In 2000, not long after the breakout of the Second Intifada, I led a group of members in my synagogue on a solidarity mission to Israel. Tourism in Israel had almost completely dried up in the wake of suicide bombings and other terror attacks, and we felt the need to show our support for Israel. I distinctly remember the deeply emotional thoughts Rabbi Shlomo Riskin shared with us. “Americans need to make a choice,” he stated passionately. “Is Israel Disneyland or the Motherland?” He went on to explain that the former is a place you visit when the weather is good, the deal is right and the lines are short. You visit your mother when she needs you most.

Over twenty years later, that exhortation stuck with me, because among my first thoughts after getting word of what happened in Israel on October 7 was, “The Yeshivah of Flatbush has to send groups of students and faculty to Israel, no matter what. We need to be there for Israel.”

Certainly, we had to answer questions such as, was it safe for us to go? Could we help in any way? Would we be more of a burden to people than a support? In the second and third week of October, the answers to these questions were far from apparent, but the resolve of our leadership team grew stronger as we discussed it internally. Love for Israel and its people are at the beating heart of our school. How could we not be there for them in their time of greatest need?

Two critical components drove our decisions. First, one trip would not suffice. Early on, it was obvious that the war would not be a quick one. We wanted to do our best to provide a “continuous presence” in Israel, not just a “one-time thing.” Second, our trips would be about students. Staff and parents were welcome to join, but we would run the trips with a focus on students. We wanted Israel to see that our students cared about her and we wanted to teach all of our students, those who would make a trip or not, that being in Israel at a time of distress is an essential, enduring and uncompromising value.

Impacting Israelis

Six months later, our four missions with over 100 students and another 50 or more adults who accompanied them have proven that our commitment was well worth the time, energy, worry and resources dedicated to these initiatives. During that time, our school undertook countless activities to reinforce love for Israel in our students. Our dedication to these trips exponentially empowered everything else we did.

As anyone who has been in Israel since October 7 can testify, Israelis profoundly appreciate the visits of those who do not live there. The obvious comparison is the power of a shiva call, where the presence of a comforter strikes the deepest of chords with a mourner. The impact we have on Israelis is immeasurable. Our brief time sharing a smile, a hug, a kind word and the like creates unbelievable amounts of love. There is no doubt that being in Israel makes “all the difference in the world.”

For that, as we say at the seder table, dayyenu—it would have been reason enough to praise the value of our missions. As an educational institution, however, our primary responsibility is the education of our students. As important as it is to impact Israel, it is more important we impact our students. In this, I believe we were even more successful than whatever we accomplished for Israelis.

Impacting Students

First and foremost, I think back to the mindset of many American Jews in the second and third week of October. To my great distress, far too many members of our communities were heading in the other direction. Those who were in Israel over Sukkot, perhaps understandably, scrambled to get the first flights out of Israel. Many parents who had children studying in Israel brought them home. Most people canceled previously planned trips.

It was important for us to change that narrative; our trips did that. In just my local community, I am aware of over 40 missions to Israel since October 7. I imagine the wider Jewish community has sent at least ten times that amount. Our commitment to be in Israel as early and often as we were, along with the commitment of other like-minded groups, has changed the hearts and minds of our people. That is our core mission as educators.

For the students who made the journey, the experience was life-shaping. Whether it be visits to the rehab wing at Tel haShomer, seeing firsthand the difficult work at Machaneh Shura, standing in Har Herzl for azkarot or paying shiva calls to grieving families—our students learned lessons about areivut and ahavat Yisrael which could not be obtained in thousands of classroom hours. 
Less expected, but not less powerful, was the impact that our trips had on the students who were not able to make the trip. There is a palpable sense of pride and love of Israel that was felt by our entire student body and their teachers. When people we connected with in Israel have visited the US and our school, the bonds of love are felt not only by the students who initiated the connections, but by the entire student body.

Perhaps naively, I’m hopeful that the war will come to a positive conclusion in the not-too-distant future. With a high level of confidence, I believe that we seized the crisis as an opportunity to make a difference in Israel and in the lives of our students.

At Prizmah’s recent Head of School Retreat, Lisa Coll, chair of Prizmah’s Board of Trustees shared with us, “It’s the hardest job you’ll ever love.” Heads nodded in agreement as Lisa said this, feeling that she had reached the heart of our experience. We found strength in the empathy and support of our colleagues during the course of this retreat and came back to our school communities with a renewed sense of purpose and vision.

