July 13, 2009
Dear Editor:
As a mother whose two daughters have just successfully completed the fourth and sixth grades at Bais Rivkah, I first wish to acknowledge my ongoing gratitude to both the school and all of the teachers for another magnificent job of inculcating my girls with the finest education in limudei kodesh and secular studies, in tandem with the values befitting true bnos Yisroel.
I would like to use this forum to publicly express my profound admiration for the teachers who taught my younger daughter this past school year at Bais Rivkah. Each one of these outstanding educators – Morah Vechter, Miss. Okunov, Morah Heller and Morah Wilhelm – have succeeded at combining an unusual level of personal concern for each student’s emotional well-being with innovative teaching techniques that challenge them to grow intellectually while mastering the basic curriculum. In fact, I can cite several specific examples of actions that they took which highlight my glowing assessment of these teachers’ professional demeanor.
Morah Vechter has time and again demonstrated over this past year her innate capacity to seamlessly blend old-fashioned scholastic methods with a keen insight into the mindset of today’s youth. When I met with her at the school’s PTA meeting, she impressed me by pointing out my daughter’s slouching posture in the classroom and citing that as a likely impediment to my daughter’s ability to have her full concentratation on the subjects under discussion. Separately, Morah Vechter utilized her teaching of Nevi’im to focus on specific words in the text and explain how their meaning is relevant to their everyday lives. Morah Vechter was able to capitalize on Chana’s innate talents and thereby demonstrated her willingness to “go the extra mile” and select particular aspects of classroom activity as lessons for greater improvement make Morah Vechter a mechaneches par excellence.
Throughout the semester, Miss Okunov steadfastly built up a relationship with my daughter and her classmates that caused them to implicitly respect their teacher and trust that she only had their best interests at heart. This ever-deepening connection reached a peak when, after many occasions wherein Miss Okunov taught her students a number of Jewish songs, she surprised them with a special trip to a recording studio. During this outing, my daughter and her peers were afforded the unique opportunity to learn about and practice utilizing modern recording equipment. As I and other parents can testify, this experience added immeasurably to the students’ self-confidence and ability to feel comfortable with contemporary technology.
Morah Heller’s creativity and devotion to her students’ advancement was, in my opinion, especially highlighted when she recruited her class to participate in an “Aseres HaDibros” project. Working closely and painstakingly with each student to bring out their creative abilities, Morah Heller elicited a number of wonderful artistic “productions.” In particular, I was greatly pleased with the results of her work with my daughter – a Power Point presentation on the topic that, to be honest, exceeded the expectations I had for my daughter in this regard.
Last but certainly not least, Morah Wilhelm has continued to make an indelible mark at Bais Rivkah in the multiple roles she takes on. As the school’s Vice-Principal, she organizes the Rosh Chodesh davening in a manner that takes everyone into consideration – she enables the mothers to daven with their children and she instills confidence in the talmidos by having a small group of students lead the tefillos over the microphone. As my daughter’s parshah teacher this past year in the sixth grade, Morah Wilhelm consistently taught the parshah by interpolating an applicable sichah of the Rebbe in a dynamic fashion. Moreover, she always displayed an unusual amount of concern for the girls’ personal development, giving them the extra love and encouragement that they needed as bas mitzvah girls entering a challenging stage of growth in life. After Pesach, this dedicated educator was able to make Pirkei Avos come alive for her students by assigning them to create artistic projects based on particular mishnayos from its text. The results were subsequently displayed in the halls of Bais Rivkah as well as published in the school’s newsletter. I was so impressed when my daughter Zelda, together with two of her friends, produced a poster vividly encapsulating the theme of “Al Tadin Es Chaveircha…” Thanks to Morah Wilhelm’s expert teaching skills, each of her students were empowered to apply their specific creative talents to produce a team-oriented project of lasting educational value. And as if all of this were not enough, on those occasions when the physical education teacher was unable to be present, Morah Wilhelm would simply don her sneakers and join the girls for a game or an exercise routine. She has truly shown that she understands the concept of “one being” – i.e. all of a student’s needs must be met, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual, in order to facilitate comprehensive growth and maturation.
Overall, I believe that the collective behavior of these four educators vividly demonstrates the reality that a teacher is actually a “coach” and personal mentor to her students. Every teacher ultimately imparts a lesson to each of their students – through their interactions with students and their teaching methods – in how to appropriately behave within the outside world. Similarly, teachers have the power to enable their young pupils to develop a healthy amount of self-esteem that will help their maturity into well-functioning adults. I am forever grateful to each of these teachers for conveying these capacities so productively over this past school year.
Sincerely,
Chaya Abelsky
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
They Inspired Others...and Inspired Me
THEY INSPIRED OTHERS…AND INSPIRED ME
TO BECOME A LIFE COACH
Whether we realize it or not, most of us have probably chosen a career or a personal path in life at least partly due to the inspiration we felt from people we knew or situations we experienced earlier in our lives. In my case, I can definitely single out certain individuals – beloved members of my family – whose exceptional ways of interacting with others and indomitable personal faith have left a lasting impression on my consciousness and helped mold my decision to become a Certified Life Coach.
