7 years ago

Never Too Late for Chinuch

This past Peisach Sheini parents and educators of Oholei Yosef Yitzchok Lubavitch of Crown Heights held their annual Open House – Curriculum Night at the Levi Yitzchok Library. Parents and students had an opportunity to hear and participate in discussions pertaining to the school’s curriculum • Full Story, Photos

The introductory words by Rabbi Schneiderman, founder and Director of OYYL, described the importance of constant improvement of chinuch strategies to cater to each and every students.

Rabbi Schneiderman expressed his gratitude towards the OYYL’s teaching team who passionately succeeded in implementing the curriculum in their classrooms and went beyond their ways to accommodate each and every student. All those efforts positively influenced absorption of the teaching material as well as overall growth in all areas of development.

Rabbi Schneiderman shared a story with our Rebbe, when an expert educator shared with the Rebbe 10 rules which, in his opinion, ensure the success in Chinuch, and the Rebbe replied that there is 11th rule, which points out that there are no rules in chinuch! Each and every educator should evaluate the strengths and the weaknesses of his students to plan and deliver instruction effectively. Rabbi Schneiderman also pointed out the importance of Parents-School communication which is vital for successful chinuch.

Rabbi Chayim Zylbernagel, CVS Coordinator in OYYL, spoke at length about how the program is being incorporated into the general curriculum, as well as its tremendous positive impact. “This is the second year since CVS (Chumosh Vocabulary System) has been introduced to OYYL students, and we see unbelievable success, almost all students in elementary division have completed the 3 piles, which are over 800 shoroshim, and students are able to teich pesukim with minimal intervention from their teachers. This shifts the focus of students from decoding words towards understanding the deeper meaning of the text.” Says R. Zylbernagel.

Rabbi Klein, the founder of CVS, who has been developing it for over 35 years, had addressed the parents with his insights into the program. This program has been successfully implemented in over 35 schools around the globe. The main goal of the program is to get students to a level where Loshon Hakodesh becomes a comfort zone and the word retrieval is fast that the responses are automatized so the student’s mind is now busy to understand the text.

Parents had opportunity to approach speakers and teachers and engage in meaningful discussions pertaining general chinuch in OYYL as well as specific details of school’s multi-sensory curriculum.

“This is our 7th year in OYYL. I have 1 son learning here. There are many unique things to admire about OYYL, including the positive atmosphere, the remarkable level of individual attention, the academic excellence, and the devotion to Yiddishkeit and Chassidishkeit it inspires in my son. One of the things that impresses me most, which really distinguishes this school, is the clear direction and mission that the entire staff buys into, and an unprecedented level of professionalism across the board.” says Mordechai Sogomonian, OYYL Parent

This is our 7th year in OYYL. We have 4 children learning here. The individual attention each of our children receive at OYYL is outstanding. The teachers’ dedication and commitment to each child’s Chassidishe and overall growth is immeasurable. The level of communication between teachers and parents through email, phone, texts and the school’s Facebook group in unparalleled and invaluable in making sure parents and school are working together. Say Yonason and Chaya Kahanovitch, OYYL Parents

“This is my second year teaching at OYYL, and even in two years one can see that this is a place that is not standing still!” Says Rabbi Y.Bock. “Some mosdos with more years behind them than OYYL are very firmly fixed in their structure, meaning that a child that doesn’t fit that structure might have a hard time succeeding, and sometimes such students will simply not be able to succeed. OYYL is oriented to the success of all students, and the structure here is one of flexibility, not being afraid to make adjustments for the sake of finding the path of success for every student.

The staff is very dedicated, and the administration works to foster a feeling of a “team” or a “family”, and this extends to the parents. Parents are invited, and even expected, to take an active interest in what is going on in the classroom, with the belief that parents working together with the school creates an environment of maximum educational success.

In Kita Beis, we have been fortunate to be able to maintain an atmosphere of camaraderie. The students are not in competition with each other, but are encouraged to work together. If one student finishes his assignment, he is encouraged to then help another student who might be struggling a little. The students are learning that success in any endeavor requires a proper seder (knowing how to follow instructions), and that within that seder each student can discover and reveal his own creative and innovative abilities. One of the goals of OYYL is that the students should have a desire to learn, rather than simply fulfilling assignments out of desire for a reward or fear of getting in trouble. This is in synch with the goals of chinuch that the Rebbe מה”מ has always promoted, emphasizing that in our generation this kind of education is possible in a much greater measure than it was in previous generations.” Says Rabbi Y. Bock, second grade teacher in OYYL.

Rabbi Y. Kaplan, first grade teacher, shares his experience. ”This is my third year teaching in OYYL. I enjoy working here, there is a warm feeling of being one family. All of the children feel like one whole. Throughout my years working here I see the directors’ passion for raising kids to be truly Chassidim of the Rebbe living the Rebbe’s inyanim, learning in the way the Rebbe directs us, and living Moshiach.

This passion for Chassidishkeit is interwoven with a healthy approach of understanding the child’s perspective and building their self-confidence. This enables and inspires the students to love Yiddishkeit and makes them want it on their own. In a personal way, I feel that I learned a lot about education from the directors, somethings that help me with raising my own children at home. On the academic side, I see an emphasis on finding the best way that the children will be able to learn independently. The directors are always searching for ways to make it possible. For example, regarding Chumash, they came across the amazing CVS system which really enables the children to learn Chumash in a relatively independent way.

The children in my class (Kita Alef!) are processing the posuk on their own! In my classroom there is much care and attention given to every student. With patience and understanding I work with each child helping them achieve their utmost and pushing them forward. My classroom has a ‘bren’ for the Rebbe and Chassidus. I aspire to ignite a chassidishe feeling through stories and lessons. I work on having the children learn how to learn on their own translating psukim on their own etc. I want my students to understand that their success is not only academic, but having proper midois is just as important if not more.”

Event was culminated with a video Presentation from OYYL elementary students who shared their experiences.