Livi Rubin

"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings."-Hodding Carter.

Children are curious about their world. Children are active learners who construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world. All children have the right to a place where they are free to explore their surroundings, they also have the right to realize their individual potential and feel successful.  Children also have the right to initiate and explore for themselves as well as the right to an environment in which they feel safe and happy.

My goal as a teacher is to nurture children to become lifelong learners. I also try to provide a place where children feel safe enough to take risks and make mistakes. A fun, loving, caring and stimulating environment is what I strive to create for every child. As a teacher I encourage children's natural creativity and curiosity. As a teacher, I look forward to learning from children daily.

In working with families I strive to create a strong sense of Jewish community. I also strive to build a shared partnership in working with families. It is important to me to build a shared sense of responsibility in learning and growth of the child.

In my classroom, children are exposed to the warmth, beauty and joy of Jewish life. My classroom is structured, yet a flexible schedule supports the needs of young children. In my classroom children learn to negotiate conflicts and solve problems. It is important to me to allow children in the classroom to learn at their own pace.  For young children learning involves play as an essential aspect, learning can occur at every moment.

As a Jewish educator, I continue to explore and learn from Jewish texts and sources, I am constantly learning. Also, I take an organic approach to Jewish learning, allowing it to grow from children's questions and interests. Lastly, as a Jewish educator, I support families as they explore Judaism.

Livi Rubin

Matt Stern

Matt Stern is a musical director and vocal coach for theater productions in the Boston area.  He works regularly at Newton South High School, Boston University, and French Woods Festival for the Performing Arts, in addition to several other theater organizations.  Matt has a large background in songleading and Jewish education, as he spent the last three years working full time as the Music Educator at Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley.  Matt will be leading our weekly Shabbat celebrations with Julia this year.  He is thrilled and excited to be working with Beth Shalom!

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.

Alison Simpson

Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand. -Chinese proverb

As a teacher, I strive to challenge each one of my students each and every day. Children are capable of making their own discoveries and that process helps them find their own competencies and better understand themselves. I find that self-confidence and independence are intrinsically related, and they help children turn into the people they are becoming. I think that school should be both challenging and fun, helping each child grow.

I love having the chance to develop relationships with each and every student and discovering what he or she is passionate about. From that understanding, I see the classroom as a launch pad to creativity and development that is both educational and exciting for everyone. I think that each child’s voice is important, and it’s something to be cherished. A successful classroom requires input from both teacher and student to function optimally. I strive to help children find their own strong voice to express their feelings and ideas.

By working in a Jewish school, I have the opportunity to share my passion for Judaism with new minds. Sharing the Jewish stories that I grew up hearing helps me to revisit my own childhood and helps me rediscover the magic of learning these stories all over again.

You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself. -Galileo Galilei

Reflections on the Boston Haifa Connection

My desire to go to Israel had only recently been ignited by my two children. While in graduate school, they had both made a number of trips to Israel and I wanted to experience what had driven them to this passion.  I saw being part of The Boston Haifa Connection as a way to explore and share this with Matthew and Emily and also bring it to the children in my classroom.

So by early December of 2008, with funding assistance in place from CJP and Temple Beth Shalom, my colleague and I filled out the forms and our tickets to go to Israel were purchased.  We could not believe it and were so excited! 

Israel was breathtaking!  The places we visited in Jerusalem, the people and the food were much more than I imagined they could be.  Everyone on the trip was friendly and so much fun to be with and I made wonderful, meaningful friendships that are still in place. 

After three days of touring Jerusalem including a day to Masada and the Dead Sea, we made the bus trip and spent six days in Haifa.  So much happened while we were there!  We visited gans (Israeli preschools) that served children who were Jewish, Ethiopian and Arab.  We saw schools that were based on the educational philosophy of Rami Katz and a school on an organic Kibbutz which followed the Waldorf school model.  We also spent time in special needs gans dedicated to serving deaf children and mentally challenged students and were also privileged to spend time in two art enrichment gans.

