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AUGUST 4, 2017

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A CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS SPECIAL SECTION

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AUGUST 4, 2017

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Orthodox Jewish schools see ‘dramatic growth’ Other Jewish day school enrollment stagnant AMANDA KOEHN | STAFF REPORTER @AmandaKoehnCJN akoehn@cjn.org |

Jewish day school enrollment*

A

s educators and students prepare for a new school year, local Jewish day schools are seeing changes in terms of renovations, new campuses and new programs. The schools predict continued growth in enrollment, primarily focused in the Orthodox community.

With an influx of Orthodox families moving to the Cleveland area for reasonably-priced homes, quality day schools and one of the strongest state voucher programs in the country to help families pay for education, the schools’ leaders are working to accommodate rising student populations this year and in the future.

Fuchs Mizrachi School Grades: Early childhood-12th grade 2017-18 enrollment expected: 515 Enrollment trends: Early childhood has the highest enrollment growth, but also Teller influxes around first and ninth grades What’s new at the school: Shira Teller, director of admissions, said a major focus of the school over past years has been to accommodate more students. The school has grown by about 100 students – or almost 25 percent – since 2009, which required major renovations, that are now complete.

Teller said many early childhood classes are at maximum capacity for the coming school year, and cited an influx of Orthodox families moving to town, many from the East Coast, who are looking for affordable homes and good schools.

“There’s been a lot of growth in the young religious community,” she said.

Fuchs Mizrachi School in Beachwood is an Orthodox school that also accepts students who are not Orthodox, whose families share the values of the school.

Gross Schechter Day School Grades: Early childhood to eighth grade 2017-2018 enrollment expected: 260 Enrollment trends: Enrollment is increasing at highest rates in the early

*Enrollment figures for 2017-18 are tentative and most schools expect small increases by the time school starts. childhood center and through third grade What’s new at the school: Head of School Randy Boroff said among other changes, the school recently hired Rabbi Jonathan Berger, Boroff for a newly created position of associate head of school for Judaic studies and programs. It also added several new teachers and staff.

Moreover, the Conservative-oriented school in Pepper Pike is adding a Judaic drama class this year as part of the middle school. Visual arts and music also will be expanded with a new full-time music teacher. The school also has seen technology upgrades and created a garden.

“Our garden has taken shape and will become a wonderful experiential learning space for all grades,” Boroff said.

Hebrew Academy of Cleveland Grades: Preschool to 12th grade 2017-18 enrollment expected: 1,135 Enrollment trends: Highest growth rate is preschool, but growth across all grades.

Dessler What’s new at the school: Rabbi Simcha Dessler, educational director, said the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland has a problem that other communities “can only dream of ” – the school’s space constraints with a growing student population.

“The Academy has certainly succeeded in growing and strengthening Jewish Cleveland,” Dessler said. “We are humbled by the school’s dramatic growth and by its profound impact upon the community. We are completely out of space and to accommodate its current and projected enrollment, the

CJN | Amanda Koehn

academy has no choice but to build for a promising future.”

The school is in the midst of the first phase of a campaign “Vision 2020” to move the preschool and boy’s elementary school to a new campus, the former Oakwood Country Club in Cleveland Heights. Students already are attending school in a renovated clubhouse there, however the next phase includes building a new, state-of-the-art educational complex by 2020.

The Orthodox school is the largest Jewish day school in Ohio.

The Joseph and Florence Mandel Jewish Day School

Isaak-Shapiro

Grades: Early childhood to eighth grade 2017-18 enrollment expected: 370 Enrollment trends: Enrollment is steady, with a high rate of new students

GROWTH | 30

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CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 29

AUGUST 4, 2017

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30 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG GROWTH | 28

AUGUST 4, 2017 building,” Isaak-Shapiro said. “We are kind of lucky – both areas are going really, really well right now.”

starting in early childhood programs What’s new at the school: Jerry Isaak-Shapiro, who is beginning his 15th year as head of school, said this year’s earliest plans include building four new middle school classrooms. In the upcoming spring, the school will begin renovating the building’s façade, library/multimedia center and science labs. They are also opening the year with two new playgrounds, after raising money during a spring auction. Last year, the school finished renovating its gym.

The school in Beachwood that attracts families from diverse Jewish backgrounds also will continue its Hebrew immersion and science programs.