Nearly one hundred heads of school from all over North America gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina for Prizmah’s second ever Head of School Retreat. Heads of school, like myself, who were fortunate enough to attend the first Prizmah Head of School Retreat in Fort Lauderdale two years ago, have been eagerly awaiting this opportunity as one that is uniquely relevant and meaningful to our roles and experiences. Distinct and separate from the Prizmah Conference, which brings together teams from Jewish day schools across North America to grow professionally, this was an opportunity to focus on the very unique role of the head of school, an opportunity to grow personally as well. 

A few key takeaways from this gathering of truly dedicated and thoughtful school leaders highlight the depth and breadth of the issues facing heads of school and their communities today:

1. Since October 7th, Jewish day schools have played a unique and meaningful role in their communities. Schools continue to grapple with how to support the diverse needs of the constituencies of our communities – students of all ages; parents and teachers, Israeli teachers and families; and teachers and families of different faiths. While this challenge has been particularly demanding, emotional, and personal, schools are proud of the role they are playing in navigating these challenges, and their communities are grateful for their leadership.
    

2. The Jewish calendar brings complexity and opportunity.  As we celebrated the new Hebrew month of Adar II together at the retreat, we were compelled to discuss how upcoming Jewish holidays might look in our schools this year as we are still reeling from events in Israel. We discussed Purim, Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Remembrance Day) and Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel’s Independence Day) in particular as days that bring with them questions about what may look different in our schools this year.  
   
   How do we balance the joy, fun, and silliness of Purim with the heaviness we feel as a Jewish people this year? How do we incorporate the tragedy of October 7th into our Yom HaZikaron programs? How do we transition from Yom HaZikaron to Yom Ha’Atzmaut this year in a way that reflects both our sadness of loss and our commitment to celebrating the Jewish state? How do the choices we make when it comes to these holidays reflect our mission and values as Jewish day schools? Discussing these questions in a group setting helped us begin to think creatively and provide inspiration as we continue to work through them in our school communities in the coming weeks.
    

3. Heads of school rely on strong teams to execute the mission and day-to-day activities of the school. Dr. Scott Tannenbaum, Ph.D. who facilitated a workshop on “The Science of Teamwork: What Really Drives Team Effectiveness?” shared the importance of reflecting on the effectiveness of the teams in our schools and investing in making them work to their greatest potential. He said, “The best teams are rarely great on day one. They become great by making small, ongoing adjustments.” Periodic debriefs are essential to assessing what is going well and what can be improved. Additionally, Dr. Tannenebaum underscored that teams are built on trust – teams perform better when members share a sense of psychological safety and can be themselves and speak up for themselves.
    

4. Being the “bottom line” day in and day out for our schools can be both lonely and heavy. Whether the scenarios we encounter are profoundly unexpected like Covid and October 7th, or anticipated like interpersonal conflicts and creating a healthy work-life balance, the weight of the headship can take a toll. In a session on “The Weight of the Headship,” heads of schools were able to share stories vulnerably and personally from their experiences. While each school and each head of school is unique, our experience is also shared in so many ways. Even as heads of school deeply appreciate being part of supportive teams at our schools, hearing from colleagues about their personal experiences in the role of Head had a powerful impact on all of us. It also reminded us in a deep way that we are not alone.

I want to take the opportunity to thank the amazing heads of school who attended the conference and shared generously from their wisdom and their hearts. It was an honor to learn from each of you. A huge thank you to Prizmah for the tremendous effort and thoughtfulness that went into each detail of this retreat. We are fortunate to have Prizmah’s strength and expertise supporting our schools in every way. We are stronger for it.  

Wishing all of our Jewish day schools and communities strength and resilience in the months ahead with the knowledge that we are here for each other in times of need.

Passengers on an airplane flight are cautioned as to how to react in potentially dangerous situations that may arise. In an emergency, where the cabin pressure drops and breathable air is scarce, oxygen masks will drop down from above the passengers’ heads. Before you help a dependent passenger or child, you first affix your own oxygen mask. That is, ensure that you have sufficient air and then turn to assist others.

Similarly, you cannot truly be a source of learning and/or support for others if you are not standing on stable ground. Thinking about this idea as it applies within a school setting can lend understanding to what faculty and staff need in order to be successful as educators. If we are to think of teachers as those who nurture their students, then we are led to ask, Who will nurture our nurturers?

Teacher’s Oxygen Masks 

Support staff such as school counselors and therapists are often seen as providers of support services for students. However, in order to ensure that students’ wellness needs are met both within and out of the classroom, educators also need support. When we create a network that provides support for our teachers and auxiliary staff, we strengthen these members of the team. In turn, they are more likely to be better able both to teach students and to address their emotional and social needs within the domain of the classroom environment. In doing so, we are encouraging that they first place their own oxygen masks on, and then assist their students in doing the same. 

