On a Mission
The last few weeks have been quite a whirlwind.
On a personal note, I sent two children off to college, within a week of each other, in two totally different states, and close to 15 hours apart from each other! Mama's been a little weepy these days!
On the professional scene, I attended 3 days of very thorough and intense professional development before our students arrived. The focus was on the emotional and social well-being of our students and how to prepare for the incoming freshmen, some of who were the 2nd graders at Sandy Hook. We are just beginning to realize the layered effect of that horrific tragedy on our youth.
Students arrived last week and once again, I am in love with what I do. My students are kind, funny, and interesting. I got a lot of hugs from former students who I saw in the hallway or who came by my classroom to visit. It was exciting to hear about their summer and what they were up to. I was touched that they remembered about my trip to Lithuania and Poland and wanted to know all about it.
A former student, Jordan Wittmer, is an extremely talented artist and I asked her if she would draw something for me. She asked me for a few ideas and then went to work. She drew this amazing painting for me, titled, "Torrestopia: where students transform into compassionate and informed global citizens." This is her creation:
WOW!!! WHAT?!? Jordan said that coming into my class, students were brought out of a "colorless" world (Newtown) into a magical experience where they learned about the global society and how to make it better. I was blown away and balled my eyes out. Literally.
I also was interviewed by the Newtown Bee and the article came out last week. Here's the link to read if you're interested: https://www.newtownbee.com/08232019/summer-travels-lead-to-the-making-of-a-holocaust-educator/.
This led to an email from a local resident who is the child of Holocaust Survivors and who has also written a blog that honors his family's memory: https://memorycarriers.com/. He and I are meeting next week to share our experiences and see how we can incorporate his story into my classes.
Finally, I will be presenting to my Social Studies Department colleagues about my journey next week as well. Then on November 4, along with my Educator Fellows, we will present what we learned from our Eastern Europe trip at Trinity College's Hillel. Oh, how I long to see my people!
So, as you can see it's been very busy, but what I do continues to be needed.
Recently, anti-Semitic graffiti was used to deface the local Newtown Adath Israel Synagogue. Clearly, what I am doing and teaching is more relevant than ever before. Here we are in 2019, in Newtown, and anti-Semitism is alive and strong.
My husband reminded me that I have been placed here for a mission. I am humbled to be called. I pray for the grace and strength to do what is needed with courage and wisdom.
On a personal note, I sent two children off to college, within a week of each other, in two totally different states, and close to 15 hours apart from each other! Mama's been a little weepy these days!
On the professional scene, I attended 3 days of very thorough and intense professional development before our students arrived. The focus was on the emotional and social well-being of our students and how to prepare for the incoming freshmen, some of who were the 2nd graders at Sandy Hook. We are just beginning to realize the layered effect of that horrific tragedy on our youth.
Students arrived last week and once again, I am in love with what I do. My students are kind, funny, and interesting. I got a lot of hugs from former students who I saw in the hallway or who came by my classroom to visit. It was exciting to hear about their summer and what they were up to. I was touched that they remembered about my trip to Lithuania and Poland and wanted to know all about it.
A former student, Jordan Wittmer, is an extremely talented artist and I asked her if she would draw something for me. She asked me for a few ideas and then went to work. She drew this amazing painting for me, titled, "Torrestopia: where students transform into compassionate and informed global citizens." This is her creation:
WOW!!! WHAT?!? Jordan said that coming into my class, students were brought out of a "colorless" world (Newtown) into a magical experience where they learned about the global society and how to make it better. I was blown away and balled my eyes out. Literally.
I also was interviewed by the Newtown Bee and the article came out last week. Here's the link to read if you're interested: https://www.newtownbee.com/08232019/summer-travels-lead-to-the-making-of-a-holocaust-educator/.
This led to an email from a local resident who is the child of Holocaust Survivors and who has also written a blog that honors his family's memory: https://memorycarriers.com/. He and I are meeting next week to share our experiences and see how we can incorporate his story into my classes.
Finally, I will be presenting to my Social Studies Department colleagues about my journey next week as well. Then on November 4, along with my Educator Fellows, we will present what we learned from our Eastern Europe trip at Trinity College's Hillel. Oh, how I long to see my people!
So, as you can see it's been very busy, but what I do continues to be needed.
Recently, anti-Semitic graffiti was used to deface the local Newtown Adath Israel Synagogue. Clearly, what I am doing and teaching is more relevant than ever before. Here we are in 2019, in Newtown, and anti-Semitism is alive and strong.
My husband reminded me that I have been placed here for a mission. I am humbled to be called. I pray for the grace and strength to do what is needed with courage and wisdom.
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