The Fellowship's Impact on the SJCC ECS-Mercer Island
Fellows: Sarah Adams, Helene Azose, Shannon Cruzen, Anna Koelle and Emily Shapiro
In the past two years, during our time in the Fellowship, we were inspired to think deeply and move our school forward, most notably by thinking through various Jewish lenses. We had the privilege of collaborating with many Jewish early childhood educators from throughout the greater Seattle area and from diverse Jewish early childhood schools. We have grown through the Fellowship’s process by gaining a much stronger understanding of how we view excellence with regard to Jewish Early Childhood Education.
Here are some thoughts on how our school has evolved as a result of participating in the Fellowship:
In the past two years, during our time in the Fellowship, we were inspired to think deeply and move our school forward, most notably by thinking through various Jewish lenses. We had the privilege of collaborating with many Jewish early childhood educators from throughout the greater Seattle area and from diverse Jewish early childhood schools. We have grown through the Fellowship’s process by gaining a much stronger understanding of how we view excellence with regard to Jewish Early Childhood Education.
Here are some thoughts on how our school has evolved as a result of participating in the Fellowship:
- Over the past two years of studying we have been asked to think deeply about the values that create a strong community in our school. These values truly reflect our Reggio-inspired practice as well as our Jewish culture. By placing more emphasis on the values we hold as a school, we have been able to create more meaningful Jewish experiences for the children and families.
- We were inspired by the Reflective Supervision Model and have begun to meet with our teachers in a new way. We devote a huge amount of time each month to setting aside sacred time with each teacher to create an ongoing dialogue about their work with the children, their co-teachers, the families and our core philosophy. Now more than ever we study the act of teaching with our teachers.
- The Fellowship has inspired us to be very intentional about how we bring Jewish values into the classroom. It has guided us to educate young children about Jewish culture and values in a more meaningful and organic way. Children learn best by doing, so we are making Jewish culture and values a “way of life” in our school as opposed to a project that we take home.
- When learning through the lens of D’rash and gaining an understanding of the concept of metacognition (thinking about thinking), we were inspired to be more mindful of how we interact with children. We use this concept to help guide the children in their process of hypothesizing, co-constructing knowledge and reflecting on their work. This has become an integral part of how we sustain ongoing project work.
- We have been thinking about the integration of Jewish values and professional development for our teachers. We have begun learning and conversing about Jewish values on an adult level, in an effort to help teachers gain a deeper understanding of Judaism. This will allow for more authentic opportunities around Jewish culture and values for the children in the classroom.
- The Fellowship has inspired us to reflect upon the identity and history of our school with the guidance of Diana Ganger, who consulted with us throughout the Fellowship. By reflecting on our journey, we are able to map our next steps. The creation and evolution of a school timeline and identity card became a core elements in our visioning process.
"Understanding the value of empathy is something I learned in the Fellowship." |
"The Fellows have become a small family of teachers, directors, and leaders who will continue to impact the greater Seattle area through early childhood education." |
"This has resulted in common language not just for the younger grade levels and preschool, but also for the whole school." |