Moving Forward
Over the past three years, I’ve been blessed to work with Mary Thomas, who is now in Jerusalem beginning her formal training as a cantor. And we as a congregation have been blessed by all she contributed to our community. You all know how her voice brought beauty and depth to our worship. But there were many other things she did behind the scenes to help expand both our music and b’nei mitzvah programs.

She started the teen band that plays at our Congregational Shabbat services, and she worked privately with students learning to chant Torah and Haftarah that complemented the classes I’ve offered on Wednesday evenings before Hebrew High. As the person who scheduled all of the b’nei mitzvah students and tutors, Mary took a particular interest in fostering the musical and teaching talents of our teens.

That legacy continues. First, we are tremendously fortunate to have Holly Gainsboro taking over all of the scheduling of the b’nei mitzvah program. Working with the Youth Group programs for the past several years, Holly has developed great relationships with our kids beginning in 4th Grade. Knowing the personalities, and appreciating the strengths and needs of our students, Holly is uniquely able to enhance the learning experience of our b’nei mitzvah candidates and maximize the teaching strengths of our tutors. Those insights mean the difference between a good b’nei mitzvah program and a great one.

The tutors themselves are also stepping up to help meet the new challenges we face not only with Mary’s departure, but as we enter the busiest b’nei mitzvah year in the history of Temple Beth El. The number of madrichim (tutors) who are certified to teach Torah and/or Haftarah trope continues to rise, with more asking for and committing to further training all the time. We’ve also introduced an additional layer to the tutoring program this summer: a new supervisory status for tutors we are calling m’odrichim. (No, this is not a real Hebrew word; we’ve combined the words “m’od” which means “very” with “madrichim,” which means “guides.”)

Eight tutors have been identified as m’odrichim because of their maturity and special teaching abilities. For most students, becoming a bar or bat mitzvah is a challenge that stretches their individual learning styles. As new tutors, most madrichim draw on their own successful learning styles to help those they are now teaching. Gi�ed teachers not only communicate their own learning styles, but adapt those styles to the abilities and learning styles of their students. It is not always easy to see past the techniques that work for you and create new techniques that meet the varying needs of your students. I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to see this kind of growth in our teenage tutors.

The m’odrichim are tutors who not only continue to grow in their own teaching abilities, but are madrichim I can rely on to assist me manage the challenging tutoring sessions in which six students and six teachers work in one room together for an hour at a time. While the m’odrichim are not always the most advanced trope tutors, they are able to ensure that we maintain our high standards of teaching and make sure that no student “falls through the cracks” with so many unique individuals learning simultaneously. Between our madrichim who teach prayers and blessings, those who have the advanced skills of teaching Torah and Ha�arah trope, and the m’odrichim maintaining the high standards of the entire program, I am convinced that we will continue to offer great training to b’nei mitzvah students despite our record numbers.

We also continue to identify students with exceptional musical talent. In addition to our teen band, a number of post-b’nei mitzvah students are joining me to lead services. I’m excited not only to give them this experience, but to be able to continue bringing depth and breadth to the worship experience of our congregation. While it will be a challenge in this next year keeping all of this programming moving forward, I’m excited by the start we’ve made. May it be a year filled with beauty and growth for all of us.

L’shalom,
Andrew Bernard
Cantor