Fifteen rabbeim from across ATT schools recently gathered together at Congregation Adas Yeshurun to learn Torah for the second annual ATT Summer Kollel. The program took place in the evenings for three weeks and in the day time as well for two weeks.

The kollel includes Torah learning as well as professional development to learn best practices in teaching Judaic studies.

For the Torah learning portion, participants were able to delve deep into topics like the laws of shemitah and cooking on yom tov. The program gives teachers an opportunity to review material and network with educators in schools across the Jewish day school system.

Rabbi Dovid Greenberg says interacting with colleagues enhanced the experience. “It was an opportunity to hear ideas from the presenter and interact with our colleagues.”

The teachers also learned about the concepts of Universal Design for Learning to create a learning environment where every student can succeed. Teachers gained specific tools for activating student knowledge and processing information after students have completed a lesson. They also looked at different ways to make use of chavrusa learning, supporting students at every age to collaborate with their peers.

One participant, who wishes to remain anonymous, says, “I have found the educational instruction of this program to be very beneficial. Although I’ve been a rebbi for many years, I am sure to gain from the professional insights and ideas that were presented. Thank you for bringing in Rabbi Binyomin Segal who gave a great demonstration on how to prepare class lessons…Also, although we’ve already been using the chavrusa system in our classrooms, Rabbi Gold’s showing us how to do it successfully was very insightful and helpful.”

Connecting with colleagues in different schools to learn Torah and to gain new teaching skills led to insightful conversations around classroom practice as well.

The program will continue in some capacity so that rebbeim can work more together on Gemara instruction throughout the coming school year.

The  participants left the program with renewed motivation to enhance instruction.

Thanks to the generosity of the Chicago Jewish community, as well as supporters outside of Chicago, the REACH team raised an unprecedented amount of money in only 30 hours on a Charidy campaign. Over 325 donors, matched by several generous REACH donors raised nearly $480K for REACH. We at REACH, as well as at the ATT staff are humbled and grateful for the generosity of the community that we serve.

REACH is Chicago’s coordinated effort to build Jewish day schools’ capacity to support students with a wide range of needs in an inclusive way. Our vision is to ensure that all Jewish students can attend the Jewish day school of their choice.

Executive Director Julie Gordon, MA says, “REACH has had unprecedented growth, and these funds will enable us to sustain the high quality services we provide.”

These services include the following:

• Direct services to students
• Partnering to develop best practice systems, strategies and protocols for the needs of each specific school
• Professional development, training and coaching 
• Community collaboration

Thank you to the families who laid the foundation for the REACH program to grow and have such an impact on our day school community: 

• Oscar A. & Bernice Novick
• Crain Maling foundation
• The Walder foundation
• Rabbi Morris Esformes
• Gayle (z”l) and Eric Rothner
• Robert and Debra Hartman
• Robinson Family Foundation
• The parent body that spearheaded the growth of REACH led by the Broner and Sheinfeld families. 

One of the most exciting parts of running this online campaign was hearing the stories that came in from our teachers, parents and partner schools.

Following are a few of the stories we heard during our fundraiser. These are only some of the stories of how REACH help students succeed in school every single year. 

“Thanks to REACH, my daughter’s learned better study skills in order to prepare her for tests and improved her reading comprehension. Her teacher has been extremely flexible and easy going.”

^JDBY parent

“I have so much gratitude for this Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) training. It has really enhanced my ability to connect and communicate. 

With parents, I use the CPS reflective listening skills and empathy tools, and I cannot begin to tell you what a breakthrough that has been. Parents have walked away from challenging conversations feeling that we have a  united and collaborative effort, thanks to CPS.

I’ve also brought it into the classroom when there’s a challenge, and the kids were responsive and collaborative. I truly appreciate what I have gained as an educator, parent and spouse!” 

^JDBY Assistant Principal Rena Levovitz

“One eighth grade student this year went from reading 12 correct syllables per minute in Hebrew to 44 syllables correctly. The student has a significant specific learning disability in reading.”

^Ellah Orevi-Greenberg, M.Ed., LBSI

“REACH has helped my daughter overcome a difficult learning disability in reading. In the beginning of COVID, we noticed our daughter was reading a lot more and asking us to take books out of the library that she was reading in only one session. It’s only because of REACH that she has the ability to read and only because of REACH that the passion for her reading was unlocked as well.”

^Rabbi Reuven Gottesman

“Giving every single child the chance not just to be in the school of their choice but to succeed in the school of their choice is invaluable. I can personally say for my wife and me that our daughter wouldn’t be able to be in a Jewish school if it wasn’t for REACH’s services at JDBY,” says Rabbi Uri Zimmerman, a REACH parent and the ATT director of development.

Thanks to the generosity of hundreds of donors, REACH has the ability to continue doing the important work of ensuring that every Jewish child has the opportunity and tools they need to succeed in the day school of their choice. When one child in our community is empowered, our whole community is lifted up.

REACH is an affiliate of the ATT and a partner with JUF in serving our community. Learn more about REACH here.

