Batya Engel, K-8 General Studies Curriculum Coordinator
BIO: Batya Engel is a seasoned Mazel educator who has been on our team since the school’s first years. After graduating from Mercy College with a Bachelor’s degree in regular and special education, Batya continued her education by pursuing a degree in Literacy, and receiving her teaching license from the NYS Department of Education. Throughout the time that she was in college, Batya was in the classroom, first as an assistant in a different school, then coming to Mazel as a teacher in its second year. During her first years at Mazel, she worked to develop the school’s curriculum together with the school director, Chani Okonov. After a few years of teaching preschool, she moved on to teach elementary school, all the while seeking ways to initiate and improve curricular programs and goals. During this time, Batya continued to pursue her education by taking various courses in math, literacy, and curriculum, including a course of training in the Montessori Method and its practices. Additionally, she authored two books on curriculum which have sold over 500 copies each.
In September 2012, Batya moved out of the classroom to become Mazel’s general studies curriculum coordinator. She continued to take courses and classes, especially those related to her new position. When NY State adopted the common core standards, Batya took workshops in order to fully understand the standards. In 2013, she attended a year-long cohort funded in part by the Bar Ilan University in Israel geared towards Educational Leadership Advancement. In 2019, Batya attended The Maurice Ralph Julis Principal Training Institute giving her the opportunity to explore topics such as school culture and climate, guiding and driving curricular goals and learning outcomes, and building the school community. She graduated from Brooklyn College with a second Master's Degree in educational leadership in August 2021 and has recieved both the New York State School Building Leader (SBL) and School District Leader (SDL) certificates.
Batya continues to research both various curricular programs and methods to implement in Mazel as well as ways to advance both her education and those of Mazel’s teachers so that they all can ensure the highest quality education for Mazel’s students. Batya currently lives in Crown Heights with her husband and 9 beautiful children. She loves working at Mazel and watching it grow! Batya is especially proud of the recent 2022 Blue Ribbon which was awarded to Mazel Day School by the US Dept of Education for Academic Excellence, under her leadership.
I became a curriculum coordinator because… As a teacher, I had many ideas on how to further the curriculum beyond my classroom in earlier grades and later grades. When the opportunity arose for me to work as a curriculum coordinator, I was happy to take on that role because it gave me the opportunity to implement many things I have learned. I also love being able to support teachers and help ensure that the quality of the education in Mazel is of the highest quality.
My vision for our children is… That they should grow and develop to well-rounded adolescents with good middot, manners and strong Jewish pride. They should have a solid foundation in ELA, math, science and social studies and the skills necessary to navigate an ever-changing world.
I joined Mazel because… When I joined Mazel, it consisted of 2 children! I joined because I was looking for a job and was intrigued by the size of the school and the job description. As Mazel grew from year to year, I loved it more and more and have been working at Mazel ever since-watching it grow from 2 three-year olds to an unbelievable school of close to 400 children!
My favorite memory from being a student is… The pride on my teacher’s face when I scored well on a challenging test. She was so proud of my hard word and how it paid off! She was genuinely happy for me and that touched me.
My best advice to parents is… Instill in your child a love of reading because that will be something that she can take with her anywhere. In today’s world of technology, the value of picking up and reading a book is immeasurable.
Value your child’s middot and manners over grades and test scores. The one who goes far in life is one who can be kind, considerate and thoughtful, not necessarily the one who can score 100% on a test. Model the behavior you want your child to emulate and show an example of what is important in life.
If I could teach my students only one thing, it would be… It doesn’t matter the scores you get on the test. What matters is how you treat others-in speech, actions and even thought.
If I would not have become a teacher I would have become… A graphic designer or working with database coding.
Outside of school I like to… Between working for Mazel and taking care of my growing family, I don’t have much time for leisure. I love spending time with my family and cooking and baking. I also love to read and in that rare moment that I have some time, I like to grab a book and get lost in the world of literacy.
Additionally I enjoy learning and try to listen to online classes or attend seminars, conferences and lectures on a variety of topics.