The Charlotte Jewish News -January 2004 - Page 13
Wliat^s New in
Obraryf
Why I Became a Judaica Librarian
By Amalia Warshenbrot,
Librarian, Speizman Jewish
Library
A few weeks ago as Rabbi
Judy Schindler was gathering
children to listen to her Torah
reading and her commentary,
she asked the children to name a
person that can make a differ
ence in other peoples lives. The
first child said “God.” While the
rabbi asked about a person,-she
was pleased with the child who
feels God’s presence. The sec
ond child said “a doctor.” Very
nice, said the rabbi. The doctor
can save life, heal and help in
creating life. The third child said
“My School Librarian.” I did not
hear the rabbi’s reply because 1
was whispering to my husband,
half smiling: “Putting a school
librarian between God and a doc
tor is not too bad.” I have not met
this girl again. She was an out of
town guest but, I wished I could
meet her school librarian. It made
me think about my profession.
First, 1 looked up the definition
Reading and having fun at the Speizman
Jewish Library.
in some dictionaries.
Webster New 1973 College
Dictionary; A specialist in the care
or management of a library (a
library is a place in which literary,
musical, artistic or reference mate
rials such as books, manuscripts,
recordings of films are kept
for use but not for sale).
As I went from my 1973
dictionary (making a mental
note to myself to order a new
one, yet the online dictionary
uses the same text), I went to
Microsoft Encarta Book of
Knowledge and here is the
definition: The central mission
of a library is to collect, organ
ize, preserve and provide
access to knowledge and
information. In fulfilling this
mission, libraries preserve
valuable records of a culture
that can be passed down to
succeeding generations.
Libraries are an essential link
in communication between past,
present and future.
The definition of the profession
changes with time. The 1973
JcWisl*
Dictionary stresses the “for use not
for sale.” When I write for the
CJN, I call a person who uses the
library a user, but among the pro
fessionals, users are called patrons
(the dictionary puts it as definition
number three: “one who uses the
services of a library and especially
a public library”), but we all think
of a “patron” as the one who sup
ports an institution financially.
Each one of my colleagues sees
the “user” as a contributor.
When I chose to become a
librarian I was a High School
teacher. In the process of teaching
I found myself gaining a signifi
cant amount of knowledge. I
enjoyed sharing it with my stu
dents. I loved even more the
research aspect of learning. I was
drawn to libraries, but it is a very
(Continued on page 24)
Students Benefit When Teachers Take
Classes
JSkyway’s Online Professional Development Courses for
Educators at Jewish Schools Begin January 22 - 20% Discount
for Early Registration
Newton, MA — Long-time
educator Alan Weisner now gives
almost no regular tests and
quizzes in his Bible classes at
Cohen-Hillel Academy, and the
results have been nothing short of
astounding.
“There are no more disputes
with kids about how they got a
grade, and almost no phone calls
from parents about grades,” he
says.
And his students are learning
more and retaining their knowl
edge.
His secret? Better ways to
gauge student learning that are
taught in Models of Assessment,
one of several online classes
offered by JSkyway (www.jsky-
way.com),' a premier source for
professional development geared
for educators at Jewish schools.
The courses combine education
theory with tools immediately
applicable in the classroom.
“Other courses I’ve taken have
looked at theory, theory and more
theory,” says Shira Raviv
Schwartz, a Judaic studies and
Hebrew teacher at a RAVSAK-
affiliated Jewish day school in
Chicago. “The JSkyway course I
took not only taught theory, but
also how to apply that theory in
the classroom. It really hit the
mark.”
As a result, she has shifted to a
yearlong spiraling curriculum that
builds on the knowledge gained
by her students.
After taking the JSkyway class
es herself, an administrator at a
Miami, FL day school began rec
ommending them to teachers at all
levels of experience. “I encourage
all my teachers to take them, espe
cially Skills for Effective
Teaching. I thought the syllabus
was brilliant. It was practical, per
sonalized yet academic,” she says.
Stephanie Tuckman, a teacher
at Temple Israel’s Religious
School in Charlotte, NC, took the
Skills for Effective Teaching class
at the recommendation of her reli
gious school director, Debbie
Block. “It was really easy,” she
says of the course. “The curricu
lum dealt with all kinds of learn
ing types and all behavioral styles.
It taught me how to be more aware
of how each kid learns. The course
also provided different lesson
plans with a variety of twists.”
The best part according to
Stephanie was the on-line support
group. “If you’re having a specif
ic problem or have a question, you
just post it, and suggestions and
answers come back from other
members of the group. You can
use the suggestions, try things out
in the classroom and come back to
the support group to report on
what you did.”
As a teacher of both first and
third graders, Stephanie had only
one other thing to say about the
Jskyway online courses. “I recom
mend them to all teachers.”
“Jewish education really need
ed to enter the 21st century,”
Debbie Block says. “For those of
us who are outside the New York
metropolitan area, the opportuni
ties for continuing education and
training of our teachers is rare.
Jskyway gives Jewish educators
across the country the chance to
participate, expand and improve
their skills on a continuing basis.”
Winter Semester Classes Begin
January 22
JSkyway’s winter semester
courses, taught by master educa
tors and accredited by Hebrew
College and the National Board of
License, run from January 22-
March 25,2004:
* Skills for Effective Teaching
* New Technologies for Jewish
(Continued on page 14)
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