Laura Walsh

Exploring the world with young children has always been one of my greatest pleasures.  Working with young children is especially rewarding because, as a teacher, you collaborate so closely with the family.   Together we spend the year exploring, observing, and discussing how your child views the world.  For many children this is the first time they've ventured into the world without his/her parents.  As a teacher it is a gift to accompany children as they experience things for the first time independent of their families - from making new friends, exploring new ideas and concepts, to learning how to put their lunches away.  Watching the pride that emanates from children as they accomplish both small and large milestones during the year reminds me, on a daily basis, why I love to teach.

My brief time with the TBS camp this summer showed me what a loving, supportive environment TBS provides to children and their families  Most importantly, I saw teachers and children engaged together in joyful learning.   One of my greatest joys as a teacher is exploring nature with children, and I never underestimate how much a child can learn in their own backyard.  When I saw the teachers at TBS seizing that opportunity with so much creativity this summer, I knew this would be a good match for my teaching style. 

My goal for each child is to help them meet with success in the classroom by reaching their optimal potential.  For a child under five this means exploring the world through play, reading wonderful books, learning new songs and poems, and engaging in activities that challenge and excite them.  Most importantly, it means developing new relationships with peers and teachers that reinforce their self esteem and help them to grow. I look forward to getting to know everyone in the year ahead!

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."- A.A. Milne

Scientist Faces

Say Hello to the Scientists of 2011-2012

Haifa Faces

Say Hello to Haifa Class of 2011-2012

Tel Aviv Faces

Say Hello to the Tel Aviv Class of 2011-2012

Unicorn Faces

Say Hello to the Unicorn Class of 2011-2012

Sunshine Faces

Say Hello to the Sunshine Class of 2011-2012

 

Levana Faces

Say Hello to the Levana Class of 2011-2012

Rainbow Faces

Say Hello to the Rainbow Class of 2011-2012!

Savita Brewer

I am so thrilled to join the faculty of Temple Beth Shalom’s Children Center this year. I will be working in the Rainbow classroom with the 2 to 3 year olds and am looking forward to a great year with your children.

As a teacher, I look forward to providing an environment where a child will have rich and meaningful experiences and feel valued and where they feel safe to take risks and make mistakes. It is important that in my classroom children are supported in developing social and emotional skills and will learn to express their ideas and feeling while they share in collaborative efforts and experience the power of working together.

For young children, learning is an ongoing, flexible process where children construct their own
understandings and sparks ideas, theories and feelings about the world around them.

I believe that the learning process is a collaboration among parents, teachers and the child. I look
forward to working with families and strive to build a shared sense of responsibility in learning and the growth of the child as well as working together to give children the strong foundation for a lifelong love of learning.

Wherever we are and whatever we are doing, it is possible to learn something that can enrich our lives and the lives of others…No one’s education is ever complete. --Sir John Templeton

I am so excited to start the year and get to know and work with our Rainbow community!

Fruits of Summer Fun

I thought the summer fun friends might like to see the fruits of their labor. I picked about 8 cherry tomatoes. I am sure they will be delicious with my salads. There are two tomato plants with many green ones left that need to ripen. If anyone is in the playground, please pick them and let me know how you like them.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer with family and friends. Looking forward to seeing everyone soon.

Enjoy......

Sasha Kopp

"Who is wise?  One who learns from everyone.”  Mishnah

 

I am so excited to be joining the TBS team this year!  As a teacher, I am passionate about creating a caring and thoughtful classroom community where everyone has the opportunity to learn from one another. I believe that every child has many gifts to offer the classroom, and that together we will create a classroom that is a blend of each individual’s child’s personalities and interests. 

 

I love working with children because I love observing and exploring their natural curiosity and creativity.  I believe that learning is a hands-on process and that students should have the opportunity to learn from being exposed to nature, art, drama and play. These tangible experiences enrich the classroom and bring excitement to everyday learning.

 

I had the opportunity to study early childhood education in Copenhagen, Denmark and work at an outdoor preschool program. I learned about their theories of the “the competent child” and I deeply believe that children are very capable. As a teacher, I want to create opportunities for my students to gain independence and confidence in the skills they have.  It is incredible exciting and rewarding for me to watch children grow and learn about the world around them. 

 

I want school to be messy, fun and exciting for you children. It is important to me to hear laugher and enthusiasm each and every day. I care about your children’s feelings and want them to feel valued in the classroom. It is important to me that your children learn about feelings, their own and others, through imaginative play. To me, play is learning. Through play students problem solve, share, grow and use skills that they will use for the rest of their lives.

 

I feel so lucky to work with you as a team to create a positive, warm environment for your children this year. I can’t wait to see what we can learn from each other!

Marissa Silberstein

"A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.” Forest E. Witcraft


I am thrilled to be joining the Temple Beth Shalom community as a teacher in the Rainbow room this year. Ever since I was in the sixth grade, when I took a course on becoming a babysitter, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher of young children. I love watching young children as they explore and evolve. I am so excited to watch your children as they evolve from very tiny caterpillars in the beginning of the year into big beautiful butterflies at the end of the year. Their curious little minds are always fascinating to me as they come out of their cocoon and explore the world around them. This might happen by way of one simple line on a piece of paper to a big elaborate block structure. Whichever way children choose to explore and express themselves is the way that I will teach them. I will help guide them as they explore the classroom environment and the outdoors in a very warm, nurturing, caring, and safe way so they feel as comfortable as possible in their surroundings.

What comes to mind when I think of young children are exploration, curiosity, and self-expression. It is very important that children learn in a hands-on way so that they can feel free to develop at their own pace. Although they may play with others, at such a young age children often are involved in parallel play, or playing alongside others, but not directly with them. Observation of children involved in each of these types of play is so vital to me as children are socializing, some for the very first time in a group setting.

Parent involvement is so important at this young age. I have an open door policy where parents and caregivers can spend time in the classroom maybe doing a project with the children or reading a story. I value parent communication between home and school which is key in fostering strong trusting relationships amongst parents and teachers.

Thank you for sharing your children with me and with the Temple Beth Shalom community.

Rebecca Levine

“There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child.  There are seven million.” Walt Streightiff

I love children!  I love how they think about themselves and the world around them.  I enjoy watching them interact with each other.  I am delighted to watch their achievements - both big and small.  I find tremendous joy in seeing their growth and their ability to take on new challenges as time goes by.  I can’t imagine doing anything else!

As a teacher, I believe it is my job to create a safe and nurturing environment where children feel comfortable to take risks, to try new things, and to grow socially, emotionally and physically.  By acting as a guide for the children, I allow their natural curiosity to direct their learning. Children need the opportunity to discover for themselves and practice skills in authentic situations. I believe providing access to hands-on activities and allowing adequate time and space for children to explore is crucial to their personal growth. 

“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” Clay P. Bedford

Children are our most precious gifts.  I believe that the communication between home and school is crucial to the individual successes of each child.  I welcome all families into my classroom and hope to learn from you and your children throughout the year.  I feel honored to embark on this very special journey together.