Chava Mandler, Nursery Teacher
BIO: I was born and raised in a small town in Slovakia. I am an only child. My love for teaching started in London where I worked as an au-pair at the age of 18. Since then, I have accumulated over six years of experience as a classroom teacher. Still, I felt that a formal course of studies on the college level was an absolute necessity to take my craft to the next level. I enrolled at Touro College and obtained a B.S. degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education in January 2014 along with a NYS teacher certificates. In the year that followed, I obtained an M.S. degree in the same program. This is my fourth year teaching in Mazel. My husband and I have two young children.
I became a teacher because... As an 18 year old au –pair in London, I realized that it gives me joy to see children learning new things from me and I really enjoyed spending time with them. After that I was given the opportunity to teach in a Jewish preschool in Budapest, Hungary, were I realized that this is the path I want to continue on.
Why I love teaching... I believe that my role as a teacher is to provide children with a loving and nurturing environment where they can learn, explore and reach their full potential. Seeing young children develop not only academically but also socially and emotionally fills me with a lot of joy. To witness my students internalize lessons learned is simply priceless. The greatest level of satisfaction comes from seeing my students’ eyes light up as they experience an “aha moment,” showing they have just understood a newly learned concept.
My vision for our students is… to be proud Jews and continue their curiosity and thirst for learning just as they had when they walked into the preschool the first day.
I joined Mazel because… It felt right as soon as I walked in and was given a tour by Chani, our principal. Being a perfectionist, my standards were high to find a workplace (after being at home with my small children) that is warm, welcoming and a pleasure to work in. I had no doubt, that this was the place I want to be part of. Mazel is built on principles of Jewish education and it also provides a progressive model of education. Our values are not only taught but modeled by the teachers and staff. We have an open relationship with the parents.
My favorite memory as a student.... My elementary history teacher made learning fun and that gave me a boost to learn even more and the love for history.
The most difficult part of teaching Preschoolers is... Perhaps to teach the children that some things are not worth fighting for, take it easy. As I say, “Life goes on”.
My best advice to parents is…. let them be independent. Give your children the freedom to experience life fully and learn its many important lessons. Let them feel the pride when they accomplish something.
If I could teach my students only one thing, it would be... Be kind. Treat others as you would like to be treated..
If I would not have become a teacher I would have become… a stewardess.
A trick I use in the classroom is… my sense of humor to inspire the children to do something they are reluctant to do.
Outside of school I like to... travel.