When it comes to parenting, children don’t come with a manual. Most parents learn from experience, copy repeat generational behaviors and seek advice from friends and family. That can be enough, but at times when kids display challenging behaviors, having some advice from experts is helpful.

REACH teachers are trained in the Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) approach, which is proven to reduce challenging behavior, teach kids skills they lack, and build relationships with adults in their lives. Seeing this approach work so well in the classroom has led REACH teachers to offer parenting training in this method as well.

In a three-part CPS series, Tamar Shames and Bryna Towb from REACH, certified by Think:Kids in the CPS approach recently introduced the parenting approach to parents in ATT schools on Zoom. Classes were spread out over three weeks so that participants could test out the approach and come back together to troubleshoot or reiterate.

The Collaborative Problem Solving approach

Collaborative Problem Solving is an evidence-based approach developed by Think:Kids, a program in the Department of Psychiatry at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, that is proven to reduce challenging behavior. The goal of CPS is to teach kids the skills they lack and build relationships with the adults in their lives.

Those following conventional parenting wisdom typically assume that kids do well if they want to. When kids act out, it’s because they haven’t been trained well enough to behave. CPS instead says that kids do well if they can. They act out because they don’t have the skills to handle difficult situations. The difference in assumptions means focusing on skill building instead of punishing for problematic behavior.

The assumption behind CPS is “Behind most challenging behavior: a problem to be solved and some skills to be trained.”

Parenting with Collaborative Problem Solving

At the heart of the Collaborative Problem Solving approach are three steps:

1. Show empathy
2. Share concern
3. Collaborate

These three steps take time to master for both you and your child. And a cycle may need to rock back and forth depending on the reaction of your child. For example, you may show empathy and then move onto sharing a concern only to have your child become dysregulated again. When this happens, you return to showing empathy before moving onto collaboration.

Step 1: Showing empathy by listening to your child

A parent or teacher using CPS at the time of a problematic behavior starts by showing empathy to the child. Bryna offers the following concrete ways to show empathy:

1. Listen fully
2. Avoid drawing conclusions
3. Don’t parrot – use your own words
4. Stay non-judgmental
5. Contain your emotions

If sharing their concern makes your child upset, you can try using reassuring language to calm them down. Phrases like the following are helpful:

• “I’m not saying no”
• “I’m not saying you have to”
• “I’m just trying to understand”
• “I know there must be an important reason why”
• ”You’re doing great”
• “Take your time”

Once your child feels heard is a more opportune to share a concern. Together, you and your child can collaborate to find a solution. It’s a process that sometimes takes several rounds to resolve, but repeating the cycle can de escalate and resolve problematic behavior.

Bryna explains how this works in practice: 

Start with empathy by reflectively listening to understand your child’s concern or perspective. To do this, actively listen to why and how your child is feeling or struggling. It helps to reflectively listen, by repeating back to your child what you hear. Use a phrase like, “What I hear you saying is…”

You can move onto the stage of sharing your concern once you can answer the following questions:

1. Do you have a clear, specific understanding of the child’s concern or perspective?
2. Do you feel like you’re at a point where you could suggest a solution?
3. Is your child calm and accessible now?

If you answer yes to these questions, you’ve likely done a good job at empathizing and reflectively listening. If, on the other hand, it took a lot for your child to express their concern or perspective, you might want to save the rest of the conversation for later. “It is totally okay to stop the conversation there and say, you have given me awesome information. Thank you. I’m going to remember this and tomorrow at the same time, let’s continue the conversation,” says Tamar. “Don’t feel like you have to force the whole conversation.”

Part 2: Ensure the adult’s perspective is on the table

The next step is to share your concern. At this point, there’s a chance that your child might get dysregulated again when they hear what’s bothering you. This is why it’s so important to start from a good place. It’s then that you can move on with the conversation.

A good way to start this stage of CPS is by asking your child, “May I share what’s important to me?”

Once your child agrees, follow up with a response like, “My concern is that…”

Tamar recommends keeping your concern short and specific because you don’t want to lose your child’s attention. You can do this by relating your concern to a meaningful theme, such as health, safety, learning or impacting others.

It’s important to drill down to your actual concern so that you can articulate it in a way your child can hear. “I recommend thinking in advance how you’re going to say what your concern is,” says Tamar.

This process of CPS gets easier over time, a process called dosing. The idea is to expose children to small doses of stress so that they become better at handling it.

By sharing your concern as a parent to your child after first expressing empathy, you’re asking your child then to hear your perspective as well.

It’s possible at this stage your child can become dysregulated, especially when CPS is new to your child. If that happens, go back to expressing empathy before doubling down on your concern. 

It’s okay if your child doesn’t share your concern. The point is to have both perspectives heard and on the table. 

Part 3: Collaborate: Brainstorm, assess and choose a solution to try

Collaborating with your child to come up with a solution that addresses both concerns is part three of Collaborative Problem Solving.

The conversation sounds something like this: “I wonder if there’s a way that we can address your concern ______ and my concern of ______ so that both of those concerns are addressed.“

This way you are making sure to state both concerns again to demonstrate to the child that both concerns are on the table.

