Dr. Jerry M. Lob & Rabbi Rosenblum to Address the Kinus

All educators want not only to teach students a particular subject but to reach and communicate with them; to mechanchim and mechanchos reaching students is not just a professional need it is an imperative. They are charged with not only teaching Torah but forging the next link in the chain from Har Sinai.

School and home together expect to impart Torah values and inculcate students with the desire live their lives as dedicated fully observant Jews and in the case of Chabad schools to instill Chassidic values as well. Yet as essential as this mission is, there is deep concern that home and school may not be reaching serious segments of the student population. There is feeling that at times they are simply talking at, instead of with, students.

Many schools are concerned that if they set a standard too high it may turn off talmidim and talmidos and numerous parents are afraid to demand too much of their children for fear of alienating them. How can school and home cooperate in communicating a single message and assuring that it is heard?

At both summer Kinusim of the Merkos Chinuch Office, the issue of positive communication between school and home, between teachers and students will be addressed in a fundamental way with presentations and symposia. There will be input form professional in the field of communication, from principals, from teachers and from parents.

At the Kinus HaMechanchim Rabbi Yosef Rosenblum, principal of Yeshiva Schools of Pittsburgh, will present elements of a program which fosters “positive communication” with children and parents and involves them in school matters in way that encourages the cooperation of the children and breeds a sense of cooperativeness on the part of parents.

At the Kinus HaMechanchos at the end of July, Dr. Jerry M. Lob, noted psychologist from Chicago IL, will present on the issue. He believes that schools can and must develop modes of cooperative communication with both children and their parents. Dr. Lob has written extensively on the subject of successful, positive communication and he will discuss administrative strategies, guidelines to improve teachers’ communications with parents and ways to open and maintain stronger open lines of communication with children.

The conference for men will take place on July 3-4 [1-2 Tammuz] and for women on July 25-26 [23-24 Tammuz]. For more information visit ChinuchOffice.org or call (718) 771-3930.