Ms Berger recognised that the graduates have now joined the prestigious group who have graduated from LSJS over the past 150 years. She told them that this is not the end of a journey, rather “the beginning of a life of giving, nurturing, teaching and opening doors to knowledge – nothing in my view is more important.”
Twenty-one trainee teachers attained Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from the LSJS Jewish Teacher Training Partnership, the only Jewish accredited teacher training provider in the country.
Eleven students graduated from the two-year, part-time MA Jewish Education programme which is run by the London School of Jewish Studies (LSJS) and validated by Middlesex University.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, President of LSJS, congratulated all the graduates and commended their “extraordinary achievements”. He told those assembled, “teachers guarantee our survival as a Jewish people as educating our children is the only way that we secure a future.” The Chief Rabbi thanked the LSJS staff, led by the Dean, Rabbi Dr Raphael Zarum, for being the “educators of educators”. He said, “I am so proud of LSJS for the extraordinary achievements of the College. LSJS’s investment in this pursuit of educating teachers, rabbis and community leaders ensures that our children have fabulous teachers to learn from. From what I have heard this evening, the graduates’ pupils love their lessons; this in turn will lead to them loving Yiddishkeit which will lead to them becoming proud Jewish adults.”
Throughout the evening, representatives of each cohort of students reflected on their experiences and studies over the past year or two. The MA programme, which has been running since 2014 and is now also available for study online, is aimed at senior educators, rabbis and school governors to give them relevant academic professional development. It offers pedagogical insights and introduces innovative teaching ideas. MA graduate Rabbi Ephraim Guttentag, who is soon to take up a position at Hampstead Garden Suburb United Synagogue as Community Rabbi reflected, “LSJS has been a safe environment for healthy debate amongst fellow students and lecturers. We were a diverse group, yet every voice was heard. This MA programme has given me a deeper understanding of the many aspects of Judaism I had sometimes taken for granted. By experiencing first-hand the value of asking questions, it has led me to encourage my own students to ask-ask-ask! For this and for the 2-year eye-opening and thought-provoking programme, I will be eternally grateful to all the staff at LSJS.”
Dr Tamra Wright, Director of Academic Studies, expressed her delight at the number of MA graduates who had flown in from Israel and Europe for the event. She said, “the diverse location of this group meant that we needed to formulate an innovative and flexible approach to teaching this cohort to suit their needs. Therefore, we taught in one-week blocks to enable them to travel to the LSJS campus in Hendon; without this flexibility, some of these students would not have been able to participate in the programme.” Dr Wright also thanked Dr Linda Whitworth, the link tutor from Middlesex University, for all she has done to support the programme from its inception.
The School Direct Programmes, which are run in conjunction with lead Schools Yavneh College (secondary), Wolfson Hillel Primary School (primary) and PaJeS, heard from graduates, Caroline Dulin (primary) and Rabbi Avi Schwartz (secondary). Rabbi Schwartz, who teaches at King David High School and travelled every two weeks from Manchester to attend the course stated “I am a better teacher (and a better person!) now than I was at the start of the course. Every lecture run by LSJS is a piece of a very cleverly and carefully constructed puzzle, but it was the one-week trip to Israel in February which really changed my perspective on the impact I can have on my pupils and their learning.” In her speech, Caroline Dulin delighted the audience by using an ice breaking technique their cohort had been taught on the programme involving a roll of toilet paper to demonstrate the seven top tips they had gleaned to be a successful teacher.
The School Centred Initial Teacher Training programme (SCITT) enables students to gain their Post Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) and Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) qualifications to enable them to work in primary schools. With 120 days of work in partnership schools there is plenty of first-hand experience in the classroom. Students can also choose to become specialist Jewish Studies teachers. Graduate Soroh Mitz said, “our tutors showed us how our commitment as Jewish Studies teachers can encourage children to feel proud of their Jewish identity. As qualified teachers, we are now equipped with the tools to teach all areas of the primary school curriculum and feel confident to go ahead and do so.”
Jonathan Bach, Director of Teacher Training, concluded, “Training to be a teacher is not easy. It requires dedication, determination and the ability to survive the changing world of education. We are proud of all of our graduates for making it through this demanding year! Tonight’s celebration does not just mark the end of the training course, but also the beginning of a new chapter; an exciting career in education.”
Gary Phillips, the LSJS Chair of Trustees congratulated the graduates and invited them to see the graduation as the start of their long-term relationship with LSJS as ambassadors for the College.
Photo credit: BLAKE EZRA PHOTOGRAPHY
