Finding The Formula
Jewish day schools use creative methods to recruit science teachers.
DEBRA B. DARVICK
Special to the Jewish News
of school, to create JAMD's science department.
"Good science teachers are going to be well-estab-
lished in their institutions," Schultz explains. "It's hard
to attract teachers away from a school they've been in
for so long. But others who retire are sometimes will-
ing to work part-time. A new day school can be quite
attractive for retirees to teach one or two classes. We
are small enough in the initial stage to be flexible to
meet individual needs. There are a lot of great retired
teachers, some of whom want to continue on a bit. A
school has to be flexible with the schedule, but if it is,
finding good teachers can be done."
Flexibility is the key for Dr. Charles Domstein,
who in September will begin his third year as princi-
pal of secular studies at Yeshivat Akiva in Southfield.
Dr. Domstein recently hired an instructor from
Royal Oak's Dondero High School to teach physics
at Akiva on a part-time basis. At the time he spoke
with the Jewish News, a search was also under way to
hire a chemistry teacher.
Dr. Domstein echoes others in acknowledging the
difficulty of finding qualified science teachers, but
he has found one solution.
he old maxim, "All's fair in love and war,"
might well be amended to include the
search local day schools go through to
find qualified science teachers.
Although no one has resorted to battle tactics, area
professionals admit that hiring science teachers is no
easy task.
Many graduating with degrees in the sciences
eschew teaching for careers in business, engineering
or medicine.
"That's because the salaries are higher," says Dr.
Bruce Powell, head of school at New Community
Jewish High School in West Hills, Calif, and senior
consultant for Partnership for Excellence in Jewish
Education in Boston, an agency offering grants and
professional expertise to American Jewish schools.
"In the realm of science, there are more teachers
trained for Earth sciences and life sciences, including
biology and physiology, and hiring them is more
fluid. But finding excellent, or even good, chemistry
and physics teachers can be excruciating."
All is not bleak, however. Qualified teachers do
exist and day school administrators are devoted
to meeting the challenge of hiring strong science
teachers for their educational programs.
Because of various factors, Amy Cutler, upper
school principal of Hillel Day School of
Metropolitan Detroit in Farmington Hills, lost
her entire science department in one year and
was faced with hiring three new teachers to begin
the 2002-2003 school year.
"It wasn't easy," she says of re-creating her
department. "I was very picky. But I have three
winners — two seasoned teachers and one who is
new to teaching. I'm very excited about them all."
When it came to hiring, Cutler judged all her
candidates on their ability to teach model lesson
Stu Schultz science department head with the honors chemistry
plans, to pinch-hit on the spur of the moment
and to relate to students. Cutler also was looking students at the Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit.
Clockwise from left: Illana Parker, Keren Stiebel, Rachel
for what she calls the "spark" that tells her a
Lachover, Nicki Milgrom and Sarah Sallen.
teacher is a natural.
"Either they have the instinct to be a teacher or
"What we have done," he explains, "is to [go to a]
they don't, she says. "You can tell from the minute
block schedule in the afternoon. This way we can
they walk into the classroom."
accommodate teachers who may be teaching full
time but could nevertheless teach one or two sec-
Flexibility Essential
tions in the afternoon."
Dr. Domstein has found schools to be cooperative
Starting from the ground up was a given for the
because they know "I am not stealing someone
Jewish Academy of Metropolitan Detroit in West
away. Working for us does not interfere with their
Bloomfield, the community's newest Jewish high
full-time position."
school. Now entering its third academic year,
Cutler is using her teachers' experience in a novel
JAMD's first move was to hire Stu Schultz who,
way.
All three will team teach a sixth-, seventh- and
before working as science consultant for Oakland
eighth-grade curriculum that encompasses Earth sci-
Schools, was science coordinator for West
ence, biology, physics, astronomy and chemistry.
Bloomfield Schools as well as a physics instructor.
"Each teacher will teach predominantly one
Schultz was charged by Rabbi Lee Buckman, head
8/23
2002
14
grade," she explains, "and will also share a section.
For instance, my eighth-grade teacher will teach all
but one of the eighth-grade sections and my sev-
enth-grade teacher will teach one. They will be able
to team teach and share their units and lesson plans
and work off each other's ideas."
Females Advance
It wasn't by design that all of Cutler's hires were
female but it worked that way nevertheless.
"I think girls are getting more interested in sci-
ence," she says. "It depends on the teacher. If that
teacher can deliver the curriculum with enthusiasm
and creativity, then all the students drawn into that
science environment become excited."
Across town at the Jewish Academy, excitement ran
high in last year's advanced placement (AP) chem-
istry class. Though small, the class made up for its
size with an overabundance of achievement and
enthusiasm. One other factor made this class unusual
— it was all female, not by design but happenstance.
"It was simply a fluke that we ended up with all
girls," says Schultz, seated at a black lab table at
JAMD. "They did a great job of helping one anoth-
er. They loved getting up and explaining the con-
cepts once I went over the material. Once one
caught on, she would start teaching the others.
There was a mutual respect between the girls and
[me]. I turned them loose and they just took off."
- The girls finished the year's curriculum two
months early and Schultz created a biochemistry
class for them to pursue.
Keren Stiebel, a junior who was one of the "AP-Chem
Five," recalls, "The class was very much like a college
class in that we were given so much responsibility and
independence. Science is such an incredible topic."
Steibel says the AP Chemistry class helped her see
God's hand in creation in a new light.
"I don't think God would play a guessing game.
To be able to live in an environment such as ours,
the small things have to work. I find it incredible
that it is all put together in such a way. We have a
sun that heats us just enough. We have trees that
produce oxygen. We produce carbon dioxide. For all
of that to happen, you have to understand the tiny
things that go into that existence."
Were he to meet her, Dr. Domstein might encour-
age Steibel, whose eyes sparkle with enthusiasm
when she talks about science, to go into teaching.
"University programs are not necessarily educating
people to go into science education," he laments. "Very
few students will tell you they want to be a-teacher.
Most want to be a doctor, a lawyer, an engineer.
"We need to encourage more students to go into
education because it is 'badly needed. Not just in sci-
ence, but in all areas." ❑
— Staff Writer Shelli Leibman Dorfman
contributed to this story