly do our best to create environments that give each child what he or she needs, where they can feel confident, capable, and competent.

When thinking about the fact that Adam and Eve could not eat the forbidden fruit, I wondered about what is forbidden in our schools and classrooms. What restrictions do we place on children? How do we teach them self-control? To resist yetzer hara, an evil inclination, and embrace yetzer tov, an inclination towards good? Along with everything we teach young children, we must help them to learn when to resist impulses and when they can and should try something new. For our youngest students, we model turn-taking and give them the words to ask for, rather than grab, a toy. As the children get a little older, we talk to them about their “plans” for their day in the classroom. We listen when they ask why they cannot do, or have, something. We often ask the children why they think something is restricted. Sometimes, these conversations result in giving the child permission. Other times we help them understand our thinking.

As I’ve come to find out, quite recently as a matter of fact, reading Torah is truly a thought provoking endeavor. Reading this portion, Bereishit, at this time of year, has helped me to stay mindful of the environment I want to create and the skills and qualities I hope to cultivate in each child that enters my classroom.

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Back to School

Its that time of year again! Excitement, nerves, planning, new families and colleagues to meet and greet, classroom and school environments to create, inspiration ready to be made into reality...what a wonderful time of year! What are you doing to create a warm, welcoming, Jewish community in your classroom and/or school? Please share your ideas and inspirations with your colleagues. We'd love to hear from you!

Friday, March 19, 2010

Some Photos from the 2010 Intensive














































Thursday, March 18, 2010

Jewish Early Childhood Educators
Take the Lead in Their Own Growth:
A Leadership Intensive
*10th Annual ECE-RJ Conference*

Recently, forty-nine educators from URJ congregations across the United States came together for the tenth annual conference of Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism, Take the Lead In Your Own Growth: A Leadership Intensive, held March 7-9, 2010 in Dallas Texas.

For two and a half inspiring days, the group focused on how early childhood centers within the Reform movement discover and express their core ideals and values in many areas of early childhood administration, from building a vision of community to the importance of the budget process. The conference scholar-in-residence was Lyndall Miller, Director of Jewish Early Childhood Education and the Legacy Heritage Institute for Jewish Early Childhood Educators, at Gratz College in Elkins Park, PA. We participated in a variety of discussions exploring issues and challenges facing all of us in Jewish early childhood education, as well as learning about innovative program ideas.

The conference began on Sunday afternoon with a gathering to welcome Panim Chadoshot (new faces) after which we jumped right into our topic by beginning to think, both generally and personally, about leadership. Prior to dinner, incredible words to challenge and inspire us were provided by Nancy Bossov, RJE Vice President of Professional Development, followed by ruach, havdallah and the installation of the 2010 Board of ECE-RJ.

Two congregations in the Dallas area were our hosts: Temple Emanu-El and Temple Shalom. On Monday, Bonnie Rubinstein, the early childhood director at Temple Shalom welcomed us for conversations surrounding school visions and leadership. The inspiring discussion began with thinking about “directing the light of the Jewish image of the child.” We spent time considering how to educate children based on their own paths. That afternoon, we toured the beautiful classrooms at Temple Shalom’s Preschool and then reconvened to think about topics including the impact of the environment and involvement of parents in our programs.

On Tuesday, Temple Emanu-El and its early childhood director, Shelley Sender, welcomed us. In the morning we engaged in discussions about developing as directors, teaming with teachers, planning staff meetings. We also had the opportunity to tour the wonderful Pre-School facility. We heard some inspiring closing remarks from Lyndall Miller and enjoyed a festive “Texas Round-Up” lunch provided by Temple Emanu-El’s Pre-School. The closing ceremony gave us an opportunity to connect with colleagues in our field and to reflect on the wealth of information and introspection we had obtained in the previous two and a half days.

We are very fortunate to be members of the Early Childhood Educators of Reform Judaism (ECE-RJ), the youngest professional affiliate of the Union for Reform Judaism, and to be able to attend the worthwhile conferences ECE-RJ sponsors each year. ECE-RJ represents professionals in all fields of Reform Jewish early childhood education, serving as a voice for educators, providing synagogue leadership with current information about the benefits of early childhood education for congregations and young families, as well as useful guidelines for its members and their extended communities about salaries, contracts, and benefits, as well as in cultivating opportunities for lifelong learning and continuing education.

Friday, March 12, 2010

"The Very Best Place for a Penny"

Every year I read a wonderful book to the 3 and 4 year old classes. The book is titled "The Very Best Place for a Penny". It is written by Dina Herman Rosenfeld. The story is the adventure of a penny that rolls out of a boy's pocket, into a washer dryer, under a bed and travels around the house looking for "the very best place for a penny". Ultimately, the penny ends up in a Tzedakah Box where we then learn about Tzedakah and Mitvah. The children love the story and I tell it with a prop- a very large penny. Then the children make a classroom Tzedakah box by decorating an empty oatmeal container. The box gets filled weekly and the children always remember the "very best place for a penny"!

Thursday, March 4, 2010

ECE-RJ's Upcoming Leadership Intensive

ECE-RJ is buzzing with excitement about our fast-approaching leadership intensive. This Sunday, forty nine members from across the country will convene in Dallas, Texas. For two and half days, we'll explore our individual abilities and interests. Participants will engage in conversation about issues and challenges facing all of us in Jewish early childhood education today. Education consultant, Lyndall Miller, will use Jewish concepts, educational theories and her own expertise to stimulate the discussion and support reflection. We'll be hosted by Temple Shalom and Temple Emanuel and have the opportunity to tour their schools. This is sure to be an inspiring conference. Keep an eye on the blog for a post-conference update!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

URJ's "Inside Leadership"

Here is a link to a great URJ article discussing early childhood engagement! I particularly liked the distinction between "engagement" and "education," as well as the focus on the whole family.

Take a look and leave a comment with your thoughts:

http://urj.org/inside/march2010/?syspage=article&item_id=34540.