During the evenings, along with our Haifa teacher hosts, we enjoyed shopping, special dinners, and even the opera (of course sung in Hebrew).  The culmination of our visit was an overnight hospitality visit at one of the teacher’s homes.  During my visit, which I shared with another Boston teacher, I was treated to a delicious Shabbat dinner, a day trip to Tiberia, the Jewish National Forest (which was wondrous) and an incredible lunch at an Arab restaurant near the Sea of Galilee.

The Boston Haifa Connection has changed my life!  I remain actively involved in the program as an ambassador from TBSCC to the connection.  I look forward to learning and sharing with everyone taking part in the program both in Haifa and here in Boston.  I truly hope that I can return to Haifa in February of 2012.  I now share with my own children their passion for Israel.  What an incredible thing to have in common with them!

Faye Sienkiewicz

Designing With Nature

Out into nature we went, armed with collections of natural objects gathered from our yards and local parks. Inspired by the art of Andy Goldsworthy, a British artist and photographer who uses natural found objects to create sculptures and nature designs right in the outdoor environment where the objects are found. It was a rare chance to return to the wonder of childhood, where each fallen stick is a treasure waiting to be discovered. We placed and designed with enormous leaves, the tiniest of pinecones, dried seed pods and more. We considered how to cultivate this sense of wonder and appreciation for natural objects in our students. In the words of Abraham Joshua Heschel, it was an opportunity to “take notice of the wonder, to regain a sense of the mystery that animates all beings, the divine margin in all attainments.”

Sustaining Children's Connections With Families

Today's challenge: Assessing our classroom environments. How do our classrooms acknowledge our understandings of attachment theories? How do they help children sustain their connections with their families?

Tina, Mary Ann, and Nancy sketched this floor plan of their classroom, coding the various areas of the room as follows:
1: Places where children's family life and culture are reflected and nourished
2: Places where children can find comfort
3: Places that remind children that they will be reunited with their families
4: Places where children's family members can feel at home and respected in the room
5: Places where the children and their families can get to know more about and bond with their teachers

They pointed out that the kitchen area is a place where so many of these values can be seen. As children make pretend phone calls to grandma or cook a replica of the meal they ate at home for breakfast, they have the chance to share their home lives at school. As you enter our classrooms next week, take a new look around: Can you find all the ways we've infused these concepts into our environment?

Melissa Bogdan

I am a passionate person who loves to work with children, and who believes that there is a tremendous amount that I can learn from children as well as teach them. It is my job to make learning fun, to nurture the innate curiosity and inquisitiveness of children, and to help deepen their understanding of the world around them. It is most important that children feel valued and
respected as the unique and wonderful individuals that they are. As a teacher I can help build their self-esteem by showing that I value what they think, feel, and create. I like to ask their opinions, and then demonstrate to them that I have incorporated their opinions in the decisions that we have made together. Young children are just learning how to develop relationships and operate in the world as social beings. Part of my job is to help them develop the skills they need to successfully interact with others. I see myself as a guiding force who is a keen observer of the moods, feelings, and behavior of the children I teach. By recognizing and valuing the individual characteristics of each child, I can help that child build upon his or her natural abilities, and strengthen the areas in which he or she may struggle more. Working alongside the families, I will make sure the children I teach grow socially, emotionally, and intellectually during the time we spend together. As a Jewish educator I will teach Jewish values and practice while building a sense of a Jewish community in which we all will share.

Lauri Cohen

To me parents and families are the most significant persons in the child’s life. I strive to work in a partnership with families to benefit the child. My door is always open to families at all times. Parents and family members are encouraged to actively participate in our program. Children are best served when the school and home environments work together.

I believe that each child is a unique individual who develops at his/her own rate. I strive to provide a developmentally appropriate program that focuses on the process of learning and helping children enjoy successful experiences.

I my classroom the environment sets a tone that supports community building among children and adults as central to the learning experience. Children will learn to share in collaborative efforts and experience the power of working together. I believe in positive guidance techniques; by establishing consistent, age appropriate limits. I strive to design a program to develop a child’s sense of independence, confidence and responsibility.

To have the opportunity to participate in your child’s early learning experience is both an honor and a privilege that I will always treasure!

