"What does she do all day?" Here’s a quick glance -- I call it "A Week in the Life of an Ed Director."
Saturday: 7:30 I check my email and write my Teacher’s Memo. Print a copy of the Torah School newsletter to post on the bulletin board. Looks like a light day: I need to finish the teacher observations. 9:00 Get to school, copy & distribute newsletter, update bulletin board. Teachers begin to arrive. One of our parent-drivers tells me a teacher has had a medical emergency and won’t be in school today. Another parent volunteers to step in. 10:05 Locate a ready-to-go lesson from my office files; review it with the sub and gratefully send her on her way. Another teacher calls: she’s missed her ride and will be in late. Tap another parent to sit in the class until I get everyone else settled. 10:25 Relieve the parent in the second class and try to decide what to do until their teacher arrives...I know, we’ll review Passover! "Okay," I say, "Let’s figure out what we already know about Passover." Ideas come haltingly at first and then more quickly. I write and we fill the board. Now what? Fortunately, the teacher arrives! Leave with a smile and a sigh of relief. Pop into two classrooms on my way down the hall, smile at a parent, shoo a dawdler back to class (he grins), and find a bandage for a finger with a paper cut. I’m supposed to be observing another teacher. I sit in for ten minutes, but can’t focus; this observation will need to be rescheduled. Back in the nook, a parent approaches me with a concern. We move to a less-public area and talk for a few moments. No immediate solutions, but the info will be shared with the teacher. We’ll watch and see how things go. 12:15 Classes are dismissed. Wish people a "Shavuah Tov" as they walk by. A few teachers need to debrief; we do so quickly. A teacher in-service has been planned for 12:30. I scramble to get a plate from the oneg and arrive late. We have a good discussion about "God-Talk" in the classroom. The session ends early, about 1:15. I leave the office around 2:00.
Sunday: On-line at 8:30 to check messages. Ten new ones since last night. 10:00 Arrive at school; check in with teachers. Do two 30-minute teacher observations. After observations, meet with a prospective teacher. Unfortunately, she has never worked with kids and her Judaic background is almost non-existent. We talk. I recommend she take the Lay Educator’s Institute (LEI) 6-week classes (FREE) through the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) and return to observe in a classroom. I provide her with information and thank her for coming. Look at the calendar to prepare for the week ahead. Classes are over. Sheila and I take some time to brainstorm a couple of situations. Finally leave about 1:15.
Monday: Supposed to be my day off, but data needs to be entered. The data entry person no longer available, but the work has to be done. Three hours later, I finish. Late afternoon meeting with people from JRF’s Chesapeake Region to discuss educational issues. We talk about the transition to a new ed director and the support s/he will need, as well as a wide range of issues and concerns facing our communities. I am asked to teach a couple of sessions in LEI this spring through the BJE, but regretfully decline. No time.
Tuesday: Check my email with my morning coffee. Arrive at work at 8:00. Have an off-site 8:45 meeting. Ellen and I talk briefly about the agenda. Return by 10:00, realize that the teacher who had an emergency illness the preceding week will probably be out this week, too. Begin research on a lesson. Need to prepare for the Hebrew class Iím teaching tomorrow. Ellen and I lay out a rough plan for the next two months. In that period, we’ll finish out this year, begin registration for next year, and hopefully be well into the transition to new leadership. Ellen returns routine emails and phone calls and passes the rest to me. Staff meeting at noon: Rabbi Fred, Cantor Rachel, Sheila and I meet weekly to plan, share and problem-solve. Leave the office at 2:00, and spend the next couple of hours scrambling for the materials for the weekend’s lesson. At home, receive a call from a colleague who wants to talk about teacher training — she’s heard I’m taking an approach that’s been very effective. We talk time, budget, resources, topics and structure. Later in the week, she tells me her Board is very excited about the new model. Another colleague calls: she wants to know if I’m available next year to help develop a multi-tiered family education program. We’ve tossed ideas around and now she’s ready to move forward. We come up with a proposal to use at her board meeting. Later that evening, I talk at length with a family who is very concerned about their child.
Wednesday: 8:00 Must finish preparing for my Hebrew class today. This week’s lesson is more difficult than last week’s. 9:30 Oops! I’m late for the Principal’s Council meeting. Guest speaker is Dr. Jay Shotel, from GW. Touches on numerous topics. Nothing new, but their inter-weaving presents new insights. After the meeting, a colleague stops me. He’s doing curriculum review this summer and wonders if I will consult with him and if I am available to lead teacher workshops. Arrive at the office around 1:00 and put final touches on the Hebrew lesson. Upcoming family ed program generates phone calls, questions. Ellen handles most of them. One of the classes is having a Tikkun Olam program this weekend that requires special set up. I’m still scrambling to find a sub for this coming weekend. A parent call, involving some brainstorming and strategies to facilitate learning for the child. I’ll follow up here with both the child and teacher, the parent will follow up at home, and we’ll touch base again soon. 3:30 Meet with Sheila and PMM to discuss facilities issues and set-up for the week. It’s a critical meeting, one that keeps things moving smoothly. Teachers begin to arrive around 4:00. The pace picks up. I’m in the classroom by 4:15; kids arrive by 4:30. The lesson goes better than I dared hope. The kids stick with me as we struggle through the material. The satisfaction on their faces when they pull it together makes the struggle worthwhile. We end, late for services, and walk down the hallway talking about the types of questions people ask and whether the characterizations of the Four Children in the Haggadah are fair. Carpool line begins at 6:00. It’s my opportunity to touch base with parents and find out their perspective. It’s invaluable interaction time. I finally call it a day about 7:00.
Thursday: In the office around 8:15, thanks to terrible traffic. Still don’t have a sub, but it’s only Thursday! Ellen gathers budget information for me to work on later. I work on the next "Rainbow People" unit and it’s not coming easily. I finally finish a rough draft and send it to Ellen for review. I gather the supplemental materials for the teachers so they can teach to the topic. Ellen prepares the mailing labels, home packets and teacher packets. I have a noon meeting scheduled with people from Washington Hebrew, who will be renting our space this summer. We walk the building and grounds, talking about storage, traffic flow and programmatic needs. The meeting lasts longer than expected — we finish about 1:45. I prepare to pack up and leave for the day. Later, from home, a protracted parent conversation. Checking my email one last time before bed, I see we have a sub for Saturday’s class! Yippee!
Friday: My email count for the week is 365, and there are still 20 or so that need action. Hopefully, I’ll get to them before the weekend, but the odds are that some will carry over to next week. The Scroll deadline is today and I’m not going to make it. My task for the morning is the Torah School newsletter. Sending it out via email saves Ellen’s time, but it still needs to be written, rewritten and fine-tuned. Generally takes about two hours to pull together: some weeks more, some weeks less. Today it’s less. My weekly lunch meetings with my mentor continue: we’re now focusing on transitional issues and what life after Adat Shalom will look like. Fridays I like to stop working by 2:00. This week, I adhere to that guideline. It’s been a long week, and I’m ready for a taste of Shabbat peace.
Just a quick glance, but you get the idea!
Hope your week is a good one,
Mary Meyerson