“The building is of course really exciting, but at the end of the day it’s really what takes place within the

The Lippman School Grades: Kindergarten to eighth grade 2017-18 enrollment expected: 102 Enrollment trends: Middle school is seeing a noted increase and the school has generally seen a steady increase in recent years.

What’s new at the school: The Lippman School in Akron is in the Chestnut midst of developing a new “sister school” relationship with the Dali Experimental School in Guangzhou, China. As part of

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the partnership, 15 students from the Chinese school are visiting Lippman for a summer program this month. Moreover, five Lippman teachers taught at the Chinese campus over the summer.

“We hope in the future to bring students and families from our community to their community, and maybe have student and teacher exchanges down the road,” Head of School Sam Chestnut said.

At Lippman, about half the students are Jewish and it aims to impart Jewish values in all, as well as focus on cross-cultural learning generally. Chestnut said the Chinese students are interested in Jewish culture and he anticipates the “immersive” experience will be beneficial to both Akron and Dali students.

Yeshiva Derech HaTorah Grades: Preschool- to eighth grade for boys; preschool to 12th grade for girls 2017-18 enrollment expected: 606 Enrollment trends: Lowest grades seeing the biggest enrollment increase What’s new at the school: Rabbi Sender Stoll, director of Stoll development, said in order to accommodate growth, the school leased a new Lyndhurst campus for junior and senior high school girls, the Bais Yaakov Derech Hatorah Saperstein Campus, from the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, which relocated its boys’ high school to the newly renovated former Oakwood Country Club in Cleveland Heights.

“We signed the lease on (July 13) and we are doing renovations now,” Stoll said.

Moreover, the Cleveland Heights-based school is gradually adding second classes to each grade – this year they will add a second fourth-grade class, next year a fifth-grade class. Stoll said affordable homes, good schools and a robust state voucher system that helps families pay for Jewish day school, contribute to families moving to the area.

The school also hired a new head of general studies, Rabbi Yitzchok Kasnett, who will manage curriculum and education.

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Enrollment trends: Slowly growing What’s new at the school: In June, Yeshiva High School of Cleveland, which began as a religious instruction group three years ago, made moves to become a Kutoff chartered non-public school. Rabbi Yeshai Kutoff, director, said this year, the school aims to also build out its programming, including adding STEM courses. The school in Beachwood also hired Jason Kustron as principal of general studies, who will help implement such changes.

“We are really working on building the school,” Kutoff said. “I don’t see this ever becoming a huge high school, I would like it to stay closer to 40 or 50 students. I think the better the product that we build, the closer we are to that goal.”

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Beachwood gears up for elementary school consolidation, renovation campaign AMANDA KOEHN | STAFF REPORTER @AmandaKoehnCJN akoehn@cjn.org |

B

eachwood City Schools, with architectural renderings in place, is preparing for a school year of campaigning toward a May 2018 vote to consolidate its three elementary schools into one renovated building.

The plan, if approved by voters, would combine Bryden, Hilltop and Fairmount schools into a renovated building at Fairmount’s location. The renovation would require taxpayer money and a bond issue.

Beachwood City Schools Superintendent Robert P. Hardis said the board plans to start campaigning in the first few weeks of school, through the election date.

“We have to move forward and make a very significant investment in our elementary facilities,” he said.

Bryden has kindergarten through second grade, Hilltop contains third through fifth grade and Fairmount is for preschool and school offices.

AGING INFRASTRUCTURE The school board initiated the plan because of aging infrastructure at the two

elementary schools, both of which were built in 1959. Hardis said among other issues, old electrical systems – which have a history of brownouts – and outdated heating would make renovations to the buildings costly.

“Maintaining the status quo in those buildings is not an option,” Hardis said, adding that while they could likely continue to educate in the schools for several more years, systems will eventually fail.

“Strategically we want to address major infrastructure needs before it poses a serious threat.”

After consulting with architects and engineers, Hardis said they found renovating the two schools would cost about $34.7 million, compared to the estimated $35.7 million it could cost to consolidate the schools into a “new ideal” building. The new building would have school wings attached to the current Fairmount building.

“I’m not a guy who would ever say ‘just a million dollars,’ but when we are talking about a $40 million dollar project, a $1 million dollar difference to have new constructions and all of the advantages inherent in that, to us seemed like a no brainer,” Hardis said.

