Will you be starting your first or second year as a teacher this fall? Are you passionate about education, and want to get your “shlichus” in chinuch off to a great start? This year, the Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) is once again offering a year-long Teacher Induction Program (TIP) to train new teachers, with separate programs for men and women. If you’re thinking of joining, here are 5 reasons why you should:
1. Because the Rebbe encouraged “hishtalmus hamorim” – professional development for educators.
We may be familiar with how highly the Rebbe esteemed the role of educators, but what did the Rebbe say about how to do justice to that role? Recently, MEF asked Rabbi Michoel Seligson to compile the Rebbe’s letters on the topic of “hishtalmus hamorim” – professional development for educators. On so many different occasions, the Rebbe instructed, encouraged, and galvanized educators about the need to develop their skills in suitable training courses and professional development opportunities. “It is understood that the organizing of courses for teachers in Anash in something that is extremely correct (אגרות קודש, חלק יב, עמוד נו),” says the Rebbe on one occasion, and in others, emphasizes that this should be done as soon as possible, involving as many teachers as possible, keeping in mind the vital importance that this has for all of the children these teachers will influence. (You can read the full Kuntres here.)
2. Because your first years of teaching are the most critical.
As many of us can attest, the first years of teaching have the potential to be the most challenging, rewarding, demanding, exciting… and whether you make it through your first three years is the best predictor of whether you will continue teaching. A new teacher needs support throughout the year, and without this, too many of our most talented young educators quickly fall out of the profession. We’re proud to have such quality people as you choosing chinuch as your shlichus. And we want to you stay.
3. Because our kids need great teachers.
What is the most important ingredient in a child’s education? Is it the curriculum, the quality of the administration, or the size of the school building? Study after study, as well as firsthand experience, show that teachers matter most. It is the teacher that bridges the gap between reams of knowledge and learning and every individual child in the class. A great teacher in the classroom can make all the difference for a child’s future – in learning, in midos tovos, and in Yiddishkeit/Chassidishkeit.
4. Because talent needs tools.
You have talent, passion, and lots of great ideas about how to make a difference for your students. What will the Teacher Induction Program give you? Tried-and-true tools that will enable you to reach your students, drive academic growth, and make a difference. The topics we cover include: classroom management, student rapport, lesson planning, differentiated instruction, standards and assessment, encouraging participation, and more. Group collaboration and weekly support from a mentor will enable you to actualize these things in your classroom. With less time spent on reinventing the wheel during your first years of teaching, you’ll have more time to do the job you signed up for –changing lives for the better.
5. Because it works.
MEF’s Teacher Induction Program has been developed over the past six years as a collaboration between highly respected educators and professional consultants, incorporating the best that the world of education has to offer. The program is now structured around a threefold approach, which includes learning academies, support forums, and individualized mentoring, providing a fully integrated program that links learning with implementation. We have close to 100 current and past trainees, with alumni teaching throughout North American and beyond. Our testimonials speak for themselves: in the words of one alumnus, “It would have taken several years of classroom experience to accomplish what the Teacher Induction Program has taught me in just one year. Thank you!”
This year’s Teacher Induction Program for men will be led by Rabbi Zelig Silber, veteran teacher of seven years in Cheder Chabad of Monsey, and director of TIP for the past two years; and Mrs. Chanah Rose, longtime teacher in a variety of settings, former curriculum director at the Shluchim Online School, and currently curriculum specialist and school consultant at MEF, will be leading the program for women. Find more information, program details, testimonials, and an application form at www.mymef.org/Programs/TIP. The program will be accepting a limited number of qualified applicants, so be sure to apply today!