Those in the role of support and leadership can think more deeply about what is necessary for staff members to feel and be supported in this way. First, creating space for staff to share their concerns openly and for these concerns to be heard, acknowledged and addressed is vital. If staff are vulnerable enough to bring their thoughts and worries forward, they must also feel that they are being validated and their concerns are addressed by administrators. This helps educators understand that they are a vital part of the school team, and that their work and relationships with students are seen as nothing less than essential. Supportive school environments, characterized by positive relationships among staff members and effective leadership, are associated with higher levels of teacher wellbeing.

The Aftermath of October 7th

Like all of the Jewish world, educators were shaken to their core by the horrific tragedy that occurred in Israel on October 7. Countless lives were lost, hostages taken and the trauma ongoing. On the frontlines at our schools, teachers and support staff both were tasked with providing a sense of security in a time ripe with uncertainty and loss.

Teachers were offered extra time to check in and tools for having difficult conversations with their students. Support could be garnered by providing resources for teachers to build up their own emotional strength (such as webinars on dealing with trauma) as well as ideas around guiding their students in developing stronger coping skills. Strengthening the sense of unity and community among staff contributed to the resilience of teachers and the ability to lean on each other in trying times.

Culture of Appreciation and Collaboration 

Alongside this, educators who feel appreciated are more effective educators. Verbally expressing gratitude on a regular basis to teachers for all that they do is one way to highlight how respected and valued staff is. Recognizing educators’ hard work and dedication through simple gestures such as thank-you notes, appreciation events, or public acknowledgments fosters a culture of appreciation and boosts morale. When teachers feel valued, they are more likely to remain motivated, which consequently impacts their role in fostering student learning and wellness. A culture of appreciation also increases staff cohesiveness and dedication. 

Encouraging collaboration among teachers fosters a culture of continuous learning and growth. Whether through interdisciplinary team meetings, professional learning communities, or peer observation programs, facilitating opportunities for educators to collaborate enhances their ability to share best practices, seek feedback, and brainstorm innovative solutions to classroom challenges. Another way to foster relationships and enhance staff support is through mentorship programs that pair newer teachers with more experienced educators who can provide invaluable guidance and support during the crucial early years of their careers. By fostering mentorship relationships, schools not only support the professional development of new teachers but also crete a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose among staff members.
Offering professional development to teachers throughout the school year enables them to continuously enhance their skills, stay updated with the latest teaching methodologies, and exchange insights with peers. Educators who consistently learn can be more motivated and in touch with the changing field of education. Professional development may also be seen as the oxygen mask that we want our teachers to wear so that they can continue to teach and guide their students.

Research has consistently shown that teachers who feel supported stay longer in their roles and are likely to be more effective educators. When care is taken to provide sufficient “oxygen masks” for staff, overall school success is impacted positively. By prioritizing teacher support, schools can create conditions that foster educator success and ultimately enhance student learning outcomes and wellness.

Throughout the generations, the highest honor we bestow upon those who are worthy is the title of teacher. Moshe, the person we consider to be our greatest leader and teacher, was given the honorific title of Rabbenu, our teacher, no greater description can be given than the title of an educator. Being a teacher, an educator, is more than preparing lesson plans and grading papers and tests. It is an opportunity to connect, inspire, and motivate in the present and for the future. To educate well, our faculty must be well trained, have a deep emotional investment, spend time and money to innovate and learn new pedagogical methods, amidst myriad other responsibilities.

Teaching is consistently rated as a profession replete with meaning, and yet it is also among the professions with the highest reported rates of burnout. The challenges faced by teachers often induce increased levels of stress, lack of work-life synergy and feelings of being overwhelmed. Elementary teachers’ depressive symptoms impact most acutely on students who are already underperforming academically. Preschool students of depressed teachers make fewer gains in social-emotional development.

The influence of teachers’ wellbeing on students extends to physiological measures. A study found that higher rates of teacher-reported burnout is associated with higher levels of cortisol in their students. Faculty mental health impacts their job performance and duration, and most importantly, their students’ experience. The need to care for our faculty is clear.

In this issue of Kaleidoscope, we hear from experts in the field of faculty support. These progressive thinkers and their organizations recognize that caring for the caregivers is ultimately caring for our students. Much progress has been made in supporting administrators, school counselors and teachers, and much more work remains to be done. Increased resources devoted to the mental health and wellbeing of all educators are essential in our quest to create a psychologically healthy environment in which faculties create and model resiliency in an increasingly complex world.

