Torah Day School: Teaching children according to their ways

By Emily K. Alhadeff, Associate Editor, The Jewish Sound

Editor’s Note: As the year draws to an end, parents are beginning to think about how they will educate their kids in the fall. Private school application deadlines are looming, so The Jewish Sound has met with each of the primary Jewish day schools in the Seattle area to learn about what they offer, including class size and tuition rates, and how they differentiate themselves. Note that the base tuition, that is the amount families would pay for a single student after the school receives tuition assistance from the Samis Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle. We will cover the high schools in early January.

 Rabbi Yona Margolese doesn’t quite know how to describe it, but he has noticed a palpable sense of happiness among the students at Torah Day School.

“They genuinely look forward to coming to school,” Margolese, the new head of school, said. Only half a year into his new job running the Orthodox day school on Seattle’s Beacon Hill, Margolese is excited about what he sees, right down to the physical education program.

“Our P.E. instructor is phenomenal,” he raved. “It’s not just about the physical. She works with them to use as much of their entire being as possible…. In addition to the physical workout, she has a lot of games and activities that help the kids think about what they’re doing and to push themselves to think differently.”

Working with students’ entire beings is part of TDS’s holistic approach to education, where the goal is to develop each individual child intellectually along with the values of character development, love of Jewish studies and the Jewish people, and proper behavior.

“The kind of kid that excels at TDS is interested in an Orthodox lifestyle and character development, secular studies, and Torah growth,” Margolese said.

Jewish studies and general studies are split down the middle of the day. Michelle Kaufman, who has 20 years of experience working in special education, is on hand for support. The school, which is renting a former church, has a library and librarian, two playgrounds, a playfield, and an indoor multipurpose room. Margolese hopes the school will be able to eventually buy the property and look at more options for growth. The school is also taking advantage of a Samis technology initiative, and the 6th-grade class is producing stop-motion videos about ancient Greek history.

Margolese notes it’s challenging to integrate technology with the curriculum so students truly can apply what they’re learning — and not learn technology for technology’s sake.

“The kids are learning patience,” he said with a laugh.

Margolese also praised the early childhood school, run by Sharona Hassan, who is trained in the Reggio Emilia philosophy.

“Sharona really teaches the whole child,” he said. “When she was teaching the kids about music, they had their own little musical concert and they talked about the power of music.”

Where Torah Day School excels most, Margolese believes, is in differentiated learning.

The philosophy, in Hebrew, is “hinuch al pi darko,” or “education according to his way.”

“The teachers plan their lessons that will connect to their individual learning style and level,” Margolese explained. “It’s almost as though when a teacher goes home at night they create 10 lesson plans for 10 students.”

This individualized approach is how kids learn best, Margolese said.

“We also believe in a k-n-o-w homework policy,” he said. “It should be very clear why this homework is going to benefit the kid.”

The school believes that family time is crucial, and any time spent on homework should be intentional. Parents are heavily involved in the school, even aiding or filling in for teachers when needed.

“Kids do best when they’re happy,” Margolese said. TDS is “a happy place to be.”

 

Learn more about the Torah Day School of Seattle at www.tdsseattle.org.