Sherry Miller, principal at Bryden Elementary School in Beachwood, and superintendent Robert P. Hardis outside Fairmount School. | CJN Photos / Amanda Koehn

PERKS OF A NEW SPACE One advantage of creating a new space is fewer constraints in what new amenities are possible. Moreover, Hardis and Bryden principal Sherry Miller, who oversees early childhood programs in the district, said new infrastructure would be more environmentally friendly, which the school

system already saw when it built a new Beachwood High School in 2012.

By replacing the boiler at the old school with energy efficient heating, the school has seen a 30-percent energy usage reduction, even after adding air conditioning

BEACHWOOD | 32

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The efficiency would be similarly expected at a new elementary school.

New security plans also are in place for a new building, creating a secondary exit for each classroom – which existing preschool rooms at Fairmount already have.

“Every classroom can evacuate incredibly quickly,” Hardis said.

Additionally, educating all students in the same building provides opportunities for different grades to collaborate. For example, Miller said for students for whom English is a second language, being in the same building with lower grades allows them to take courses at their

appropriate comprehension level.

“We really believe in meeting the kids where they’re at, whether they’re coming from another country or kids right here, so this way we are widening those opportunities under one roof,” Miller said.

NEW USES FOR HILLTOP, BRYDEN LAND If approved, forming official construction plans would take about a year and construction would begin in May 2019. The new, consolidated building would open in August 2020.

“I expect to deal with tough questions about why this plan is the best of the plans,” Hardis said.

Moreover, demolishing Hilltop and Bryden would provide new opportunities.

Hardis and Miller said their goal is to make Hilltop a recreational community park, with athletic fields, walking paths and playgrounds, which would help the school expand its athletic resources as well.

Bryden would be sold and developed with single-family homes, which according to Miller, are needed in Beachwood.

“Young families who come through and tour always talk about how hard it is to find a home in Beachwood,” Miller said.

“They are so anxious to get newer construction, and if you want to be competitive with our surrounding school districts that are also very much emphasizing excellence in education, they are looking for more, and it isn’t here.”

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Yeshiva Derech HaTorah leases Saperstein Campus AMANDA KOEHN | STAFF REPORTER @AmandaKoehnCJN akoehn@cjn.org |

Y

eshiva Derech HaTorah, an Orthodox Jewish day school in Cleveland Heights, leased the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland’s former Saperstein campus in Lyndhurst July 13. It will serve as a girls’ sevenththrough 12th-grade school starting this school year.

Rabbi Sender Stoll, Yeshiva Derech HaTorah’s director of development, said the lease comes as enrollment has grown to the extent that the former preschool through 12th-grade girls’ campus, at 1700 S. Taylor Road in Cleveland Heights, is too small to house all the junior and senior high school students who will attend.

The new Bais Yaakov Derech

Hatorah Saperstein Campus is at 1975 Lyndway Road. About 100 girls will attend the new school, which Stoll said is undergoing renovations now before school starts.

The property is owned by Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, where its boys’ high school relocated to the newly renovated former Oakwood Country Club in Cleveland Heights.

Elementary girls will continue to attend the Taylor Road school and elementary and junior high boys attend Yeshiva Derech HaTorah’s school at 1508 Warrensville Center Road in Cleveland Heights. Yeshiva Derech HaTorah does not have a boys’ high school.

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CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 35

DAYCARE / PRESCHOOL / KINDERGARTEN

Parents need to be diligent deciding on daycare BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER @BeckyRaspeCJN braspe@cjn.org |

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hoosing a daycare can be a difficult decision for parents.

Carol Paull, child care consultant at Hanna Perkins School in Shaker Heights, and Linda Bensoussan at YABI Nursery and Childcare in University Heights, both said parents should start the search by visiting Paull and observing the environments of the daycares they are interested in. “(Parents) really want to pay attention to what is going on, like the interactions between teachers and children and if it’s respectful,” Paull said. “Are the children working individually or in small groups? Are the teachers looking at the whole children, in all aspects like social, emotional, physical and cognition?”

While the parents observe and ask these questions, Paull said it’s a good idea to see how daycares teach, facilitate and help children understand separation because it may be the first time a child is away from home.

“For most children, this is their first experience away from home and they need to be able to transfer between home and school,” she said. “You really want to find out if the parents can spend time in school with the children until they become comfortable in the environment.

There has to be a bridge developed between home and school to let the children know that this is a safe place to develop relationships, learn and to be happy and involved in school.”

Bensoussan said parents should ensure a child is comfortable in the daycare’s environment and they should look at the most technical and official aspects of the daycare before making a final decision.