What’s being done?

Many schools offer pedagogical development opportunities in mental health. Some schools have designated a teacher-support person whose job isn’t just to manage academic questions but to offer psychological support. A support helpline for teachers has also been created.

For the past five years, Prizmah’s school counselor cohort, the funding for which has recently been generously provided by the Covenant Foundation and JFNA’s BeWell, has been meeting semimonthly to hear from experts in the field, share dilemmas of practice, and provide supervision and peer support to counselors from day schools from across North America. Creating a space for connection and growth supports our counselors’ wellbeing and enables them to in turn support the wellbeing of their school communities.

Through the use of Prizmah’s Reshet communities, we’ve created room for Jewish day school and yeshiva professionals to connect and collaborate.  Additionally, we’ve created educational workshops designed to help school counselors teach teachers about a variety of mental health issues they may encounter in and out of the classroom. By using a “teach the teacher” model, we can maximize the impact this information can have.

What’s next?

Raising awareness of the importance of faculty mental health and wellbeing continues to be an important goal. Creating and expanding opportunities for school counselors, administrators and teachers to support each other both within and outside of their schools remains an area of need. Offering faculty access to mental health support, allowing faculty flexibility in managing the time during the school day to allow for better work life balance, and maintaining and enhancing socialization opportunities with colleagues near and far are just some ways to improve psychological health.

Increased educational opportunities for our heads of school, school counselors and support staff to get together and learn about mental health are an important avenue for future growth.

Prizmah’s Mental Health Summit, a two day interactive online summit with support from and in collaboration with the Ruderman Family Foundation, is a unique and inspiring program for Jewish day school counselors, psychologists, learning specialists, and educational administrators. Participants engage in high-level learning and collaboration around mental health challenges and opportunities present in day schools. This year’s theme is  “In The Moment: Navigating Difficult Times With Dignity, Empathy, and Growth.” applies to the challenges students, parents and faculty are facing.

Benjamin Franklin famously said, “When the well is dry, they know the worth of water.” By prioritizing and investing resources in the psychological wellbeing of faculty, we are filling up the well from which our students will ultimately drink.

October 7 altered our world as we know it. In Jewish day schools, guidance counselors and psychologists were busier than ever dealing with students who had siblings and/or parents serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, teachers whose children were also in the IDF and/or whose spouses had been called to reserves, and all those who had family in the affected areas. The weight of these responsibilities often go unnoticed in regular times, all the more so in the wake of unthinkable tragedies.

Building the Network 

In Miami, the Center for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE) had already created the infrastructure to support our school counselors and psychologists before there was an unprecedented need. In 2021, during the pandemic, I felt strongly that we needed to build a network to give school counselors and psychologists the opportunity to safely and confidently share real-life situations, determine overlapping needs, discuss potential professional development opportunities, and advocate for resources within their schools and within the larger community. 

Those who work in and send their children to day schools recognize that in the realm of education, the roles of school counselors and psychologists are paramount. They serve as pillars of support, guiding students through academic, emotional, and personal challenges. In partnership with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, CAJE Miami operates with a profound commitment to enhancing educational experiences within Miami-Dade’s Jewish day schools. While much of our focus lies in fostering teaching excellence through innovative professional development opportunities, we also place significant emphasis on the wellbeing of students and educators alike. 

To bolster the support systems available to school counselors and psychologists, the CAJE Mental Health Network connects school counselors and psychologists across a wide array of educational institutions, bringing schools of all denominations to work together in unity. Through monthly meetings and professional development workshops, members of the network have the opportunity to share insights, strategies, and best practices. This collaborative environment fosters a sense of community and ensures that no counselor or psychologist feels isolated in their work. In the words of Reina Chocron, LMHC, the upper school counselor at Scheck Hillel Community School and the network’s chair: “Having a network of fellow counselors who understand the challenges and joy of our work is like having a lifeline. We can share our triumphs and struggles, offer a listening ear, and lift each other up when the weight of our work feels crushing. By supporting each other, we become better equipped to support our students and school community.”

Bolstering Student Support 

During its first year, the network introduced its members to Eshel Online, an organization whose mission is to open hearts, minds, and doors for Orthodox lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals and their families through innovative and culturally sensitive programming. Rabbi Steve Greenberg, founder of Eshel, and Miryam Kabakov, its executive director, were invited to address the network virtually and discuss whether and how Miami’s schools respond to children or teens facing gender identity issues and/or questioning their sexual identity. 

