Lisa Lasovsky

What do you teach at B’nai Shalom?
I am the Preschool Director. I teach all of our Preschool children about Jewish life, rituals, holidays and traditions. I also teach Kindergarten Hebrew and Judaic Studies.

Why do you teach? 
It may sound cliché, but I love children. I love their innocence and pure wonder of the world. I love being a part of their learning and exploring by modeling and introducing them to new discoveries and information.

Why do you teach at B’nai Shalom? 
I am passionate about Jewish education. I love teaching children about their culture and heritage. I feel honored to have the opportunity to cultivate Jewish identities. I love the family atmosphere at B’nai Shalom and being a part of such a great school community.

What do you want students to get from having known you?
I want each child to develop a strong Jewish identity. I want each child to love and be proud of being Jewish. I want the children to embrace Jewish traditions and rituals.

What is the most important life lesson students will learn in your class? 
I aim to make sure that each child develops positive self-esteem. They know that I respect and love them. I teach love and respect for the Jewish culture and strive to instill Jewish pride.

What is the most important life lesson you have learned from your students?
“To stop and smell the roses!” Teaching young children reminds me to appreciate the wonder in the world, and not to take things for granted. They remind me to smile at them and laugh at myself!

How do you teach to the way a child learns? 
I am a firm believer that young children learn through play. I use different materials and allow the children to explore, discover and manipulate as they acquire new information. I make all formal lessons, interesting, fun and age-appropriate.

What types of professional development have you completed in the past year? 
I attended the SDE (Staff Development for Educators) conference for North Carolina Preschool teachers in January. I attended a JECELI (Jewish Early Childhood Education Leadership Institute) alumni retreat in April. The Preschool team and I spent a morning at a play therapy workshop Phyllis Post (a Professor of Counseling, Coordinator of Graduate Certificate in Play Therapy and Director of Multicultural Play Therapy Center at UNC Charlotte).

In what ways do you collaborate with other teachers? 
At B’nai Shalom, the teachers work together as a team. We are colleagues and friends.  We help each other all for the benefit of our students. The Preschool team meets bi-weekly to engage in a book study and to collaborate and share ideas.