“First of all, the daycare needs to be licensed and have that displayed,” she said. “That way, you know they are following the rules and regulations

set by the state as far as safety, health and welfare. Second of all, if someone is looking for Jewish content, that is important as well. Then, the child can learn through a Jewish perspective and see how the curriculum includes Jewish holidays and celebrations.”

In terms of the philosophy of learning, Bensoussan said the program and the parents should be on the same page about what they want to provide for the child.

“Teachers, staff and parents have to partner for the center of the care to benefit the child,” she said. “It is where the child is going to spend most of their day and they should be the focus of the conversations.”

Bensoussan and Paull both said finding a daycare through word of mouth is important because people typically trust those closest to them.

But a parent should not send a child to a daycare based solely on that. They should use it as a place to start and receive initial recommendations.

“You have to come and visit to see for yourself,” Bensoussan said. “I welcome the parents to first come and speak to us without the children present because then they are focused on asking those important questions. Then, I definitely have them bring their child with them so they can spend some quality time within the program and see how they interact with the environment.”

Bensoussan and Paull both said that daycare tends to be important and pretty formative, especially for children between age 3 and 4.

According to Paull, children will learn to share, make friends and other important developmental skills that will assist them as they enter kindergarten.

“Daycare should never be chosen solely because of convenience and price,” Bensoussan said. “Children are our most precious commodities. A lot of thought needs to go into the selection (of the daycare). You want to do your homework before you send your child away so that there is a better chance of it being a successful match for them. “

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36 | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | CJN.ORG

AUGUST 4, 2017

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Children excel in learning foreign languages BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER @BeckyRaspeCJN braspe@cjn.org |

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tudies show young children have the ability to learn multiple languages.

According to a 2009 study done at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., learning multiple languages at a time is good for a child’s mental development and brain

capacity.

Two area language professionals, Sandrine Pal, chair of world languages department at Laurel School in Shaker Heights, and Rick Tate, chair of modern and classical languages department at A teacher at Laurel School in Shaker Heights works with a student to learn Mandarin Chinese. | Submitted photo

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Hawken School in Chester Township, both agreed children show high ability to learn language and the earlier the child is exposed to a foreign language, the more likely they will retain the language and show Pal proficiency.

“The No. 1 reason (that children learn a language better) is that children are developmentally primed to learn languages,” Pal said.

“Cognitively, when they are young, they Tate are still learning their first language and their brain is very open to learning a second language.

“People treat it differently by saying you learn easier when you’re younger or are able to pick up accents easier, and both of those are true. Cognitively and phonologically, children are born as a blank slate in terms of the sounds they are able to hear. As we grow older, we phase out the sounds that we never hear or use. That’s why when you’re learning languages when older, you find it harder to make those rough ‘R’ sounds or tones because your throat has not exercised those muscles and your ears ignore those tones.”

Tate said although children find it easier to verbally learn languages quickly at a young age, they have a tougher time learning grammatical rules that are easier for adults to learn.

“All kids start producing language in the same area of age,” he said. “But what’s interesting is that right about the onset of puberty, that acquisition stage changes to pattern-based language learning. Young children can’t really grasp language rules but they can learn the patterns. Those automatic patterns start to lessen at puberty and you start to just focus on the rules of the language. People who say children learn

languages quicker are only half right in that sense.”

Pal said when teaching children language, especially those that are different from English fundamentally, like Chinese and Japanese, it’s better to start learning as early as possible, maybe even teaching both first and second languages interchangeably.

Along with language proficiency, Pal said exposure to the language early on also could open up children to different cultures.

“Language learning can expose children to otherness and intercultural education at an early age where they are still very much open to the world around them,” she said. “This also gives them more flexibility intellectually to empathize with other cultures and how to consider things from a different perspective.”

Both Pal and Tate said there is a method to successfully teach a child a foreign language and that’s to do it through what comes naturally to a child. Tying in language lessons with play time or topics of interest, like animals, helps children associate words with actions they make every day.

“Children learn through play at the beginning of life and if you let them play in order areas, the brain makes synapses to make it easier for them to make sense of the knowledge,” Tate said. “Good language programs all around have adopted the idea of helpful play to help students acquire language.”

As for why more schools don’t embrace teaching children multiple languages, Tate said it has to do with historical choices, namely one made in 1912 around the turn of the Industrial Revolution.

