What makes a good high school girls kodesh teacher?

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Forum -> Working Women -> Teachers' Room

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amother

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 8:54 pm

Any tips or memories from your favorite teacher welcome.

amother

Maize

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 9:30 pm

Actually being smart and knowing your stuff and exhibiting a GENUINE love of learning Torah.

Being relatable and available.

Being a role model, by example, without giving mussar and lecturing the girls.

amother

Zinnia

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 9:47 pm

Come prepared
Prepare lessons with a lesson plan, including aim and motivation, build your lesson, get students involved, spend the last few minutes summarizing the lesson

amother

Begonia

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 9:58 pm

My favorite high school teacher was a true rebbetzin type, miles beyond me frumkeit- and tznius-wise, and should have been totally unrelatable to my teen self.
I liked her because she was so genuine and every word she spoke came from her heart. That authenticity spoke to me in a way that no other lofty lesson could.

gr82no

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 10:04 pm

Don’t go over the bell not even for one word! Nobody is listening.
Don’t make it optional to stay don’t continue even if girls beg.

Don’t try to be a teenager. You will get it wrong and it makes you look foolish.

Treat everyone equally and notice everyone.

Take questions but make sure that you’re not spending too long answering the questions because then you lose respect.

Don’t try to undermine everything we learned in the past ten years by showing some revolutionary new chidush.

Make sure you prepared properly

Thanks that felt good

LK1

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 10:04 pm

Got the students involved. Don't come in lecture and walk out.

Was available for the girls out of class as well.

Talked fast!

Didn't pretend she was competing in a contest to give the hardest test.

Didn't make us memorize sefarim at a time, but actually made sure we understood it. She made us really think.

amother

Springgreen

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 10:09 pm

Favorite kodesh teachers included along of hashkafa and interesting discussion in the lesson. Not so much memorization. Worst teachers said go home and memorize the whole perek. Good high school teacher had a few lines she emphasized so unless you slept in class you knew it. Tests was straight forward. Warm and approachable stayed after class to take questions. Felt like she was teaching individual students despite a very large class not lecturing a large class then leaving. Fair and flexible. She expected us to know the work and we wanted to please us but didn't go crazy when people had excuses.

bgr8ful

Wed, Sep 07 2022, 10:17 pm

passion for what you're teaching, and a real breadth of knowledge
understand that attention spans are shorter today, and the lesson needs to keep moving and be interesting if you want everyone to pay attention.
dont try too hard to be their friend; it wont get you respect. respect each of them as a person and they'll respect you back.
externals matter even if they shouldnt. you dont have to be super trendy, but dont come into class looking like you rolled out of bed in 1989. you should look put together.

at the end of the day, teens have some of the sharpest antennas, and if you truly care about them and truly care about what you're teaching they'll respond in kind.

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