Collaboration

Getting The Religious School and the ECE Center To Work Together

That’s my space….one time all the kids in the religious school tore the heads off all the baby dolls…the class was destroyed…I feel like a visitor in my own classroom…they don’t even know who we are…. that’s mine…don’t touch…. Religious School supplies only….

These were just a few of the things I heard from teachers over the course of my first year as Director of Youth and Family Learning at Temple Emanuel. I knew that we needed to shift the working culture between teachers in the religious school and the early childhood center.  It was imperative that the directors of both connect and try to work together to make the necessary changes.

I brought the leaders of both programs together to brainstorm and dream of the collaboration, connection, and community we wanted to create between the teachers.

We also held conversations with teachers from both programs to gather their feedback and craft norms for the classes. We then facilitated a zoom call so they could talk about shared space. Lastly, the religious school leaders spent Rosh Hashanah dressed as Bee, Apple, and Honey Pot walking around and spreading joy to the ELC kids and teachers.

With a vision of two communities, one dream we created the following norms:

• A joint-use bulletin board was created

• We created a space for a Pen Pal board for communication between the classes
• Classes sent weekly letter and questions back and forth
• Class pictures were put up on the wall
• If the room is left in disarray or something is broken, we asked the teachers to stop by the office to notify the appropriate individuals.  

• At the end of week, the ECE teachers erased everything on the white board or chalk board
• If there is an item/toy in the room that an ECE teacher preferred to remain the sole use of the preschool, it needed to be put away.
• Cubbies were labeled as shared spaces and needed to be emptied at the end of the week.   

Creating these norms was possible because the leadership viewed our Temple as one community. We were open to feedback and willing to not settle for status quo.

Brad Cohen
Director of Youth and Family Learning
Temple Emanuel
Denver, CO

Growing up, there was a simple set of table and chairs in our kitchen. Most people who came through our home would not have given it a second glance. It was heavy, and plain. The color was a nondescript brown. This set is actually still in my stepfather’s home, and he eats on it every single day. It’s remarkable since the set was built by my great-grandfather over 100 years ago now. It still looks brand new.  My great-grandfather was a carpenter and knife-maker. I still have his bag of tools and in the front pocket of this ancient canvas bag is a piece of paper that his wife placed there. It reads, “Measure twice, cut once.”

Now, I am not a carpenter. You should not give me tools. I am more likely to cut off my finger than to make something that can last 100 years, but that table and tiny piece of paper help me every day in the work that I am lucky enough to do.

Right now, especially now, it is hard to act as a team. I hear from colleagues across the country that due to working apart, they find it harder than ever to really hear what the people they work with are saying. This is not a new problem. The pandemic has possibly exacerbated or perhaps simply brought into focus issues that have existed for a long time.

Before continuing, I want to acknowledge that I am amongst the luckiest of Cantors and the congregation I serve is not normal. In a really good way. I hear from friends and colleagues all the time, “your congregation is not the norm.” What are they talking about? We are truly able to function as a team. We listen to each other. We rely on each other. We trust each other. How do we do this? There’s a little ineffable magic to it, sure, but really, we follow the advice on my great-grandfather’s piece of paper. We measure twice so we only have to cut once. In organizational terms that means we talk, a lot. We don’t assume anything. And no program, no demographic, nothing belongs to just one person. We talk about everything. Yes, it can be exhausting, but we are stronger both as a team and as a congregation because of it.

The other element to this equation is the metaphorical version of my kitchen table. In order to work to the best of our abilities we have to sit down at that table together. Every time we gather as a staff we take a moment to have a personal check-in. This practice long preceded Covid. We know and genuinely care what is happening in the personal lives of each person around that table. It is understood that before we are employees of the synagogue, we are people with lives. We have partners and children and stress and triumphs. We celebrate and commiserate before we hash out temple stuff. (Yes, that is a highly technical term.)

Once we have sat down at the table and acknowledged each other’s humanity, then we can get to work. When we are able to be in the building together we all sit at a round table so that we can all see each other. We look into the eyes of those with whom we serve. We fight (nicely), we disagree (a lot), we don’t always make a decision at that moment. But when we leave the room, no matter how bitterly we disagree, we are a united team. We know that we have the support of each other. Everything is fixable if we can come back to the table together. Everything is doable if we listen to each other, measure twice and cut once.