“There was a committee in the U.S. that studied language learning and found that it wasn’t really an essential part of what the student needed going into the industrial revolution because of our proximity to other countries,” he said. “But, that is really changing dramatically because more schools are seeing the importance of being global citizens. We believe to be globally educated, we have to understand the languages of those people as well.”

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CJN.ORG | CLEVELAND JEWISH NEWS | 37

AUGUST 4, 2017

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Schools implement social media guidelines BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER @BeckyRaspeCJN braspe@cjn.org |

Come And Visit; Capture The Excitement

W

ith the popularity of technology and social media constantly rising, preteens and teens are exposed to everything the internet offers from the good to the bad.

According to a study by the Pew Research Center in 2015, 92 percent of preteens and teens go online every day and 24 percent indicated their usage was almost constant. Seventy-one percent of preteens and teens also use more than one social media site, with Facebook reporting 71 percent usage, followed by Instagram with 52 percent and Snapchat with 41 percent. The study cited that these social sites have risen to become a prominent role in the lives of pre-teens and teens alike.

Mike Griffith, head of school at the Lillian and Betty Ratner School in Pepper Pike, and Jim Kennedy, dean of students at Menlo Park Academy in Cleveland, both said internet exposure led them to implement regulations in hopes of controlling social media and electronics usage while in school and to protect students from sites they shouldn’t be accessing.

At Menlo Park Academy, Kennedy said each student receives a Chromebook to assist with studies and the school makes it clear the computer is to be used for research and schoolworkrelated purposes and not recreation.

Each computer has a firewall over social sites. Cellphones aren’t permitted to be used within school hours, but can be kept in a student’s locker.

“Of course, you’ll find kids doing what they aren’t supposed to be doing, but that’s a simple redirection,” he said. “We do have a disciplinary policy where the first time is a warning from the teacher and the second is a note home and the third warning gets their Chromebook taken away.”

Griffith said he is most concerned about students using social media to replace face-to-face interaction.

“Sitting with someone and seeing them face to face and having the ability to connect is not just effective, but far more appropriate in many situations,” he said. “It’s more human interaction and relationship community building and we want to focus on person-toperson learning.”

Kennedy said he believes the extreme use of social media within the preteen

Griffith

Kennedy Ohio’s largest Jewish day school

age group is causing kids to ‘grow up’ quicker and it’s causing parents to have conversations with them earlier than one would usually have to because some of the content preteens are exposed to on the internet.

“I’m thinking back to when I was in high school and we didn’t have all of that information available,” he said.

“You’d ask friends and things like that, but now kids can look it up and they are seeing different age ranges and activities and putting themselves in those shoes. It’s over adulting them and I think it’s taking parents off guard.”

Griffith said he didn’t think social media was making children mature more quickly, but actually the opposite because the over-usage of social media could cause them to develop in ways that may need to be countered later in life.

“I don’t think they are maturing, but they are being pushed and challenged by a lot of issues that are now in front of them which they may be ill-prepared for or not mature enough to be able to deal with,” he said. “That, more than anything, is one of the most challenging and difficult parts of social media.

They are developmentally not at a point where they need to be working through the things they may see.”

Griffith and Kennedy said parents and schools need to work together to monitor social media and technology usage.

“I think with parents, you want to be able to sit down and have an open and honest conversation with their child,” Kennedy said. “They can’t go into it blindly. You can’t just tell them not to do something because it won’t work as well. You need to show reasoning. You need to let that child know that you trust them and focus on the positive side. Explaining why something could be harmful at their age shows that you trust them to make the right decision.”

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HIGH SCHOOL

Buying first car can promote responsibility, independence BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER @BeckyRaspeCJN braspe@cjn.org |

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pon passing the driver’s examination test, many teenagers hope their parents will either pass down a family car or buy them a new one.

Matt Greenberg, general manager of Bedford Nissan in Bedford, and Michael Friedman, general manager of Ganley Subaru of Bedford Friedman in Bedford, both said if a teenager is responsible and maintains good grades, parents should consider investing in that first car.

If the parents are considering Greenberg purchasing a new or a pre-owned car from a dealership, Friedman and Greenberg both said parents should look into models with safety features like backup cameras, steering assist and blind-spot warnings.

Friedman suggested parents look at the Volkswagen Jetta, which is a sedan, or Tiguan, a sports-utility vehicle, a Subaru Crosstrack, an SUV, or Impreza, a sedan.

“These cars have the features that many high school students look for, like Bluetooth for hands-free phone usage,” he said.”

