9 new teachers are now on the path to classroom success, with the confidence, skills and instructional strategy to reach every child. Having completed Menachem Education Foundation’s innovative Teacher Training Program this June, they are now better prepared to succeed in our community’s classrooms and make a difference for all of our children.
The Menachem Education Foundation (MEF) was founded in 2008 to raise the standard in Jewish Education, and its inaugural program was Teacher Training. “The future of Chabad depends on education, it’s that simple,” says Rabbi Zalman Shneur, MEF’s founder and director. And within education, “teachers matter most.”
Since then, TTP has trained 84 teachers who have taken up positions in classrooms across the globe. One member of its very first cohort is Rabbi Zelig Silber, who went on to become known as a master teacher in Cheder Chabad of Monsey. Rabbi Silber was asked to direct the Teacher Training Program in 2012, sharing his expertise and taking the program to the next level.
The program is now divided into academies – which provide intensive instruction in topics such as classroom management, lesson planning, connecting with students and more – and forums, during which participants collaborate on implementing the topics learned. “The common thread between the academies and the forums allows for continuous brainstorming and problem-solving,” explains Rabbi Silber, “ensuring that every new teacher is up to par.”
Another exciting new aspect of the Teacher Training Program is student teaching and mentoring. Participants are now required to hold teaching positions so that their learning will be linked to practice, and are each assigned a master teacher (trained by the Jewish New Teacher Program – JNTP) for mentoring, observation, and individualized guidance.
“The encouragement and guidance I received from my mentor,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Klein, a 4th grade teacher in Oholei Menachem, “were an incredible support in the challenges that I faced as a first year teacher.”
Rabbi Akiva Steinmetz, a 2nd grade teacher in the Shluchim Online Schools, adds: “It would have taken several years of classroom experience to accomplish what the Teacher Training Program’s workshops and forums have taught me in just one year. Thank you!”
The Teacher Training Program’s 6th year will commence this fall, with registration closing on ר”ח אלול – August 7th. Plans for a Women’s Teacher Training Program are also underway. Make Chinuch your Shlichus and apply to MEF’s Teacher Training Program today. For more information and to apply, contact [email protected] or call 718-663-7215, ext. 221.
Some of the MEF’s other programs include the development of the Zekelman Standards for Judaic Studies, rigorous benchmarks for the core subjects of Chumash and Gemara; Data Driven Instruction (DDI); the Eisenberg Award, given annual to outstanding teachers; and the Inquiry Program for Chabad Schools, supporting existing teachers with a cycle of continuous professional development and growth. Find out more about the Menachem Education Foundation and the Teacher Training Program by visiting their website, www.mymef.org.
