I've had a chance to introduce a few of our amazing team of teachers on this blog, but I want to make sure to introduce the rest before school starts. This group is truly a gift to our school, and I feel so honored to be working with each and every one of them!
בּימה. Bimah. Stage.
First, starting this year, we have a Music Director. Taking this position will be one of our returning teachers, Scott Lyons. Scott first started taking guitar lessons when he was 13 years old. He picked it up again five years ago when he received a new guitar as a gift from his family. With a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and graduate degrees in both Law and International Affairs, Scott is an adjunct professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he teaches about corruption issues in international health services. His passions are photography, tennis, and hiking. Scott has hiked over 200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. His favorite sports teams are the L.A. Dodgers baseball team and the University of Michigan football team. He has taught Hebrew school, Sunday school, and Jewish high school (Midrasha), and has visited Israel on four different occasions, including living there for a year.
"All the World's a stage." -- William Shakespeare
Our tots teacher will be returning teacher Heather Gale. Heather has taught with Machar for multiple years and we are thrilled to have her back this year, particularly in the role as our new Tots teacher. Heather's passion and heart is for the younger kids, so it is a perfect fit!
Next, our Prek/K teacher this year is Alece Rockler. She is quite passionate about the education of young children. Alece has been teaching PreK/K children for over 15 years. Alece writes, "The exploration of their ever expanding world is something that I love to be a part of. I hope to serve as a beginning guide to the Machar children as they begin to discover what being Jewish means to them."
"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well." -- Aristotle
Our 1st/2nd grade teacher is Kat Zamore. Kat works in DC Public Schools as a school
psychologist and is excited to the Machar team this fall. She completed
undergraduate studies in Psychology and Spanish, as well as a masters degree in
Human Development and Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology and
has lived abroad in Morocco, Spain and the Galapagos Islands. Kat loves pottery and is training for her first
full marathon this winter and can’t wait to meet all the Machar members and her
new first & second grade students!
"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
Our Fourth Grade teacher is Ziv Kaufman. Ziv born in Israel and moved to LA when he was 10. After high
school, Ziv returned to Israel and served in the Israeli Air Force. He then
returned to Los Angeles, California, where he finished his degree at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). Ziv then moved to Washington, DC for graduate studies in Security Policy Studies at GWU. Besides writing and publishing many
articles about foreign affairs and national security, Ziv interned at
Center for Strategic and International studies and the National Defense
University. He has teaching experience at JPDS and with the U.S. military.
Last, but not least, our sixth grade teacher this year is returning teacher, Sarah Jill Bashein, LGSW. SJ holds a masters degree in social work and
serves as the Regional Manager for the Petey Greene Program, a nonprofit
that provides academic support to incarcerated persons. She is a
resident of Washington, D.C., and this will be her second year teaching
6th grade with Machar. Sarah Jill is passionate about art, music, and
travel, as well as social justice. She has been working with and
teaching children in varied settings for ten years, and is thrilled to
be joining the Machar education team again for the coming year!
All of our teachers will be there this coming Sunday, September 11th at our first class!
Please make a special extra effort get to know the teachers in our community. Beyond the classroom hours, they are often using their own time to plan lessons, learn about Secular Humanistic Judaism, purchase supplies, attend events, and get to know your children. One way to show your appreciation is to contribute to our brand-new Teacher Fund. Learn about it and more at 10 AM at the general assembly.
בּימה. Bimah. Stage.
First, starting this year, we have a Music Director. Taking this position will be one of our returning teachers, Scott Lyons. Scott first started taking guitar lessons when he was 13 years old. He picked it up again five years ago when he received a new guitar as a gift from his family. With a degree in Middle Eastern Studies and graduate degrees in both Law and International Affairs, Scott is an adjunct professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, where he teaches about corruption issues in international health services. His passions are photography, tennis, and hiking. Scott has hiked over 200 miles of the Appalachian Trail. His favorite sports teams are the L.A. Dodgers baseball team and the University of Michigan football team. He has taught Hebrew school, Sunday school, and Jewish high school (Midrasha), and has visited Israel on four different occasions, including living there for a year.
"All the World's a stage." -- William Shakespeare
Our tots teacher will be returning teacher Heather Gale. Heather has taught with Machar for multiple years and we are thrilled to have her back this year, particularly in the role as our new Tots teacher. Heather's passion and heart is for the younger kids, so it is a perfect fit!
Next, our Prek/K teacher this year is Alece Rockler. She is quite passionate about the education of young children. Alece has been teaching PreK/K children for over 15 years. Alece writes, "The exploration of their ever expanding world is something that I love to be a part of. I hope to serve as a beginning guide to the Machar children as they begin to discover what being Jewish means to them."
"Those who educate children well are more to be honored than they who produce them; for these only gave them life, those the art of living well." -- Aristotle
Our 1st/2nd grade teacher is Kat Zamore. Kat works in DC Public Schools as a school
psychologist and is excited to the Machar team this fall. She completed
undergraduate studies in Psychology and Spanish, as well as a masters degree in
Human Development and Educational Specialist degree in School Psychology and
has lived abroad in Morocco, Spain and the Galapagos Islands. Kat loves pottery and is training for her first
full marathon this winter and can’t wait to meet all the Machar members and her
new first & second grade students! "It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." -- Albert Einstein
All of our teachers will be there this coming Sunday, September 11th at our first class!
Please make a special extra effort get to know the teachers in our community. Beyond the classroom hours, they are often using their own time to plan lessons, learn about Secular Humanistic Judaism, purchase supplies, attend events, and get to know your children. One way to show your appreciation is to contribute to our brand-new Teacher Fund. Learn about it and more at 10 AM at the general assembly.
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