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.