“It was two weeks after in-person school resumed when I asked the students to take out their Gemara workbooks and Ari* loudly refused with an angry, ‘No way!’ A few months earlier I would have been at a loss. I would have been upset and unsure how to react. This wasn’t just misbehavior; he was disrupting the entire class! But I knew exactly how to turn this sour moment into a sweet one,” says Rabbi Chanina Freeman, a teacher in CMCH of Atlanta.
“Thanks to the Art of Chinuch seminars with Rabbi Levi Feldman, I was able to recognize the root cause for Ari’s rash reactions and work with Ari and his parents to channel his energy and give him the tools and guidance to not only stop his disruptive behavior, but to thrive and succeed.”
Rabbi Freeman is one of thousands who attended The Art of Chinuch’s training seminars, lectures, and workshops. Rabbi Levi Feldman has become a sought-after speaker and consultant for teachers and schools from Crown Heights and Borough Park to Chicago and England, and more.
“Rabbi Feldman’s training was invaluable,” says Rabbi Fogel, Principal of Yeshiva Torah Temimah. “His classroom management techniques have been implemented as part of our staff handbook.”
“This course addresses many pressing challenges a teacher encounters both in and out of the classroom,” says Mrs. Chavi Rappaport of Toronto. “It provides systematic routines and solutions to everything, from lesson planning to delivery and teacher-student interaction.”
Rabbi Feldman bases his courses on Chassidic teachings, showing their timeless relevance within the modern-day classroom. “Some of the challenges we face today are new,” says Rabbi Feldman, “especially following Covid with new anxieties and attention and focus issues. But having Chassidus as a foundation ensures our methods remain true to our goals and values.”
What makes Rabbi Feldman’s courses unique is that he is a full-time teacher passionate about his work sharing what has been tried and tested. He builds his classes based on current experiences, not only from his own classroom, but from consulting and sharing knowledge with hundreds of colleagues. The Art of Chinuch courses are therefore adapted and enhanced to also tackle newer challenges as they arise.
“Rabbi Feldman is an amazing communicator with a lot of very creative ideas to deal with discipline problems, classroom management, and lesson planning too!” says Rabbi Mendel Naparstek of Crown Heights. Rabbi Strohli of Borough Park called Rabbi Feldman a great inspiration, saying “He taught me how to be a true leader in a classroom setting.”
The summer training course features 9 components of a successful classroom. This year’s course has been enhanced with an added focus on creating a warm, nurturing environment while maintaining high expectations. Exploring how to turn classroom problems into opportunities and how to inspire students to exceed expectations.
“At the end of the year, Ari’s mother said to me, ‘you saved Ari’s life!’ But the truth is, much credit goes to the Art of Chinuch and the tools it gave me to see resounding success.”
The Art of Chinuch’s summer intensive training for Mechanchos begins IY”H this Monday, July 12. The Mechanchim summer intensive training runs from August 2-12. Registration and more information is available at www.artofchinuch.com.
*Name and identifying details changed to protect privacy.
