oints of view

>> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com

Guest Column

Editorial

Maximizing The
Volunteer Experienct

0

n Friday, March 28, it will be my honor
and pleasure to again address an audi-
ence of new and veteran volunteers at
the Detroit Jewish Coalition for Literacy's (DJCL)
spring workshop "Maximizing the Volunteer
Experience for Your Student and ... You
Along with Leslie London, a retired teacher
and consultant, and Marcy Feldman,
president of the Pasteur Elementary
School Alumni Foundation, I will
take part in a panel discussion on
the issues involved in volunteer-
ing to work with students in urban
school settings. Also, Judy Robinson,
a retired teacher and DJCL volun-
teer, will present a special video, "A
Day in the Life of a DJCL Volunteer:'
showcasing some of the very special
work done by these wonderful vol-
unteers in Detroit Public Schools.
In so many ways, public education is under
attack. As a result, no one can deny that schools
have fewer resources to call upon when work-
ing with their students. This starts with people.
Class sizes have increased, in some places dra-
matically. I work with an elementary school
where classes range from 38-45 students.
Presently, the only help teachers have are volun-
teers. In addition, the biggest classes tend to be
in schools with large numbers of students with
the greatest needs. What more can I say about
the need for your help?
Given the scarcity of resources, your contribu-
tions can make a great difference to the educa-
tion of one or more children. As a volunteer, you
have the time to provide the necessary support
a child might need in order to learn from the
assignment he/she has been given. As a volun-
teer with one or only a few students, you have
the time to answer questions. As a volunteer, you
can be that rare adult that this child has a chance
to talk to one-on-one. As a volunteer, you have a
chance to be a friend, an encourager, a supporter
that the student lacks but needs to feel he or she
can be successful. Any of these scenarios are
possible as a volunteer.
But where to start? I have entitled my por-
tion of the program "the Three Most Important
Words in Working with Children: Relationships,
Relationships, Relationships:' I have often heard
that, especially for students who've grown up in
poverty, they believe, "I don't care how much
you know, till I know how much you care:' This
translates to having to build a relationship with
students you work with before they'll really lis-
ten to you.
As a volunteer, there will be many factors that
you cannot control in regard to what affects
this student's academic success. However, there
will be many ways you can positively affect the
growth of a child.
So what's involved in creating this posi-
tive relationship with a child you've never met
before? You are a stranger to the child. He or

26

March 20 • 2014

Hillel Projects Potent
Day School Paradigm

she is a stranger to you. First, you need to ask
yourself, "What is my mindset? Do I believe
that this child can learn? Do I believe that I can
have a positive effect on this child? Do I believe
that this child's potential for learning is forever
fixed or that his/her potential can grow? Do I
care about this child? Do I know enough about
him or her to make what we are doing
relevant?"
Whether you consciously ask your-
self these questions, the answers are
ever-present and will affect the chances
you have of helping this child to learn.
Where do you go from here?
The next step is to create interper-
sonal connections with your student(s).
And if you can work with the same
children week after week, you will see
bonds grow between you, increasing
the likelihood of them growing aca-
demically.
I hope you will join us on March 28. Whether
you are a dedicated veteran volunteer or just get-
ting started, you are sure to gain valuable tools
to help you give the most to and get the most
from your volunteer experience.

❑

Barry Rubin is an educational consultant for Oakland
Schools. He lives in West Bloomfield.

The DJCL Spring Workshop, "Maximizing
the Volunteer Experience for Your Student
and ... You," will be held Friday, March
28, from 10 a.m.-noon, at the Max M.
Fisher Federation Building in Bloomfield
Township. To register or to learn more
about DJCL volunteer opportunities,
contact JCRC Literacy coordinator Linda
Foster at the JCRC office, (248) 642-
2656, or foster@jfmd.org .

standing
guard ..

... For Israel And Our
Jewish Community

Professor Kenneth Stein of the Institute for
the Study of Modern Israel at Emory University
in Atlanta said this week that the anti-Israel
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement
(BDS) should encourage friends of Israel to
focus on another "BDS": Strengthen their sense
of Belonging (B) to Israel; Deepen (D) their
understanding and knowledge of the Jewish
State; and Spread (S) positive news about Israel.

Prepared by Allan Gale, Jewish
Community Relations Council of
Metropolitan Detroit

© March 20, 2014, Jewish Renaissance Media

MI

illel Day School has been thrust into the national
spotlight for educational rejuvenation thanks in part
to the generosity of two local funding sources — both
champions of Jewish learning.
The support is not surprising: The Farmington Hills day school
has long had a reputation for a capacity to change with the
times, maintaining an enrollment of nearly 550 students even as
affordability and a shrinking population challenge stability.
The last major renovation to the 44-year-old building came in
2006: a $4.5-million expansion.
The latest philanthropic windfall means not only that middle-
income families will have a better shot at paying Hillel's competi-
tive tuition, but also that students at all grade levels will be able
to benefit from an imaginative, new redesign of the school.
Through loyalty incentives, the Southfield-based William
Davidson Foundation has stepped up to make Hillel and its preK-
grade 8 curriculum a realistic, continuing option for more fami-
lies. These incentives come amid inevitable tuition increases and
Federation's limited resources. The Foundation allocated $7.5 mil-
lion to seed the tuition grant program with the prospect of dou-
bling that if Hillel meets a matching fund target by 2018.
The William and Audrey Farber Philanthropic Fund at the
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit is providing support
to Hillel for a sweeping master space plan and most of its
implementation, according to an aggressive timeline. The intent
is to break hard from the traditional feel of a classroom-driven
school and develop new gateways to learning. Design elements,
the work of star architect Prakash Nair, include a fireplace, a
learning cave, a greenhouse, gardens and something called a
makerspace, a creative, hands-on learning approach that draws
on art and science.
The Davidson Foundation and the Farber Fund are no strangers
to helping grow Jewish identity through the vigor of a Jewish
education. They get it. They understand the proven role that
Jewish day schools, congregational schools, supplemental schools
and day camps as well as Israel missions play in helping young
people want to embrace their Jewish roots. Jewish knowledge
does matter.
After 14 years of enrollment decline, Hillel is hopeful of a
modest turnaround. It remains one of the larger Jewish day
schools in the country. In commenting about the
funding gifts, head of school Steve Freedman
told the JN ("Dreaming Big," Feb. 20, page 1):
"How lucky for Hillel and the Detroit Jewish
community to have such visionary leaders
who understand the importance of Jewish day
schools. We should all be celebrating."
He's right, of course.
But Hillel wasn't just the lucky beneficiary
Steve
of two thoughtful, gift-bearing suitors. The
Freedman
leadership showed its mettle a few years back
in breaking from the comfort as a Solomon
Schechter school aligned with the Conservative movement and
becoming a pluralistic community school. Under Freedman, who
arrived in 2003, Hillel has filled the need for a powerhouse non-
Orthodox day school while also being a magnet for the bounty of
high-powered philanthropy.
Hillel Day School has come a long way since its founding
under Rabbi Jacob Segal in 1958 when it opened with 29
students in rented quarters at the Labor Zionist Building
in Detroit. The ultimate test lies in Hillel's big dreams not
just reaping big dividends for students, but also yielding
a sustained day school model for visioning, engagement,
collaboration and innovation.

,

❑