I learned much from my teachers; even more from my colleagues; and most from my students.
Mishnah, Makkot

The best teacher is one who suggests, rather than dogmatizes, and inspires his listener with the wish to teach himself.
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Judi Appelstein

As a teacher I encourage children to feel secure and good about themselves and the decisions that they make. In my classroom I help children learn to negotiate conflicts and solve problems and to make new and solid friendships. The children in my classroom learn to cooperate and become members of a team, and most importantly, we have fun!

Ellen Dietrick

Children are intrinsically motivated to learn. They are strong and capable of much more than we sometimes assume. They are curious and filled with rich imaginations. For young children learning can occur at every moment. It's an honor to have the chance to witness this learning. My goal is to provide an environment where children feel safe enough to seek out challenges and make mistakes. Where children are encouraged to communicate, problem solve, and work through conflicts. Where we all experience a sense of wonder and a passion for learning. I strive to create a community where children and adults alike build strong relationships and work together to develop new possibilities.

Sauci Saffitz

My philosophy of preschool education is child-centered. I believe that every child is an individual with her/his own pattern of learning and timetable for social, intellectual, emotional and physical growth. I strive to attend to the individual needs of each child, serving as a catalyst to spark each child’s interests and desire to experiment and explore. Further, I strive to create a safe, nurturing environment that encourages growth and independence in all developmental areas. I believe that children learn through play. I provide opportunities for children to interact with their environment and each other in ways that are meaningful to them. I work to develop a “hands on” curriculum that reflects the abilities and interest of the children. I also believe in introducing children to new ideas and concepts in all areas. In general, I want children to develop a genuine pleasure in learning and to develop confidence in their ability to learn and accomplish new tasks.

Barbara Haimowitz

As a teacher I value the fact that I continue to learn from my students. I feel lucky to be working with children that are at the stage of development that they take the “training wheels” off and feel the courage and security to explore, create and discover with their unique learning style. My goal as a teacher is to help children with the challenge to cultivate being an active lifelong learner.

Rachel Oblath

I strive to recognize and appreciate each individual who is part of my classroom (families, students, and colleagues.) I will truly listed to each of their ideas, as well as my own, and make time to explore these ideas as opportunities for learning that can be meaningful for the whole community. I believe I can learn as much or more from others, as they can learn from me.

I am committed to practicing patience, honesty, and kindness within the classroom. I hope to provide diverse opportunities for student, families, and teacher to explore and actively participate in the learning process. I am open to diverse teaching styles and classroom structures that will help support the individual needs of students, families, and colleagues.

Sit down before fact as a little child, be prepared to give up every preconceived notion, follow humbly wherever or whatever abysses nature leads, or you will learn nothing.

Thomas H Huxley

Alison Davis

I love the opportunity to view the world anew through the eyes of young children. it is a special honor to be a part of each child’s life, and to work together with their families, and their entire community to provide an environment in which each child feels valued and appreciated, and their individual needs are recognized and nurtured on order to facilitate their maximum individual growth. I hope that I can help every child whose life I touch to feel that they are a worthwhile and special person.

Maria Gonzalez-Griffith

Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.

William Butler Gates

Where ever 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

Children come into our classrooms with an intrinsic sense of wonder about their world and their surroundings. My role as an educator is to nurture that sense of wonder and excitement about their world by supporting their interests and providing opportunities for discovery. Children’s ideas, interests, and personalities are an integral part of our learning environment.

Recognizing children as active learners in the acquisition of knowledge, my role is ensure that there are abundant materials available that expand children’s experiences and stimulate their thought process. I support and encourage opportunities for children to search for answers, take risks, make theories, and express them in a safe environment.

As an educator in a Jewish school, I feel my role is to support and encourage an atmosphere of inquiry, dialogue, and transmission of Jewish history in a manner that is meaningful to preschool children. I strive to provide an environment where we see ourselves as stewards of this world; responsible for taking care of one another. Respect, kindness, and love towards all God’s creatures is encouraged.

As a parent and an educator, I look at education as a cooperative effort between home and school. In working with families I strive to promote interaction and conversation. It is with these interactions and collaborative efforts that we ensure a quality experience for all.

Thank you for the opportunity to be part of your world.