of the week

Rafi Cohen JFS Teacher of JS and Science barriers are for teaching self-regulation through Jewish Studies.

Where did you train?

Direct with Teach to Lead) at JFS What is the best part of your job? Seeing the moment of joy in a student when they master a difficult concept with which they have been grappling.

A key finding shows that most teachers interviewed believe in the importance of delivering Jewish Studies lessons in a way that stimulates pupils, bringing them to a greater understanding of Judaism and of themselves. While some teachers articulate high levels of emotional cognition, motivating them to deliver Jewish lessons with emotional content, others express concerns that emotional barriers and lack of support or supervision cause teachers to use tenuous or inappropriate links to the learning. This highlights the need for training to include guidance and a user-friendly framework that allows autonomy and flexibility. It is key to developing staff competency in order to enable them to safely and appropriately include basic self-regulation skills in lessons to improve wellbeing. While tokenistic teaching of self-regulation will not engage or benefit pupils, going beyond set boundaries and competency would compromise health and safety.

Teachers are amongst the most hardworking people I know. We are the loco parentis of our pupils, and genuinely want to see them thrive mentally and academically. Alongside their parents, our pupils rely on us to understand and guide them through the turmoil of their generation and to help them make sense of their world.

I will never forget the feedback from a parent, years after I taught their child. “You believed in my child when I had given up. Their success and wellbeing grew from the seeds you planted, nurturing those with kindness and trust that built their self-esteem and the knowledge that no matter what, Hashem will be always there cheering them on.”

Rebbetzen Esther M. Cohen has just graduated with an MA in Jewish Education from LSJS

Places are still available for 2023

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• Access to campus facilities including our specialist library

• Distance learning version available for out of London students

For more information on how you can be featured as the Teacher of the Week please contact helena.miller@lsjs.ac.uk