A key element of our first step in the Morim Limmud program, a school visit for the faculty, was being paired with a faculty member from the Lauder Javne school. This faculty member is to be your guide and vantage point into the students, the school, and the community. Making the right match is essential to the success of the first visit, and the larger program, as the connections made during this visit will help lay the groundwork for the multi-year partnership.
Making the perfect pairings is a task that took time and care by all involved. The first step was completed by the SOS International team, Glynis Smith and Alan Reinitz when they visited our school early in the semester. They interviewed us about our experiences in education, at The Adelson Educational Campus, and life. They took this information and similar information provided by the Lauder Javne school about their faculties’ needs, interests, and growth opportunities, and pairings were made!
About one month before the visit, our pairings were shared with us via email. Our first task was to make connections! We learned about each others’ roles at the school, inside and outside of the classroom, and made plans for the week such as what class sessions we would teach to the Lauder Javne schools, which other faculty members we would observe, and whom we would meet with during our exchange.
It was very exciting sending the first email and getting a response from my partner teacher. It was evident from the beginning how thoughtful and expertly we were paired — there is the obvious connection in that both my partner teacher and me have administration leadership roles primarily focused on the middle school, but there are the less obvious connections such as parallel beginnings as classroom English teachers. This, of course, was something we learned through our early morning (Las Vegas time) Skype meeting to make plans for the exchange.
When we arrived in Budapest, our first night was spent having dinner with the Lauder Javne team. This is where I finally met my partner teacher, Kinga. If you had listened to our conversation, I think you would have believed we were long-time colleagues within five minutes of speaking. What I learned during our dinner conversation was that we shared an educational philosophy in building critical thinking skills in students and awakening their knowledge of the world around them and the many diverse roles they can choose to play.
Arriving at school the first day, my partner teacher took me around the school and introduced me to her students. Of course, I was nervous meeting new students but was instantly at ease as I listened to the introduction she gave me. She welcomed me to the class as if I was one of their own. The students were enthusiastic about the lesson I had to present, and it was clear to me that my partner teacher had created an environment of mutual respect and high expectations for her students.
Later in the week, we arranged an informal meeting to discuss the week. This was such a special time as I was able to ask direct questions about the things I was observing and wanted to know more about on my visit. My partner was so giving and earnest in her responses. We shared successes and challenges in our role and the ways in which we have approached situations and ways in which we consider approaching new situations.
It was refreshing to learn from and learn with my partner teacher, Kinga. Our philosophies, though similar, have been nurtured and developed by very different schools of thought and backgrounds. How fortunate we both were to connect around the ideas of putting students, their learning, and their experiences at school at the forefront of all that we do.
It seemed the week ended in the blink of an eye, but I know that our partnership is only beginning. We are already discussing how we will stay connected in the lead up to the Lauder Javne team visiting Adelson in the late Winter, and most importantly, how we will continue the student conversations that were started between the two ninth grade classes this week so that they may develop into a meaningful bond that will culminate in student visit experiences in the coming years.
