Rabbi Dovi Nadel has been the coordinator of the Dr. Shimshon Isseroff USA Chidon Ha’Tanach since 2015. Dovi is on the faculty of SAR High School and currently serves as the grade dean for the senior class. Dovi is a proud alum of Farber Hebrew Day School, Yeshivat Har Etzion, and Yeshiva University. He has a Master’s degree in Bible from YU-Revel and received his Semikha from YU-RIETS. For three consecutive summers he served as the Rosh Chinuch (Head of EducationalStaff) at Camp Stone in Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania. Dovi credits his parents and two unique Middle/High School educators for inspiring his love of Tanach – Rabbi Eliezer Cohen Z”L and Rabbi Pinchas Amior.

Gems:

• Inspire your students to learn Pesukim of the Torah well.
• Make time for your students.
• The key to textual fluency is when the student decides that they really want to learn it on their own.
• Encourage students to take ownership of their learning.
• The real reward is when students work hard.
• Push the students more than they push themselves.
• The short route ends up being the long route, the long route ends up being the short route.- Talmud
• Be a steward through which to connect students to Torah and Hashem.
• Generate a love of Torah and make it part of every day conversation.
• Chinuch is about planting seeds, helping cultivate students in whatever way you can, and knowing you might not see the end result, however, we have an impact.
• Ask your students what they find meaningful.
• Be inspired by your students.
• Stay fresh and creative.
• Truly love your students and what you’re teaching.
• Each of us has a duty to teach others.

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Jessie Rothstein is a new olah and a high school Tanach and Jewish History teacher in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel, where she lives with her family. She received her BA in Jewish Studies and Anthropology at Emory University, in Atlanta, GA, focusing her undergraduate thesis on Holocaust survivor testimony from Argentina. She received her MS in Jewish Education from YU Azrieli and has been teaching in Modern Orthodox high schools for the past 8 years. Jessie is extremely grateful to Hashem that she has the privilege of teaching Tanach in Eretz Yisrael!

Gems:

• Point out what is important to Hashem within Tanach.
• Hashem loves us.
• The Torah shows us what Hashem cares about.
• Hashem cares about vulnerable people, and we ought to also.
• It’s our job to have empathy for people who are less fortunate than us.
• Show students the little moments that reveal Hashem’s presence.
• Help students learn to have gratitude.
• Kids must feel safe.
• Learn how to disagree with people, while still being a loving person.
• Help students recognize their potential and actualize it by giving them the tools they’ll need.
• Create a sense of belonging amongst your students.
• Each student has his/her own path.
• We have to acknowledge and accept who the child is.
• See each child not just as an individual, but as someone who is also part of a family.
• Parents and educators are on the same team.
• Put yourself in their shoes.
• Keep the big picture in mind.
• Learning how to be a teacher is done on the job.
• Every difficult experience makes you a better teacher.
• The Torah is our guide to life.

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Rebecca Masinter is the founder of Toras Imecha and Mother's Guidance which provide Torah based inspiration and practical guidance to parents. She has been involved in Jewish education for twenty-five years as a teacher, administrator, ACT tutor, and homeschool mother. Rebecca lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband and six children, where she is active in the homeschool community and as an educator at Bnos Yisroel of Baltimore. Rebecca is passionate about sharing Torah wisdom with parents around the world and has created several video presentations and authored many articles which provide deep insights combined with down-to-earth tools for today's parents. https://www.torasimecha.com/ and https://www.mothersguidance.com/

Gems:

• Do your best to approach things from a positive perspective.
• For families: make time for family togetherness.
• Decide what you want to give your students and how you want to impact them.
• Take it one year at a time.
• Decide what is best for each child at each given time.
• Parents all have the same mission to train their children.
• Parents are facilitators in their children’s education.
• Allow children to become full partners in their education.
• The early childhood years are critical years for the influence of the family.
• The early years are the basis for the child’s whole life.
• Children need their mother to be their primary influence during the early years.
• Think about how we can help our children become their best selves.
• Help students understand that they have a purpose in this world.
• Continue growing yourself through reading, and taking classes.
• Life is not meant to be easy.
• Start children off on the path that they will go on for their whole life.
• Think long-term.
• Figure out what your goals are.
• Think about what does Hashem want from you right in this moment?
• When a student or child is struggling, it’s not personal.
• You are not a failure when a student or child has challenges.
• It’s not about the product in our roles as educators, it’s what are we putting into them.
• In order to teach, you have to love your children/students.
• Find your mentors.

Book Recommendations: Steven Covey- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Families
Gordon Neufeld
Leonard Sax
Linda and Richard Eyre-3 Steps to a Strong Family
Oliver and Rachel DeMille- Leadership Education: The Phases of Learning

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