In 2022, as a mother of four, I began to notice more and more anxiety, stress, and lack of social interaction among my children and their friends. Upon discussions with Reina, we determined that some children may not feel comfortable talking with people they know and see every day at their schools, especially if they are wrestling with suicidal ideation, extreme anxiety, or LGBTQ identity. Together with colleagues in the network, we created language for a placard that is currently displayed in private areas, such as inside of a bathroom stall, of Miami-Dade Jewish middle and high schools with a dedicated phone number that teens can call or text 24/7 for assistance if they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or sad.

Managing a Crisis 

This year, CAJE’s Mental Health Network enlisted the services of Dr. Oshra Cohen, Prizmah’s program director for school counselor programming, to help craft comprehensive safety plans for their respective schools. Each school counselor was able to determine the steps and procedures that should be put in place to support students and staff during a crisis. By having an emergency response plan in place, schools minimize the impact of an emergency or disaster and the confusion among those impacted. 

In addition, we decided to do something that has never been attempted as far as we were aware. When thinking about the 2023-2024 school year and what type of professional development we could offer our school counselors and psychologists, we decided to find another North American community similar to Miami with a group of counselors and psychologists with whom we could learn and share. After several discussions with Dr. Oshra Cohen and her Prizmah colleague Marc Wolf, chief program and strategy officer, we decided to meet with Montreal’s community of school counselors and psychologists and learn together about best practices to support students and families struggling with anxiety. 

One of those anxiety professional development sessions was scheduled for October 17, ten days after the start of the war. Together with Dr. Oshra Cohen and Dr. Karen Gazith, director of the Bronfman Jewish Education Centre in Montreal, I decided to pivot and dedicate the hour to the network. Led by Dr. Cohen, school counselors and psychologists were able to open up about their own feelings and emotions, get support from one another, and just let go in a safe space. In Dr. Cohen's words, “Thanks to the collaboration between our two organizations and the framework we established, we were able to respond to the very urgent need for support during the early days of the war. It is a testament to our shared value of supporting those that support others.”

Ultimately, supporting school counselors and psychologists through the network is a strategic investment in the wellbeing of our Jewish day school communities as a whole. By nurturing their resilience, providing them with relevant professional development opportunities, and offering them support, CAJE can ensure that Miami-Dade school counselors and psychologists are better equipped to fulfill their vital role in supporting students and fostering healing and resilience all year long, and especially in the wake of tragedies like that of October 7. 

Through efforts like the Mental Health Network, CAJE Miami affirms its commitment to continue helping the helpers support others and enabling the Miami-Dade Jewish day school landscape to flourish in good as well as challenging times.

In the aftermath of Covid and with the rise in antisemitism, violence and polarization, educators are at the forefront, juggling social, emotional, and academic stress, as well as their own burdens. The article will aim to redefine crisis coping mechanisms and propose models of resiliency, leadership, and self-care specifically tailored for educators.

Resilience

Resilience can be defined as how well a person can adapt to the events in their life. Resilience is a learned skill and can be increased or changed over a lifetime. In the education world, resilience skills that are needed for coping include psychological and practical preparedness and strategies; sharing of leadership tasks during stressful times; and preparedness for taking steps toward returning to normal functioning following an unbalanced period.

NATAL suggests a four-part resiliency model for amplifying resilience and preventing secondary trauma:

Leadership and self–awareness (identifying personal needs and challenges). Leadership in the education world can be defined as the exercise of developing a vision, providing direction, offering support to teachers, staff, students, and learning communities, as well as decision making, taking responsibility and initiative.

Readiness and prevention (enhancing sense of capability through training programs and practicing and implementing tools learned).

Connection (strengthening cooperation and social support).

Meaningfulness and hope (uniqueness, optimism, creating a vision, believing in what you do).

NATAL’s resiliency model shows how resilience (when combined by the four parts mentioned above), together with flexibility and creativity, can influence how we experience relevance both on an individual and organizational level.

Self-Care

Self-care involves learning about our strengths and coping styles, how to manage stress, and how to connect with others for mutual support. It also involves being proactive in maintaining our physical wellbeing and knowing when to seek help.

If we look through Bronfenbrenner’s magnifying glass, we will able to see how these factors interact, influence and interrelate with each other in the varying environmental systems. For example, resilience can be built through self-care, fortifying an educator’s inner strength and emotional regulation, which in turn can ripple outwards to shape leadership style. This leadership style may be influenced by a macrosystem (ideological and cultural context—rise in antisemitism) which sometimes contradicts the microsystem (our immediate environment). The main challenge is to develop coping mechanisms within these contradictions.

