Chinuch Training Focuses on Building Students’ Self-Worth
The Merkos Chinuch Office recently hosted the fourth class of its Foundations of Chinuch training series, a program exploring the Rebbe’s approach to chinuch through the Twelve Pesukim, with this session focusing on Kol Yisroel and Ve’ahavta.
The training focused on bringing the Rebbe’s chinuch language into the way educators teach middos, Ahavas Yisroel, and a child’s inner sense of worth. Timed during the weeks when many classrooms are learning about Lag BaOmer, Pirkei Avos, and the importance of Ahavas Yisroel, the sessions gave educators practical tools to shape not only what students learn, but the way they see themselves and relate to one another.
“The Rebbe taught us that Chinuch is not only about teaching information, it is about shaping the inner world of a child,” shared Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, General Chairman of the Merkos Chinuch Office. “When mechanchim and mechanchos are given the proper language to help a child understand who they are, how precious they are, and how they should view another Yid, it changes the entire atmosphere of the classroom.”
The sessions explored the possuk Kol Yisroel as a foundation for helping students recognize the eternal value of every Yid. Educators discussed how this message teaches a child that their worth is not based on achievement or performance, but on who they are at their core: inherently good, deeply precious to Hashem, and able to bring Him nachas through the choices they make each day.
The training also explored Ve’ahavta as a central yesod in Chinuch, not simply as another mitzvah or a general reminder to “be nice,” but as the foundation for how classroom culture is built. Educators discussed how Ahavas Yisroel can be taught through clear language, consistent modeling, and everyday opportunities that help students notice, include, and value every classmate.
Participants emphasized that the sessions gave them both a mindset shift and practical tools they could use immediately. The training offered age-appropriate guidance for preschool through high school classrooms, showing how the same pesukim can be taught with depth and relevance at every stage.
The class was both eye-opening and practical,” shared Mrs. Aber, a teacher at Beis Rivka.
“It gave us tools to shift our own thinking process around a child’s self-worth and Ahavas Yisroel, and helped us see each student as a gem.”
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The series was presented in separate tracks to address the needs of different age groups and classrooms and can be accessed here:
Mechanchos – Preschool–5th Grade
Presented by Mrs. Shterna Rappaport and Mrs. Miriam Rappaport
YouTube: chinuchoffice.org/pre-5
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/316tpopSWtHsNw541mbYvN
Mechanchos – Grades 6–12
Presented by Mrs. Sara Blau and Mrs. Rochie Cohen
YouTube: chinuchoffice.org/6-12
Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/episode/74pyGk5HKtbDt9wCiSXIKv
Mechanchim – All Grades
Presented by Rabbi Hertzel Pewsner and Rabbi Zalmy Kudan
YouTube: chinuchoffice.org/men
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6HylYTGCd8VG5FE6AHcoW7?si=3gRMcSY1TDyA9C_3tADcWQ
The slideshows shown during the trainings can be accessed here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13Wsaks5g0u9vspDiA4efgSdRXPDOENka
The Foundations of Chinuch series continues to help mechanchim and mechanchos bring the Rebbe’s chinuch language into the classroom in a practical way, giving students a stronger sense of identity, connection, and Ahavas Yisroel.
Additional resources and past trainings can be found at twelvepesukim.org, And replays are also available on 24Six https://24six.app/preview/podcast/collection/16817/merkos-chinuch-office
