Games to Reflect On The Importance of Teamwork

The Importance of Teamwork

Teamwork is an essential life skill, both personal and professional. Experienced educator, Rivka Oratz, indicates that, for teamwork to be efficient, the presence of series of characteristics such as fluid and clear communication, great respect for the members of the team, solidarity, collaboration, trust, and knowing how to delegate, are necessary to achieve a common goal.

School in the Time of Coronavirus

The pandemic, which has affected people of all professions, except those who provide essential services, has demonstrated the importance of distance education, a way of teaching, for which the majority of teachers, parents and students were not prepared, and had to improvise overnight. While the transition to homeschooling and e-learning has been smooth in some places, in others it has been disorganized, with no guidance for students and parents.

Rivka Oratz, an esteemed educator and administrator who currently serves as the Principal at Lev Bais Yaakov, a private, all-girls, Jewish school located in Brooklyn, NY, believes that it is difficult to determine the long-term effects because duration of the shutdown depends on the spread of the pandemic in the country.

10 Tips To Be a Good Educator

Feelings, passions, emotions and everything that has to do with affective expression in the educational field have been assigned to counselors, educational psychologists or psychologists in educational centers. Few teachers try to gain the respect of their students through affectivity, since it is easier for them to do so by lowering grades, warnings, expulsions or threats and constant claims.

Many students are disadvantaged due to their psychic maturity, so they prefer to abandon the study of the subject instead of solving the conflict, that may have originated a certain attitude on the part of the teacher.

Rivka Oratz: Teaching the Important Life Lessons

Teachers are arguably the most important members of our society. They give children purpose, set them up for success as citizens of our world, and inspire in them a drive to do well and succeed in life. Outside of their own home, one of the biggest role models in a young person’s life is standing at the front of the classroom.   The children of today are the leaders of tomorrow, and teachers are that critical point that makes a child ready for their future.

Educator Rivka Oratz realized the importance of education at an early age, and that is what gave her the strength to embark on this journey. She always emphasizes the importance of education, and often organizes various courses herself.

“I think the best investment is to invest in yourself. Every time I needed something new, I said, I can do it myself, so I decided to educate myself, ”explained Rivka Oratz.

Everyone knows that today’s youth will become tomorrow’s leaders, and teachers have access to educate the youth in their most impressionable years — whether that is in teaching preschool, teaching extracurriculars, sports or traditional classes. Those who have an impact on the children of society have the power to change lives. Not just for those children themselves, but for the lives of all.

Teachers of all walks of life and subjects have the ability to shape opinions and help form ideas about society, life and personal goals. Teachers can also expand students’ limits and push their creativity. Great teachers have the ability to change lives for the better.

As some of the most influential role models for developing students, teachers are responsible for more than just academic enrichment. If you want to be a great educator, you must connect with your pupils and reach them on multiple levels, because the best teachers are committed to their students’ well-being both inside and outside the classroom. Yes, schools have guidance counselors, but almost every teacher will find himself or herself approached by students in one way or the other. They seek advice on everything from academic interests to issues related to their personal lives.

Mrs. Rivka Oratz has an extensive background in high school teaching and guidance positions throughout the New York region, and is an experienced educator holding a B.A. in Psychology from Adelphi University, a Certificate in professional development of teaching skills at the elementary school level issued by Torah Umesorah Teacher Training, and a Hebrew teacher’s degree from Michlala College, Jerusalem.

Successful School Improvement Practices

The traditional way that education was delivered was through recitation and memorisation techniques. The underlying model for schools was an education system in which adults, paid hourly or daily wages, kept like-aged youngsters sitting still for standardized lessons and tests.

But, teaching styles have changed significantly over the years.The fundamental job of teaching is no longer to distribute facts but to help children learn how to use them by developing their abilities to think critically, solve problems, make informed judgments, and create knowledge that benefits both the students and society.

Thus, many teachers today are encouraged to adapt and adopt new practices that acknowledge both the art and science of learning. They understand that the essence of education is a close relationship between a knowledgeable, caring adult and a secure, motivated child. They grasp that their most important role is to get to know each student as an individual in order to comprehend his or her unique needs, learning style, social and cultural background, interests, and abilities.

Rivka Oratz has been a part of the public education system for over three decades. She is a principal, leader, teaching coach and school educator in New York City. She is also co-founder of the Chinuch hotline, staffed with veteran Mechanchim and Mechanchot who are equipped to field the questions of their colleagues in the field of Chinuch. Recently, Rivka Oratz published a booklet entitled Dapei Hadrachah L'arichat Avodot B'seminar to guide seminary students through independent research and compilation of written Avodot.

Over the past decades, Rivka Oratz has studied school leadership and successful school improvement practices. Lev Bais Yaakov High School in New York City, where Mrs. Rivka Oratz has been serving as Principal since 2010, utilizes a responsive classroom framework for learning, where the school’s strong academic curriculum is strengthened by their attention to the social and emotional needs of students. This intentional and hands-on approach creates a supportive space where students develop resilience and patience, a greater capacity to focus and retain knowledge, and an overall eagerness to embrace the joy of learning. And because it is a small private school, they can be very intentional and nimble in maximizing students’ learning potential and interests. As the school principal, every day Mrs. Oratz witnesses their students who are engaged in their classrooms and in their world.

