edJEWcon

In case you haven’t heard, a big name is coming to Cleveland. No, it’s not LeBron James. That’s old news. edJEWcon, the premiere professional development for educators on 21st Century learning will be hosted by Gross Schechter Day School on Sunday, November 16. “That’s wonderful news, Ari!” you might say. “What’s an edJEWcon and isn’t a little late to be starting on 21st Century education? It’s 2014.”

21st Century education is more than just a buzzword. We live in a world where it is easier than ever to look up information. Debates on content are settled by asking Siri or Googling. This means that our learning experiences need to be different. Our children are growing up in a world that is vastly different than the one that we grew up in. Don’t believe me? Check out this video.

Our focus in the classrooms needs to be on learning skills that help us access information and manipulate it by using collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, communication and connectivity to solve the problems of a 21st Century world. These 5 C’s are the building blocks of a 21st Century education. They encourage educators to shift their mindset by teaching students how to learn and serve as “guides by the side” rather than as “sages on a stage.”

These 5 C’s are at the heart of edJEWcon, a conference started at the Martin J. Gottlieb Day School several years ago. They are the building blocks of creating a dynamic 21st Century learning environment. edJEWcon Cleveland will feature Silvia Tolisano as keynote speaker. Silvia is an International educational consultant and author, and a leader in modern learning and literacy.  Through this conference, our faculty will be able to continue to build their skills as 21st Century educators and sustain and grow academic excellence at Schechter.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Shalom Baby

When Ali and I were expecting our first child almost seven years ago, we signed up for a childbirth education class at the hospital where we would be delivering. It was informative, but it would be a stretch to call the experience transformative.  At the same time, we took a class offered by our local Jewish community and it had a much bigger impact on us. Each week, we gathered with other first-time expectant parents and a facilitator to talk about childbirth, parenting, and anything else that was on our minds as we got closer to our due dates. Babies were born, and we celebrated together. So strong were the connections from that class that, when Ali went into labor on Yom Kippur two-and-a-half years later, we dropped off our oldest with one of the families that we met through these classes. 

Starting November 4, we are offering this same kind of experience for expectant parents in Cleveland. Schechter is partnering with Carolyn Stulberg, founder of the Alexandria School for Nannies and Schechter grandparent, to offer “Shalom Baby”. These 90-minute weekly sessions will cover a wide variety of topics. Sessions will include “Mazal Tov - Bringing Baby Home - Now What?,” “Schmutz by any other name is still Schmutz!” and “Jewish Guilt and the Work-Life Family Balance.”

Each week will feature guest presenters to help participants discuss that session’s topic and explore resources to help navigate each particular area of having a new baby in their lives. Of course, the program wouldn’t be complete without some exciting giveaways each week (big ticket items like a crib mattress, Baby Bjorn, and a photography session), some nosh, and a chance to build connections with other expectant parents in the same phase of life.

We’re delighted to offer this program with the support of a Shoresh grant from the JECC. This grant program has allowed us to expand our reach within the Cleveland Jewish community as part of our multi-prong approach to admissions and recruitment. In the coming weeks, you will be hearing more from our staff, parent ambassadors, and student ambassadors about how you can help grow Kehillat Schechter.  For more information on Shalom Baby click HERE.

So, if you are expecting a new baby or know someone who is, help us get the word out about “Shalom Baby” at Gross Schechter Day School.

Shabbat Shalom,

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School

Teshuvah: Growth Mindset for Jews

Change is difficult. It requires us to admit that things might not be perfect and that we may need to look at the world differently. Having our preconceived notions challenged is anxiety-provoking and makes us uncomfortable.  Yet, at this time of year, we are faced with change all around us as the season shifts from the warmth of summer to the uncertainty of autumn. Perhaps it is fitting that Yom Kippur falls at this time of year, encouraging us to look inward for change just as the outside world changes. 

Change for Yom Kippur is embodied in teshuvah, repenting or returning, but this requires more than just changing our actions; it requires changing how we think. If we approach teshuvah without the belief that we are capable of change, our teshuvah will just be lip service, rather than meaningful. Standford University psychologist, Carol Dweck, describes this as the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset.

At the start of the school year, Schechter staff began exploring Dweck’s work. With a fixed mindset, a person sees effort as fruitless, gives up easily, and often dismisses or feels attacked by useful negative feedback. Growth mindset, on the other hand, sees effort as a path to success, learns from negative feedback, and persists when faced with failure. Mindset, we learned, can predict future achievement. The messages that we send can have a strong impact on the attitudes of others and on achievement.

Effective teshuvah, therefore, requires us to be in a growth mindset.

While we may collectively admit that we have sinned this Yom Kippur as we say the words of the Vidui, the confessional prayer, we approach teshuvah as an individual because our own mindset will determine the effectiveness of our actions. Dweck’s research shows that believing that we can change is a component of effectively changing. So, if we believe that we can engage in teshuvah, we have a higher likelihood of actually doing teshuvah.

As you enter Yom Kippur, think about how you are approaching teshuvah and the mindset - fixed  or growth - that you bring with you.

G’mar Chatimah Tovah (may you be inscribed for good),

Dr. Ari Yares
Head of School