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EXECUTIVE'S CORNER Here at CJE, our staff members consult daily with individual teachers who visit our Resource Center, with principals who are, after all, the “principal teachers” in their schools, with parents who seek resources for their families and, naturally, among ourselves as we plan programs and develop new services to fulfill requests and meet the needs of educators in all of Baltimore’s Jewish schools. This is why professional development is one of the core services of CJE. We are proud to offer a wide array of workshops and individualized services for teachers in early childhood centers, congregational schools, day schools and adult education programs. Our staff works together with school principals to develop our annual Rimon professional development workshops. This summer, we launched our first “Camp Kef,” four-session camp experience for teachers where a raft of teaching skills and techniques were developed in a fun-filled camp setting. On AIMS professional day this year, CJE will be initiating a special session for Hebrew language teachers and a technology session on using computers to teach Judaic text. Did you know that Baltimore is one of the leading community participants in the National Board of Licensure? Through the NBL, incentives and recognition are provided for teachers of Jewish studies who earn certificates and licenses for ongoing professional development. Over the last two years, CJE’s local board of license awarded 18 certificates and 32 national licenses to qualified local educators for continuing their professional education. This year, whether your connection to Jewish education is as a parent, an educator or a principal, please join us in recognizing the dedication and continuing commitment of your children’s teachers, your professional teaching colleagues or your teaching staff. Let them know how much you appreciate the time they spend in the classrooms where they teach and in the classrooms where they continue to study so that your children will have a more enriching Jewish educational experience! |
I sometimes try to turn back the clock in order to recall my earliest impressions of school and the educators from whom I learned the most. To a child, of course, a teacher is an authority figure, someone who knows all there is to know about everything and works hard to impart that knowledge to inquiring young minds. At CJE, of course, we know that a teacher is much more than that. We expose teachers to innovative teaching techniques, supply them with support drawn from the incredible growth of knowledge and technology, and help them differentiate their teaching methods to meet the needs of so many students.