Coping Tips

Here are 5 practical tips for nurturing teachers and developing adaptive coping mechanisms in an education environment.

1. NATAL’s CAN-COPE Model

Various techniques are linked to heightened psychological resilience and stress reduction. The model includes 4 stages: calming, normalizing, connecting and hope.

Calming. Stress naturally accumulates in the body and mind. In order to calm the body, we suggest grounding techniques such as mindfulness, regulating breathing, muscle relaxation, engaging in physical activity (exercise, dancing, etc.). To calm disturbing thoughts during times of stress, try to be aware of the amount and type of information coming from groups and social networks. Harsh images can trigger fears and bad feelings, so reduce and even avoid exposure. Pay attention to generalizations and extreme thinking or closed mindedness. Try to broaden perspective by exploring other options and conversing within the team about dilemmas in a nonjudgmental manner.

Normalizing. There is no need to worry about normative physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions. Your body may react with heightened heartbeat, trembling, stomach ache, dry mouth, general weakness, and stiff muscles. On an emotional level you may feel fear, respond with anger to small situations or feel indifferent. Cognitively we may make unreasonable judgments, feel confused or have difficulty making decisions. Behaviorally we may respond more aggressively, become overdependent on others, or be less responsive. These responses are normal within the current abnormal situation (rise in antisemitism) and can cause anyone heightened stress. We can help ourselves regulate these responses (see Calming) and seek professional support if needed.

Connecting. Seeking social support such as engaging in hobbies, encouraging social gatherings, volunteering, and family involvement can all play a critical role in adaptive coping.

Hope. Being involved in activities that create a sense of control over the situation can substantially increase our feeling of hope. For example, volunteering in the community. On a team level, leaders and managers should allow teachers to feel trust in them and in their abilities, involve them in decision-making, and give them significant responsibilities within the school environment. On a personal level, we can instill hope by reminding ourselves that this is a temporary situation, and thinking together about the future and returning to routine. The CAN COPE model also works very well with children and adolescents.

2. Work Culture

We recommend encouraging a work culture characterized by perseverance and adaptability. Perseverance allows us to keep hope (a critical factor in resilience), by constantly challenging ourselves to move forward and to do better. It allows us to dream. There are several benefits to being adaptable in an education culture. Adaptability can equip us to face challenges, it can enhance our leadership skills and help us feel more relevant.

3. Self-Care Practices

Practices that can be used on a team level include mindfulness meditation and reflective journaling. You can also incorporate some of NATAL’s 10 commandments practices into your daily routine.

4. Amplifying Empathy and Fostering Caring Interpersonal Interactions

These create a work environment where communication thrives, conflicts recede, and team dynamics flourish. Teachers feel empowered to create a harmonious class climate and establish respect for one another.

5. Burnout

Protect your team from the pervasive threat of burnout. Allow the team regular breaks, create a warm and inviting teacher’s room, and encourage the team to consult with experts (school counselor / school psychologist).

Everybody has resilience. Two factors play a crucial part in helping educators develop and sustain adaptive coping mechanisms, especially in the current challenging period: enhancing resilience, and nurturing and maintaining self-care. Each of these factors can be cultivated, focused on and preserved within the different levels of the ecosystem, specifically in the microsystem of education.

NATAL, Israel’s first Trauma and Resiliency Center, is a nonpartisan, internationally recognized and awarded nonprofit, with over 25 years of experience in the fields of resiliency building and trauma treatment, impacting over 500,000 people. Learn more about NATAL.

How can administrators both supervise and support teachers? While there are times when school leaders need to take authoritative action, they can develop professional practices that harmonize the two.

Connecting 

For supervisors, creating supportive and trusting relationships with faculty begins with cultivating amiable connections with them. This means finding, even scheduling, times to walk around the building during the school day, enter teachers’ work spaces and gathering places, and talk. The subject is less important than the expression of genuine interest in friendly communication. These conversations can be light ones in the personal realm, about family or vacation plans or a book someone has enjoyed. Or they can be about school life, such as asking whoever is in the room for their opinion about a change under consideration for the school. This is a hugely effective way to give faculty a seat at the table for discussions that usually take place among only a select few people. 

Alternatively, supervisors can simply join conversations that are already underway, and while this may feel a little awkward (for everyone involved) the first time that happens, once it occurs with some frequency, it will likely be welcomed. When supervisors regularly initiate this kind of communication, whether schmoozy or substantive, they become approachable and trustworthy. And it’s not just about fostering a perception among faculty; in making this a regular practice, supervisors can develop habits of mind that are oriented toward partnership, even when they adopt a more authoritative stance.