Rivka Oratz Brings the Advice to You

What should I do if my child refuses to go to school? How involved should I be in my child's social life? What if I don’t approve of my daughter’s choice of clothing? Every parent has questions — and for the past three years, Eitzah has been providing answers on the Eitzah Hotline. Endorsed by Gedolim, the hotline is manned by trained volunteers who direct the vast range of queries to specific veteran mechanchim and mechanclios equipped to deal with that particular dilemma. Now, the “Chinuch Calls” column brings the advice to-you, with questions and answers culled "Off the Telephone Wires." Eitzah is a project of Mishkan Yechezkel. Mechanchim and mechanchos can be reached at 718-851-5111.

Targeted Chinuch

A Bull's-Eve Approach to a Child’s Needs

Caller:

My 12-year-old daughter seems unmotivated in every way. She neglects her duties at home and in school, procrastinates and refuses to learn time management skills. Her teachers are frustrated with her lateness and irresponsibility, and like I am constantly criticizing and prodding her. How can I help her improve in a positive way?

This call was answered by Mrs. Rivka Oratz, Hebrew Principal of Shulamith Middle School and an Eitzah volunteer.

Procrastination and lack of motivation are part of the human condition. In Mesilas Yesharim, in the perefe on zerizus (alacrity), Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzato, zt"l, describes the struggle against atzlus (laziness a lifelong battle. So while your | daughter’s issues are common, she needs proper chinuch to teach her to overcome them.

At the same time, it is important to realize that your daughter’s lack of motivation may also stem from a lack of self-esteem. I would define self-esteem as "the overall good feeling a child should have about herself and her ability to succeed.” When a child feels good about herself and her ability to succeed, she is naturally motivated. Your daughter’s lackadaisical attitude may reflect a feeling that her efforts are futile, and therefore not worth an investment of much energy.

It is good that you want to work on the issue now, while your daughter is in the pre-adolescent stage. From my experience in both high school and middle school, I have developed a panoramic view of the long-term effects of chinuch. I have come to the realization that, while efforts to mold and build children must be made at every stage, efforts at the middle- school stage are particularly important. These are the crucial years before adolescence. Your efforts now will go a long way, both in preventing difficulties and in tapping into your daughter’s potential. Later, in the high school years, issues can get more difficult and sophisticated. It is crucial to optimize every opportunity you have now to lay a good foundation for your daughter’s self-esteem.

You can strengthen your daughter's belief in herself by giving her opportunities to succeed and feel needed. You and her teachers may need to create those opportunities. I like to use what I call “the Dubno Maggid’s arrow approach,” based on the following anecdote.

The Vilna Gaon once asked the Dubno Maggid how he had an appropriate mashal for every situation. The Maggid answered with a mashal.

Once there was a person who came across a cluster of trees, each bearing an archer’s target. Amazingly, there was an arrow in the bull’s eye of each circle of rings. When the man complimented the archer on his remarkable skill, the archer replied, “It’s easy. First I throw the arrow; then I draw the rings.”

The Dubno Maggid explained that he, too, "Throws the arrow first” — he takes a story, and “draws” the lesson he needs to teach around it.

As parents and teachers, we sometimes have to “throw the arrow"' first — determine the need of the child, and then “draw the rings’ by creating a situation that wall engage the child in making it work.

As we impart our mesorah to our children, it is crucial to realize that very often a child’s positive or negative associations regarding Yiddisheit are directly linked to her self-esteem

 At home, you might enlist the help of a neighbor or relative who can ask your daughter to baby-sit or care for her child while she is busy. It might be best to engineer the situation — to "draw the rings” — so that your daughter has to follow a schedule of feeding or put the child to sleep at a certain time. The "employer" might subtly influence your daughter’s time management skills by suggesting that your daughter create a written schedule and check off each task as it is done, so that she completes all her duties by the time she is ready to get paid.

In this way, your daughter, who probably perceives your guidance as criticism, is taken out of the role of the prodded, irresponsible child. Instead, she is now in the driver’s seat. She is in control of a situation. The fact that she is being paid for her efforts further enhances her positive feelings. She will probably be motivated to perform, and will see the value of responsibility and time management without lectures and prodding. It may also be necessary for you to discreetly subsidize your daughter’s wages.

You can also enlist the help of the school. A teacher could create a job that will give your daughter a sense of fulfillment. She might, for instance, ask her to be a "big sister" to a younger child. The job does not necessarily have to relate to your daughter’s issues. Rather, it’s a way to motivate her and build her self-esteem, by having her do something well and be commended or praised for it.

Incidentally, when parents and teachers praise children, they need to know that children do not usually believe general compliments, such as "You’re amazing.” They believe praise for specific accomplishments, such as, "You did a great job relaxing the kids before bed.”

Specific praise will make your daughter feel that you truly think highly of her — and when a child senses that her parents and teachers think well of her,-she thinks well of herself. Her enhanced self-esteem energizes and motivates her to invest energy into succeeding.

There is another important aspect to this. As we focus on imparting our mesorah to our children, it is crucial for parents and teachers to realize that very often, a child’s positive or negative associations regarding Yiddishfeeit are directly linked to her self-esteem. If a child feels that her parents and teachers see and respect her positive qualities, it is natural for her to feel positive about the values they impart. If she feels that her parents and teachers do not recognize her strengths and are constantly criticizing her, there is a possibility that she will have negative associations with the values they teach.

These associations can be difficult to uproot. Kiruu professionals often deal with adults who find it hard to get past negative associations that were processed in their minds when they were young.

When you engineer situations around your child’s needs, you not only use an invaluable resource for building her self-esteem and strengths; you also increase your effectiveness in inculcating Yiddishkeit and mesorah in a most positive, solid, durable manner.