In my years as a child and adolescent, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my uncle, Rabbi Dovid Wichnin z”l, who devoted his life to education and religious outreach. With his distinctive blend of wisdom and genuine concern for other people’s well-being, my uncle developed the ability to recognize each person he encountered as a truly unique individual. Recognizing that each person has their own particular perspective on the world around them, Rabbi Wichnin was able to listen to people of varying ages and backgrounds, and unambiguously understand where they were “coming from” psychologically and philosophically. My uncle would often say, “Is that right?” when speaking with people – this phrase seemed to encapsulate his capacity to connect to their feelings and validate their specific concerns. As a consequence of his friendly and compassionate personality, my uncle visibly inspired a wide range of individuals to work on improving their character traits and strive to reach higher levels of accomplishment.
I often reminisce about how my uncle would periodically take me on trips to meaningful places, engaging me in conversations that were not only intellectually stimulating, but which displayed his knack for knowing how to gear his thinking in a fashion that would mesh with his “partner in communication.” On many of these excursions, my uncle – with his keen observational skills – would take note of other teenagers and their exuberant youthful antics. Rather than express the typical adult criticism, he would comment that he understood their innate need to “let off steam” and he recognized their inner goodness.
As I came to realize over the years, Rabbi Wichnin’s intuitive ability to relate to his fellow human beings was greatly a result of an optimistic spirit that seemed to pervade his entire being. He always believed that a strong sense of purpose and a steadfastly positive attitude would enable anybody to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and ultimately achieve their goals in life. My uncle’s optimism especially shone through during the final period of his life, when – despite a progressive illness that robbed him of his power of speech – he still managed to communicate to others and convey a message of hope.
My grandfather – my mother’s father – stands out in my mind as another relative whose special personality made a great impact on me and inevitably contributed to my pursuit of a career as a Life Coach. To my family and those who knew him, my grandfather epitomized the traits of faith and perseverance. At one point during the horrific period of World War II and Nazi oppression in Europe, my grandparents were hiding from the Nazis, when my grandfather suddenly realized that he had left his tefillin in a different location. Despite my grandmother’s strong entreaties to stay put and not endanger his life by going outdoors, my grandfather could not countenance the possibility of missing the precious mitzvah of tefillin for even one day. Insisting that he had to leave their hiding place to retrieve his tefillin, my grandfather calmly assured my grandmother that he would return safely. With his primary mission accomplished, my grandfather made his way back to the hiding place – only to spot Nazi soldiers walking in the area. Thinking quickly, my grandfather noticed that it was a windy day, and that there was a broken tree near him. He placed the dislodged tree trunk on his back and crawled along the ground, reckoning that the Nazis would believe that the moving figure was simply a tree blowing around. My grandfather made it back to my grandmother safe and sound – with his faith and physical being intact.
At another point during the war, my grandfather was in hiding together with his mother. One day, with her entire body covered in lice and her bones exceedingly frail, she passed out, and her life was clearly in danger. Summoning all of his strength, my grandfather performed CPR on his mother, pinching her firmly on the top of her nose and breathing life back into her. Not only did my grandfather succeed at nursing her back to a reasonable state of health, he eventually managed to smuggle her into Eretz Yisroel, where she lived for another ten years. As usual, my grandfather’s firmly rooted belief in a positive outcome was validated once again.
After his arrival in America, my grandfather obtained a job at a union where, unfortunately, he was openly hated for being Jewish. Recognizing that it was dangerous for him to wear a yarmulke, he went to work every day wearing a hat. When Friday came, he at first wanted to leave early so that he could travel with public transportation and be home on time for Shabbos. However, my grandfather realized that – given the anti-Semitic atmosphere – he would likely be in physical danger from his co-workers should they discover that he was Shomer Shabbos. Accordingly, he stayed until closing time, and then proceeded to walk the many miles to get home so that he would not violate the Shabbos. Just as he had done in Europe, my grandfather refused to give up no matter how difficult the situation was, and he always found a way to persevere.
The cumulative impact of spending time with each of these two family members has been profoundly enlightening for me and has played a major role in my life’s “calling.” As a Certified Life Coach, I am able to utilize the power of positive psychology to work closely with clients and gradually imbue them with an abiding sense of self-esteem. In the spirit of my late uncle, I can employ the art of listening to people at its highest level, and thereby help them focus on their innermost personal issues in a fashion that will allow them to transform their way of thinking. With the deep-seated emotional fortitude and positive thinking that have served as hallmarks of my relatives’ actions and lives, I can communicate with each client in a manner that will progressively brighten their attitude and inspire them to believe that they truly can turn their life’s dreams into tangible reality.