Responding 

Support is also about responsiveness, and the work of a supervisor brings with it significant opportunities to put this into action. One that presents itself frequently and often goes unfulfilled is responding in a timely manner to emails from faculty. Email is not just a primary mode of communication in the workplace; it is a key access point for teachers to reach administrators. When questions go unanswered and requests go unaddressed for days, the message is that teachers’ concerns are unimportant, which translates readily into the sentiment that they themselves are unimportant. Responding punctually can feel like a heavy lift in the context of everything else that is in an administrator’s purview at any given time. Nonetheless, making a priority of offering prompt replies—within a day or two to most questions, and sooner for ones that are more time-sensitive—is an essential way for a supervisor to convey support. 

Supervision can also be at odds with support when teachers are disappointed with the school’s response to student infractions of school or classroom standards. Particularly when an administrative decision is made to remediate rather than enact punitive measures, or to extend lighter consequences than teachers wish, faculty can feel unsupported. 
There are certainly times when faculty and their supervisors are aligned about appropriate reactions, and when teachers advocate for a more lenient approach than the school adopts. What I find interesting is that when the opposite is the case, teachers often feel unsupported regardless of whether the student’s actions have had a direct impact on them, such as classroom disruptions, or they do not—for example, cheating on tests. This resentment gets articulated in various ways, and salient among them is often the feeling that the misbehavior has happened to the teacher, which means that the school’s reaction is perceived as supportive or unsupportive of the teacher. (I am not referring here to disrespectful behaviors that students do directly toward teachers.) 

A key role of the administrator in these situations is to help teachers reframe the student’s behavior as reflective of something the child has not yet been able to do—exert self-control, or refrain from acting on anxiety in dishonest ways—rather than a sign of intentional disrespect. Here as in many other contexts, the language of supervision is important: feelings usually don’t change because of someone’s urging (“Don’t take it personally, it’s not about you”). A worthy goal is to shift the focus toward the student, while acknowledging that the behavior is challenging for the teacher.

Giving Feedback 

Perhaps the element of supervision that is most often likely to undermine a supportive stance is critical feedback. Even when we call it constructive, it can be as uncomfortable to give as it is distressing to receive. In addition to developing skills for sharing these kinds of comments with clarity and sensitivity, administrators can establish parameters for feedback that are intrinsically supportive, by creating cultures of ongoing and expected feedback. Supervisors should visit teachers’ classrooms regularly to observe them teaching and their students learning, and to follow up soon after with feedback. This is about proactively showing interest in a teacher’s craft, creativity, and classroom presence and offering praise for what has been observed as well as suggestions when relevant. 

The essential message here is that observations and feedback are what teachers deserve. If teachers find themselves in this type of school culture, then rather than receive such visits with anxiety about administrators’ seeking evidence for hearsay about the class, they will come to feel that their supervisors’ observations reflect a commitment to their professional growth.

Why does it matter that supervisors develop nurturing relationships with teachers? There should be other sources of support for faculty in a school, including guidance staff and the mutual support of colleagues, and the work of supervision is complex enough without adding the duty to support. I would submit that supervisors should nevertheless strive for integrating the two. Strong leadership is essential for schools to function well; so are teachers who feel invested in their work, and supportive supervisors help cultivate an atmosphere in which teachers feel valued, and therefore invested. 

Strong leadership also plays a large role in shaping school culture; supervisors who support their faculty encourage through their actions a generosity of spirit that benefits everyone in the building. Finally, and most fundamentally, we learn and teach that deracheha darchei no’am—living a life of Torah values means aspiring toward pleasantness. Supervision ideally is supportive, because it is a kinder way to lead.

MARCH 6, 2024

DATELINE – To help educators plan for the future of Jewish education, Prizmah: Center for Jewish Day Schools led a group of Israel educators from across North America on a mission to Israel to ask the question: What has changed - and what hasn’t changed - since October 7 that impacts Israel education in Jewish day schools? Through this experience, participants were able to bear witness to the events and aftermath that started the Israel-Hamas war and spend time connecting with educators from Israeli schools, journalists, and high-level thinkers as they discussed the shifting landscape of the future of Israel education.

This mission was offered by Prizmah in collaboration with The Jewish Education Project, the iCenter, and the Jewish Agency, with support from the Jim Jospeh Foundation. 

Marc Wolf, Chief Program and Strategy Officer at Prizmah, said of the mission: “We were all grateful for this opportunity to bring colleagues together who think deeply about Israel education in our schools. We heard inspirational and heartbreaking stories, we were moved by both the people and places we encountered, and now we look forward to how this experience can make Israel education even more meaningful in Jewish day schools across North America."

