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

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!

Make ZVUVI’s ISRAEL Part of Your Classroom Curriculum

As an Israeli-American who made Aliyah in 1977, I believe that connecting American Jewish children with Israel should start at a young age, and not wait for youth movement groups to kick in. That’s why I wrote my new book ZVUVI’s ISRAEL featuring my fictitious, fun-loving fly, Zvuvi. Its beautiful, rich illustrations created by Ksenia Topaz (an Israeli-Russian immigrant) invite kids to tour the country and have fun.

I would like to extend that fun to your classroom. Here are some ideas on how to integrate Zvuvi into your curriculum:
• Start off by turning Zvuvi into a fun-filled game – something like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey”, only this time the game is “Pin Zvuvi on to Israel.” Here’s what you have to do: Cut out a picture of Zvuvi. Put a large map of Israel on your board at the head of the class. For a blindfold, take a scarf that’s blue and white (and explain why you are using these colors). Taking turns, each blindfolded student will “pin” Zvuvi on to the map. Find a matching “story” (double page spread) in the book that matches (as close as possible) Zvuvi’s landing spot and read it to your students. Since Zvuvi is playing
“Hide ‘n Seek” on most of these double spreads, you want to have as many books as possible for the kids to look at, so that at the end of the “story” they can find Zvuvi. Give the first one to find Zvuvi some sort of a prize – maybe an extra star on one of your class charts.

• Create your own “Mini Israel” using ZVUVI's ISRAEL as a guideline. If you can, involve an Arts & Crafts teacher and turn this into a long-term project that ends by making it the focal point of your Yom Ha’Atzmaut celebrations. Here’s what I suggest: Once a week, month, every two weeks (you determine the frequency), you read a Zvuvi double spread story. After each story, use the arts & crafts time allotted to the class around creating your own “Mini Israel.” For instance, you’ll start this project off with A “Wail” of a Time in Jerusalem. You read the story and talk about it (“what are the different activities we see in this story?” “which shapes can you find?”, etc.). Through the guidance of a crafts teacher, you start building Jerusalem. Once you’ve finished you go on to the next story – The ZigZag Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway - and repeat the process. Do this until you have finished the entire book.

• Hold a “Zvuvi Israeli Food Day” and make it a family affair. You’ll find food mentioned in four different stories that you’ll read along with the students and their families: Felafel in A Wail” of a Time in Jerusalem; Humus in The Zigzag Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway; Biblical Breakfast found in the second double spread of this same story; and grilled St. Peter’s fish in Round and Round the Kinneret. You can contact me for Biblical Breakfast ideas and/or you can visit the Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve website.

• Finally, keep Zvuvi going beyond the book. To help kids learn more about life in Israel I’ve started a Zvuvi blog. I put out a new post every two weeks and try to make it as interesting for pre-school and elementary school kids as possible. You can check it out on your own, or if you like, contact me at tami@tlwkidsbooks.com and I’ll be happy to add you to my listserv.

Le’Hitraot…Tami Lehman-Wilzig