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Letter from the Head of Elementary School
As a young child, my greatest memories are from the many times I had the privilege to sit with my grandfather and hear the stories of my family’s history. One of the stories I remember most clearly was when my grandfather described what it was like to be a soldier in 1948. It was, of course, our first exposure to war, to self-defense and to the techniques of combat as a start-up nation. He shared that as a young teenager, he remembered being taught how to shoot a gun while running through the streets with his older brother. That image above all others is etched in my mind. With a subtle smile captured only in hindsight, he recalled the unpredictability, reliving his encounter with the unknown, trying to navigate uncharted waters on the path to victory.
Reflections on any moment in time can be an intensive experience. Reflecting on this past year may require an entirely different set of tools and support!
On the one hand, we faced a wide array of challenges:
Preparation: We prepared vigorously for something no one knew how to prepare for, and tried to expect and anticipate something that had never before been seen.
Medical: We were bound by frequently shifting medical guidance, gathering of new information, and protocols that were being amended in real time. Educational: We trained an entire faculty of teachers, guidance counselors, resource specialists, etc., to learn an entirely new
LETTER FROM ELEMENTARY HEAD OF SCHOOL
Rabbi Yahel Tsaidi
platform for education, whose implications were far greater than simply moving online.
Community: The varying approaches and beliefs about the virus were accompanied by heightened levels of anxiety. Those differences in a time of chaos forced us all into a more enclosed and protective space. The opportunities for connection, celebration and compromise were naturally less present. Our community had been fractured.
In the face of all of that and so much more, we learned a lot about ourselves:
Resilience: Our teachers, our parents, and most of all our students, were tougher and more resilient than we had ever imagined.
Educational Technology: Our teachers accomplished what would have been designed, at minimum, as a three-year professional development initiative in a fraction of the time. The pace of our faculty’s growth and adaptability was a testament to their dedication and deep commitment to their students and their craft. Our Families: Our parents were faced with unprecedented challenges. Their personal and professional lives were thrown into disarray and many were forced to rebuild from the ground up. In the face of all of it, they remained committed to a YOF education and the sacrifice that comes with it. Our Leadership: Navigating through all of this was no simple task. The rapid pace and magnitude of the decisions placed before us were unprecedented. During these times, every institution leans on its leadership. At
YOF, we have always found this to be one of our core strengths. Our unified team of lay leaders and educational leaders worked closely together, processing large volumes of information, evaluating the moving variables, with a remarkable sense of measure, calm and clarity.