Participants were exposed to educational frameworks and potential partners in Israel whose work can impact Jewish and Israel education in North America. The educators processed these experiences with peers and colleagues, beginning important conversations about transformative Israel education.

The Prizmah Israel Educators Mission, was just one of 13 Mishlachot Areyvut (meaning a “Delegation of Responsibility”) trips occurring this spring. These trips all composed of groups of educations and leaders from different Jewish organizations aimed to provide dedicated time and space for over 300 educators to learn and contemplate the future of Israel education and Zionism in Jewish day schools.

Enrollment trends play a pivotal role in shaping the present and future of our schools. Over the last few years, Jewish day schools and yeshivas have experienced significant variations, in relation both to each other and to past performance. Some schools and communities have seen sharp rises, while others have decreased or remain flat. Fluctuations are influenced by factors such as shifting demographics, economic conditions, the aftershocks of Covid or the most recent war in Israel. Given the impact of extreme circumstances, It can be challenging to look at your school’s enrollment data from the last few years and pull the threads to reveal trends or patterns. However, with strong professional practices, we can identify trends that can support your efforts to drive enrollment at your school. 

It happens every year and we have come to expect it: the late season application wave. It may start before Pesach break or right after, but once it starts, it will likely last until the day before school starts in the fall. It may have looked different during and after Covid, and it may look different this spring since the start of the war in Israel, however, it continues to be an enrollment trend that many schools see each spring. Prizmah’s recently published Enrollment Trend Report representing 110 schools across North America, shows increased inquiries from public and private school students interested in mid-year transfers into Jewish day schools and yeshivas. This enrollment trend is one that we will continue to follow.

This late season application wave has its challenges; juggling decision notifications for earlier applicants at the same time as managing an influx of late season inquiries and applications can be stressful. Yet it can also be an opportunity to increase your school’s enrollment and build transition programming for students to smoothly enter into our schools from other public or private schools. Many schools may have space in certain grades that they need to fill, and it can be exciting to get more applicants. This is a trend that has increasingly been gaining attention the last few months. As we closely monitor the trend we hope that it will have a positive impact not only on enrollment but more importantly, on how schools weave it into their unique story. No matter where you are, this is a trend you should be ready for should the wave hit your school.

Around the same time as the late application wave is beginning, many schools are engaged in processing re-enrollment for their current families. Over the last 10 years, we have seen more Jewish day schools and yeshivas move from traditional reenrollment, where a contract (either digital or paper) is sent to families each year, to continuous enrollment, where students are automatically re-enrolled unless parents opt out. 

This approach is leading schools to focus on fostering positive and meaningful interactions among educators, administrators, and parents.  A significant change is in the communication strategy and personalization for parents. Schools are tailoring their communication and engagement strategies to meet the individual needs and preferences of parents. Utilizing technology, schools are creating more streamlined and transparent communication channels to keep parents well-informed about their child’s progress, upcoming events, and school initiatives. In addition to traditional parent-teacher conferences, there is a heightened emphasis on expanding face-to-face interactions and holding them at key points during the school year—around the holidays, before winter break, before reenrollment and late spring. This initiative includes organizing parent education workshops and increasing family-based school events, all geared towards ongoing community building and collaboration.

In essence, the shift towards a thoughtful customer service and intentional parent experience reflects a commitment to building strong partnerships between schools and parents. This collaborative approach contributes to a positive school culture, strengthens retention, and enhances the overall educational experience, creating a more supportive and enriching learning environment and community.

Prizmah’s vision for enrollment extends beyond mere numbers. It’s about building a robust foundation that propels schools toward sustained success and growth, working with schools’ leadership teams, creating meaningful and strategic partnerships in their community, ensuring a thriving future for Jewish day schools and yeshivas.

Traditional reenrollment often necessitates hundreds of hours of effort in processing contracts and tracking down families to return them, all in service of a clear picture of enrollment numbers to share with your head of school and board. By contrast, continuous enrollment brings with it many advantages. Overall, schools have seen improved retention rates and parent satisfaction with a simplified process. Success stories from schools that have embraced continuous enrollment serve as inspiration, guiding other schools towards a more sustainable and strategic approach.

Identifying and understanding enrollment trends and building a plan to leverage them is crucial for the continued success and enrollment growth. We invite you to engage in further discussion on enrollment trends in our Admission Reshet, share your experiences and the trends you are seeing in your area, and contribute to the collective wisdom of our community.