By Ianne Sherry
After our workshop with Rabbi Sheryl Katzman, I felt both more sure that I was on the right career path and more confused about what I wanted to do with my life - but I am getting ahead of myself. From the beginning, Rabbi Katzman got us engaged in an activity. We began by breaking up into small groups where we were given the schedule of a Head of School, Jewish Studies Head, or a 5th and 6th grade Judaic Studies teacher at a Jewish Day School. We had to first list all of the responsibilities that a person with the job that we were assigned had, based on their schedule. Next, we wrote down the personal qualities and skills required for this job. After our small groups completed these tasks for one job, we switched to the next. This task was harder than it seems. Before we could even begin to discuss our ideas with the group, we had to have a few minutes of silent brainstorming. Rabbi Katzman explained that this method, as opposed to brainstorming aloud together, helps to foster creativity and gives everyone in the group the chance to share their honest opinions. This exercise forced me to seriously think about the day to day life of someone working in a Jewish Day School. There are so many parts of working in a Jewish Day School that happen outside of school hours. Because teachers and administrators are a part of the Jewish community, their job responsibilities are unique and some of the skills and qualities required of them are unusual. For example, the schedule for the head of school included shiva calls, school plays, and meetings with donors. All of these things happen outside of school hours and outside of the offices or the classrooms. There were many more surprising things found in each schedule and as my group and I looked through each schedule we had to rethink our preconceived notions about the responsibilities, skills, and personal traits that are required of each job.
When every group had the chance to reflect about every job we came back together as a large group and Rabbi Katzman tied together the main points and answered our questions. She reviewed with us the surprising parts of the jobs and spoke candidly about some of the challenges of working in a Jewish Day School. She also spoke about how incredibly rewarding it is to work in the Jewish community and see the impact of your work both inside and outside of the school, whether you are working directly with the students or not. When Rabbi Katzman was answering questions, she said a few things in particular that stood out to me.
She explained that working in a Jewish Day School is more than just having an impact o
n the students in front of you, it’s trying to do something to impact the entire Jewish community. Rabbi Katzman added that the parents and the community at a Jewish Day School are more engaged which comes with its own set of benefits and challenges. Another potential challenge Rabbi Katzman mentioned is the large gender gap that exists in the position of head of school. She went on to say how extremely important it is to have a good mentor when beginning to work in a Jewish Day School. She added that when working in the world of Jewish education everything is a fundraising opportunity. This is in part due to the fact that tuition at Jewish Day Schools does not cover the school’s entire budget.
When I first joined The Nachshon Project I knew that I wanted to work in the field of education and begin as a classroom teacher, but I did not know exactly what this would look like. I was unsure whether I wanted to have my career in the field of Jewish education or if I wanted to work in public schools, what type of work I wanted to do after I taught in the classroom, and if I was truly up to the massive task of educating the next generation of Jewish students. After speaking with Rabbi Katzman I saw a career as a general studies elementary school teacher in the field of Jewish education as not only an option but as a potential reality. Many of the things she said about working with the communities excited me, and many of the details of the teacher’s schedule were interesting and thought-provoking. While I still do not know exactly what I want to do, I do know that working as a teacher in a Jewish Day School is a possibility for me and that there is an entire world of careers in the field of Jewish education for me to continue to explore. After this session my head was spinning with ideas and more questions, but I know that I am headed in the right direction.