Greenberg suggested parents also could look into the Nissan Sentra, which can have a inexpensive lease. He said he saw many families looking at smaller SUVs like the Nissan Rogue.

“These cars are easier to handle and in a place like Cleveland, with the weather the way it is, they are good in snow,” he said.

Friedman said parents should involve teenagers in the vehicle-buying process.

“I recommend that the parent puts down a down payment so the car has a lower payment and the teen can pay the monthly payment after that,” he said.

“Then, if the teen is working, they can be involved in the car. They get a sense of pride and ownership, which will lead them to take better care of it.”

Greenberg said many parents find

themselves driving their teens around to activities, work, school and friends’ houses.

“When you have two parents that work, it’s hard for that child to get around and do what they need to do,” he said. “It’s a combination of independence and making it easier on the parents.”

As for pre-owned versus new cars, Greenberg and Friedman both said the decision is up to the parents, what they can afford and what they think the teen can handle. A lot of teens want the nicest cars, but parents should talk to their teen about their expectations for the first car.

“Every parent is different on what they are going to purchase but they should talk to their kids and tell them that they have a lot of years to get a nicer car,” Greenberg said. “Most parents will sit down and tell them it’s going to be a safe, reliable car and might not be the one they want right now. But, telling them that when they get their own job and can afford it, they have the freedom to get what they want later. It gives them something to work toward.”

Friedman said when he sells cars to parents and even for his children, he prefers having two-year leases on new cars. This way, teens aren’t locked into long contracts and can have a brandnew reliable car so parents don’t have to worry about mechanical breakdowns.

“Also, when it’s time for them to go to college, the lease would be basically up and most kids don’t or can’t take a car to college their first year,” Friedman said. “Another thing that people do is they hand down family cars from one child to another and they don’t have to buy a new one. But, make sure when you give it to them, that you have it detailed and serviced to make the process really exciting. That way, they have that sense of starting the ownership from scratch.”

Friedman and Greenberg both said if families are comfortable and can purchase a new and expensive car, that’s fine, but they wouldn’t recommend it because then they don’t have to work toward getting the car they desire.

“I, personally, would not buy my kids a super expensive car as their first,” Greenberg said. “I want them to be in a reliable car that would teach them to work hard to get a better car on their own down the road.”

BACK TO SCHOOL COLLEGE

Taking notes? Toss the pen, turn on the laptop, phone ROMAN MACHARONI | SPECIAL TO THE CJN

W

hile students previously were limited in the diligence of their note taking by how quickly they could write a professor’s fast-spoken words via pen and paper, today they have more options. Though students still use traditional methods of note taking, many find an advantage in Paoletta electronic forms of keeping track of what happens in class.

Toni Paoletta, director of the professional development center in the Monte Ahuja College of Business at Cleveland State University and Routh adjunct professor, said she has encountered many inventive forms of modern note taking.

“A lot of master’s level students will use laptops, the younger (students) will actually record (lectures) on their phones,” Paoletta said. “Some of them will use their phone to take photos of the board.”

One advantage of technology is mobile methods of communication are always handy, according to Ryan Routh, a recruitment specialist at Cuyahoga Community College.

“If they’re emailing us, they are typically doing a lot of it through their mobile phones, or using it to take notes, putting reminders for meetings in their phones,” Routh said. “I do the same.”

Routh also said he has heard few complaints from Tri-C professors about any form of note taking.

Likewise, Paoletta said she never encountered a syllabus where recording is prohibited, but knows professors who discourage recording master’s level classes.

“I think with the complexity of the subject matter, especially when we’re talking about something really technical, they want to be able to record it because they want to go back and take more detailed notes,” Paoletta said. “They also want to share and collaborate with other (classmates) and take notes for other people.”

Paoletta also said students regularly collaborate through technology such as Google Docs to share notes back and forth with each other.

One advantage Routh lists as a positive to electronic note taking is the ability to improve a student’s typing, which is a skill necessary in the workplace.

“I think if a student (takes) a typing class in high school and has natural typing abilities, they’re already going to be a skilled and proficient typist, so (typing out notes) is going to be more efficient,” Routh said. “I remember when I was in college, I would be handwriting notes and have trouble keeping up. I wanted to write down everything and sometimes I would have trouble jotting it all down. So if the student is a skilled typist, there is definitely an advantage there.”

Roman Macharoni is the former Irving I. Stone Editorial Intern at the CJN.

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