TO BECOME A LIFE COACH
Whether we realize it or not, most of us have probably chosen a career or a personal path in life at least partly due to the inspiration we felt from people we knew or situations we experienced earlier in our lives. In my case, I can definitely single out certain individuals – beloved members of my family – whose exceptional ways of interacting with others and indomitable personal faith have left a lasting impression on my consciousness and helped mold my decision to become a Certified Life Coach.
In my years as a child and adolescent, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with my uncle, Rabbi Dovid Wichnin z”l, who devoted his life to education and religious outreach. With his distinctive blend of wisdom and genuine concern for other people’s well-being, my uncle developed the ability to recognize each person he encountered as a truly unique individual. Recognizing that each person has their own particular perspective on the world around them, Rabbi Wichnin was able to listen to people of varying ages and backgrounds, and unambiguously understand where they were “coming from” psychologically and philosophically. My uncle would often say, “Is that right?” when speaking with people – this phrase seemed to encapsulate his capacity to connect to their feelings and validate their specific concerns. As a consequence of his friendly and compassionate personality, my uncle visibly inspired a wide range of individuals to work on improving their character traits and strive to reach higher levels of accomplishment.
I often reminisce about how my uncle would periodically take me on trips to meaningful places, engaging me in conversations that were not only intellectually stimulating, but which displayed his knack for knowing how to gear his thinking in a fashion that would mesh with his “partner in communication.” On many of these excursions, my uncle – with his keen observational skills – would take note of other teenagers and their exuberant youthful antics. Rather than express the typical adult criticism, he would comment that he understood their innate need to “let off steam” and he recognized their inner goodness.
As I came to realize over the years, Rabbi Wichnin’s intuitive ability to relate to his fellow human beings was greatly a result of an optimistic spirit that seemed to pervade his entire being. He always believed that a strong sense of purpose and a steadfastly positive attitude would enable anybody to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and ultimately achieve their goals in life. My uncle’s optimism especially shone through during the final period of his life, when – despite a progressive illness that robbed him of his power of speech – he still managed to communicate to others and convey a message of hope.
My grandfather – my mother’s father – stands out in my mind as another relative whose special personality made a great impact on me and inevitably contributed to my pursuit of a career as a Life Coach. To my family and those who knew him, my grandfather epitomized the traits of faith and perseverance. At one point during the horrific period of World War II and Nazi oppression in Europe, my grandparents were hiding from the Nazis, when my grandfather suddenly realized that he had left his tefillin in a different location. Despite my grandmother’s strong entreaties to stay put and not endanger his life by going outdoors, my grandfather could not countenance the possibility of missing the precious mitzvah of tefillin for even one day. Insisting that he had to leave their hiding place to retrieve his tefillin, my grandfather calmly assured my grandmother that he would return safely. With his primary mission accomplished, my grandfather made his way back to the hiding place – only to spot Nazi soldiers walking in the area. Thinking quickly, my grandfather noticed that it was a windy day, and that there was a broken tree near him. He placed the dislodged tree trunk on his back and crawled along the ground, reckoning that the Nazis would believe that the moving figure was simply a tree blowing around. My grandfather made it back to my grandmother safe and sound – with his faith and physical being intact.
At another point during the war, my grandfather was in hiding together with his mother. One day, with her entire body covered in lice and her bones exceedingly frail, she passed out, and her life was clearly in danger. Summoning all of his strength, my grandfather performed CPR on his mother, pinching her firmly on the top of her nose and breathing life back into her. Not only did my grandfather succeed at nursing her back to a reasonable state of health, he eventually managed to smuggle her into Eretz Yisroel, where she lived for another ten years. As usual, my grandfather’s firmly rooted belief in a positive outcome was validated once again.
After his arrival in America, my grandfather obtained a job at a union where, unfortunately, he was openly hated for being Jewish. Recognizing that it was dangerous for him to wear a yarmulke, he went to work every day wearing a hat. When Friday came, he at first wanted to leave early so that he could travel with public transportation and be home on time for Shabbos. However, my grandfather realized that – given the anti-Semitic atmosphere – he would likely be in physical danger from his co-workers should they discover that he was Shomer Shabbos. Accordingly, he stayed until closing time, and then proceeded to walk the many miles to get home so that he would not violate the Shabbos. Just as he had done in Europe, my grandfather refused to give up no matter how difficult the situation was, and he always found a way to persevere.
The cumulative impact of spending time with each of these two family members has been profoundly enlightening for me and has played a major role in my life’s “calling.” As a Certified Life Coach, I am able to utilize the power of positive psychology to work closely with clients and gradually imbue them with an abiding sense of self-esteem. In the spirit of my late uncle, I can employ the art of listening to people at its highest level, and thereby help them focus on their innermost personal issues in a fashion that will allow them to transform their way of thinking. With the deep-seated emotional fortitude and positive thinking that have served as hallmarks of my relatives’ actions and lives, I can communicate with each client in a manner that will progressively brighten their attitude and inspire them to believe that they truly can turn their life’s dreams into tangible reality.
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