Molly Birnbaum was apprenticing to become a gourmet chef – spending hours each day learning how to perfect intricate flavors and aromas – when the unimaginable happened. She went for a jog, was hit by a car, bumped her head – and completely lost her sense of smell. Season to Taste, published in 2011, is her gripping account of her struggle to cope with this loss, to regain memories that were associated with particular smells and as she put it, to regain parts of her very identity that were lost along with her sense of smell.  Molly interviewed 200 other people who had lost their sense of smell, and spent many hours exercising her olfactory abilities.  After seven years, her ability to smell returned.

Since the first week of the school year, every Friday we’ve been singing a different Jewish song, learning one new tune every month. I originally began the practice as a way to infuse spirituality into the work/study environment and to expose my students to styles of Jewish music they had never experienced. For instance, for Selichot I taught them a tune to Rachamana, a piyut about God answering our prayers that I was sure my students had never heard before. As the year progresses and my students grow more comfortable and enthusiastic about our singing, the practice became a wonderful way to create a certain atmosphere within my classroom that respects the courage to let yourself give into an experience—even if at first it felt foreign and uncomfortable. I find now that I can't teach a class on Friday without singing, a message to me that my students are thirsty for ways to express their Judaism in a manner spanning beyond the intellectual. I can't begin to describe how gratifying it is to see my students singing in the hallways or to have them tell me they're disappointed that they don't have my class on a given Friday.

While we will continue to provide one-on-one mentoring and a program that will support our newest teachers, we are also adding a teacher leadership track, to encourage our more "veteran novice teachers" to begin to take on leadership responsibilities within their schools. Even if you have already attended two workshops in Israel, you may still be eligible to join this new program.

The workshop will be held June 28-July 5, 2013 at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Baltimore, MD. We plan to have separate groupings for elementary, middle and high school teachers. While this is a shorter program than in previous years, we will be using our evenings for programming as well. Please contact Ben to let us know if you may be interested in our summer program, and feel free to pass this eflyer on to colleagues and administrators as well.


The Rodef Shalom Middle School Program
We are pleased to update you on a new middle school Rabbinics program we have been working on at Pardes, entitled "The Rodef Shalom: Transforming School Conflict Through Rabbinic Texts." This program has been designed jointly by the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators and the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution. The first units of this program are currently being piloted in four day schools in California. Pardes just received a Ignition Grant from the Covenant Foundation for this project, which they found to be both exciting and innovative. We will be taking in up to ten more schools for the seven units that will be ready for the fall. If you think your school might be interested in participating in this project, please contact Ilana.


Professional Development 

First Years Teachers Conference
Our first year teachers will gather in Baltimore, MD, on February 5-6 for a short, but intense retreat. We are excited about the opportunity for reflection, sharing, and professional development. Amy Ament from the New Jewish Teacher Project will present a workshop on Assessing Student Work.

First Year Teachers Conference Call
Our first year teachers are invited to join our monthly conference call, based on a discussion of Lemov's book Teach like a Champion. The conference calls include discussions of recent challenges in the classroom and opportunities to share successes.  

Middle School PLC
We are excited that our Middle School Professional Learning Community (PLC) has continued this year. As you know, managing a middle school classroom can be an extremely challenging task.  In an effort to support our middle school teachers, the PLC meets by conference call once a month. We also take time on each call to process critical incidents that teachers are dealing with in their classrooms. This group is open to PEP alumni who are in at least their second year of teaching. If you are interested in joining the group, please contact Ariel Wolgel.

Day School Conference for Veteran Teachers
We are delighted that 28 of our veteran alumni who continue to work with day schools are joining together at the North American Jewish Day School Conference in Washington, DC, February 3-5. This is a wonderful opportunity for those who have remained in the field to be exposed to a broader perspective and to network with a greater number of colleagues. While our alumni will be participating in the regular sessions offered, we will also be meeting daily for sharing, reflection and further discussion on issues raised. In addition, we have a special session with our funders to discuss relevant issues that impact on day school teachers.