Cantor Rebecca Moses
Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel
 South Orange, NJ

We talk about collaboration a lot, because seldom is the time when we don’t want to be collaborating more effectively. We want to do what we do better, quicker and more effectively. We want to work well with our colleagues.

 And there are lots of ways to be more collaborative. From making better use of technology, to communicating more effectively, to thinking of new ways to be sharing. We can always be exploring innovative ways to work with other people and teams at our congregations.

 But that’s a lot of things to be thinking about. Maybe instead we could be thinking about one thing. One positive, specific thing. Because if we do this one thing, this one incredibly important, powerful thing, it will lead to more teamwork, more partnership and more collaboration.

 Be transparent. Don’t be a little transparent, be a lot transparent. Uncomfortably transparent. Lead with transparency. Embrace transparency. Talk about transparency. Brag about transparency. There are different ways this can be done.

 Always share what you are working on. Get input from your colleagues before your work is done, before it is perfect. That may sound uncomfortable, but doing so gives you an opportunity to get valuable feedback, to learn what you may be missing, and to be better connected to the work of others.

 Always be curious. Transparency only works when you have someone to be transparent with. It’s not just about you giving others access to your work, but others need to give you access to their work, and you need to take advantage of that transparency. Open the floodgates and let the mighty rivers of information flow!

 Always be strategic. You are not being transparent just to show your colleagues that you can be transparent. What do you hope to learn through your transparency? What do you hope to gain? How can your work best be framed through your transparency to get the feedback that will help you the most?

 When we are more transparent, we do better work. Our congregations become stronger, and our partnerships become more sacred. So do that. Be transparent.

 Larry Glickman, FTA | Microsoft MVP
 Director, Reform Movement Marketplace
 Strengthening Congregations

The morning began with the click of a prescribed link and an invitation to enter yet another virtual world. As I was given permission to enter, the screens opened one by one, and in tiny squares, I was treated to the sights and sounds of our amazing early childhood students and their phenomenal teachers. Depending on the setup, I saw their full expressions of joy in getting to see one another. Some remain masked, and some still home, finding the virtual portal as their sole connection to our early childhood offerings.

“Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi” is the feel-good moment for me that welcomes the time we are about to spend together – in song and in prayer. It is filled with joyful movement, fun story-telling and sharing, and a familiar review and participation in our weekly liturgy, either welcoming us to the week with Havdalah or having us embrace the Shabbat upon us.

Indeed, my moments of interaction these past 11 months with our littles have [for the most part] been relegated to screens, infused with technical glitches and the like. Yet, I believe there is so much more to offer at this critical time - moments in which clergy can and should be working to partner with our Early Childhood Directors and educators to both strengthen and uphold one of the major life forces of synagogue life.

Below, I offer a collaborative “Inventory of Opportunity”. Perhaps this inventory can serve as a jumping-off point for partnerships with your own clergy:

• Regular clergy check in/support with the Early Childhood Director. Do you have regular, scheduled check-ins with your Early Childhood Director or at least one member of your ECC leadership team? Are you aware of what is happening in the school – the accolades and challenges? How can you best support your educators at this time? How can you help them to continue to find joy in their role?
• Periodic clergy check-in/engagement with Early Childhood faculty and staff. Given limited physical interaction, prioritize opportunities to engage your ECC faculty and staff. This can help to foster connection and care. 
• Spiritual/pastoral offerings for families. Many families are in need of support at this time but don’t know where to turn. Actively offer (and promote) virtual coffees and pastoral sessions for families of early childhood students. 
• Provide mental health opportunities for families. In addition to pastoral guidance, families could be in need of mental health/therapeutic support. Avail yourselves of the skills and talents of congregants. Perhaps they can offer workshops, support groups, and/or referrals.             
• Regular clergy engagement with students (virtual and in-person, if possible). This is key, as students love to see and engage with their clergy. 
• Programmatic “pop-ups” that involve both students and families. From trivia events to sing-a-longs and special holiday programming, families feel nourished by all that the synagogue community has to offer them. It can feel overwhelming, even in the midst of the pandemic, for families with children in the ECC to engage with a mass of people. Brainstorm to provide ECE family-oriented experiences that spotlight your relationship with the ECC.

Share it. Build upon it. There is so much we can do together. And on a personal note: thank you for your tireless efforts and most sacred work in keeping our youngest ones and their families safe and happy in these uncertain times.

With gratitude and appreciation -

Rabbi Jason Nevarez, RJE
Senior Rabbi, Congregation Beth Israel
San Diego, CA