Next, you ask your child first if they have any ideas. It’s okay if the child can’t think of one, but giving them a chance to offer a solution is part of building problem solving skills. “It’s important to wait for what might seem like an eternity but give it however long you or your child can handle it to see if they have any solutions,” says Tamar.

The goal is to brainstorm. When your child comes up with an idea, try to respond with a neutral statement, such as “That’s an idea.”

You can offer ideas as well and then once you come up with a solution that works for both of you, let your child know that you both can test it out for a while.

Doing this lets your child know that you can revisit the issue and adjust the solution. “This sends  a message to the child that we’re not going to fail because we’re going to keep working at this. This is what problem solving really is all about,” says Tamar.

When practiced, Collaborative Problem Solving helps you and your child reach a  mutually satisfactory and realistic solution, as well as a follow up plan. If that fails to work you start over and revisit the problem.

For more resources on collaborative problem solving, check out thinkkids.org

Some 350 educators, community members, friends and lay leaders gathered on Tuesday, March 28 to make this year’s ATT celebration of educators an inspiring evening celebrating Jewish education in Chicago.

The event was a pivot from previous ATT dinners, where community leaders were honored. Instead, the honorees of the evening were the hundreds of dedicated teachers in ATT schools.

Introducing the event, Rabbi Mordechai Raizman, CEO of the ATT, said, “Tonight, there is one focus in mind. It is all about the educators–the presentations to the teachers and recognizing the educators in our city for their selfless dedication and devotion to educating the future generations.”

He added, “The ATT is in the background offering classes, courses, mentorship and various trainings to further the professional growth of our educators. We are here to guide and support all the teachers of our community in your individual journeys, but you are the ones on the front lines doing all the work–putting in the extra hours, preparing lessons, speaking to parents, marking grades and most importantly thinking about how to reach the students in your classroom.”

The program also highlighted ways the ATT team are proud to support teachers, administrators and students. ATT Board Co-President Stan Gertz says, “The ATT’s mission is to help support education in this system and that does not go without starting with the teachers first, making sure they have every resource available to them so that they can help raise our children to be the best Jews and best citizens they can be.”

The ATT has over a 90-year history of supporting Chicago Jewish day schools.

Rabbi Dr. Leonard Matanky, dean of ICJA, says, “The ATT has been committed to creating Jewish educational opportunities in Chicago from the moment it was founded, and the way that they impact our schools today is by helping our teachers become better professionals. By making sure we have standards, by making sure we have dreams and by making sure that we have the opportunities to learn how to reach our students.”

The power of professional development and mentoring that the ATT provides has a ripple effect across the system. Rabbi Avrohom Moller, superintendent of education says, “Good teachers that I know are teachers who are constantly growing personally and professionally. There’s nothing more powerful than when a teacher tells his class that I’m going to class tonight to learn how to be a better teacher. Being a perpetual learner is where it’s at.”

Presenting the winning teachers of the Hartman Educator Award

The highlight of the evening’s program was honoring three winners of the the ATT’s 12th Annual Hartman Family Foundation Educator of the Year Awards: Elise Glatz, Arie Crown Hebrew Academy; Olivia Friedman, Ida Crown Jewish Academy; and Rivkie Levitin, Joan Dachs Bais Yaakov.

The top award for Glatz is sponsored in memory of Mrs. Gayle Ann Herwitz. Mark Hartman says, “In my experience the award has taken great teachers and made them even better. The award has given many teachers the due credit that they deserve.”

ACHDS first grade teacher Elise Glatz was honored by the award and says, “I’m in a room with 20-something first graders all day, and most things you do don’t get noticed. You go above and beyond for your students. You feel the appreciation when you see a student who’s now able to do something–that’s your reward as a teacher. But to be recognized is a very good feeling.”

The award and selection process are designed to highlight the outstanding and innovative efforts of our educators. The ATT and Hartman Family Foundation hope that through the awarding of this prize not only three of the most outstanding teachers in Chicago are recognized, but the award also further elevates and ennobles the entire profession in the eyes of our community.

Awards are selected by a committee of educational consultants and community members. Selection criteria for the Educator Award include exceptional instructional skills in a nurturing environment, commitment to one’s students’ success, superior communication skills with parents, students, and peers, commitment to continued professional development, and contributions to one’s school’s learning community.

The power of the Hartman teaching award is not only in the recognition teachers get, but also in the idea of the award as a goal. JDBY kindergarten teacher Rivkie Levitin says, “I put a lot more into my teaching this year through the process of the Hartman Award. The more I worked toward it, the more confident I was in myself. I was implementing other ideas expecting the possibility of Rabbi Moller coming into video me. I really gained from the experience.”

Olivia Friedman, who teaches Tanach at ICJA, pointed out that this is the first time that a winner is the student of two previous Hartman Educator Award winners. Rabbi Matanky says, “Olivia is always trying to find new things that will engage her students.”

Friedman says, “I think it’s really important for the students to see that their teachers are also learners. Because how can I expect a student to learn and to go and do homework and take my class seriously if I’m not doing the same thing.”

Thank you to the ATT staff and lay leadership who made this year’s annual dinner such a success.