Young Teachers in the Legacy Heritage Teacher Training and GiveBack Fellowship Programs Fill Void in Classrooms across the Country The 2010 Legacy Heritage Teacher Training and GiveBack Fellows Jul 21, 2010 -- In just two short years the Legacy Heritage Teacher Training Fellowship and GiveBack Fellowship at Yeshiva University’s Institute for University-School Partnership have altered the landscape of Jewish education by creating a new pipeline of talented teachers and placing them across the U.S. Already, almost 30 new teachers are instructing in 20 schools and communities, including Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Phoenix. “Day schools today yearn for young, passionate teachers who can serve as role models and help make content engaging, relevant and meaningful,” said Joey Small, associate director of teacher recruitment and placement at the Institute. “These fellowships attract the best and brightest in our community and provide them the training and support they need to shine in the field of Jewish education today and tomorrow,” added Dr. Scott Goldberg, director of the Institute. Legacy Heritage Teacher fellows receive a full-tuition scholarship for three summers of coursework culminating in a master of science in education from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration. They must also commit to teaching at a Jewish day school for two years. Each fellow is partnered with a mentor at their school and Yeshiva University provides continuous support and guidance to the mentors and the fellows throughout the school year. [miniflickr photoset_id="72157624551106482" ] Concurrent with the Legacy Heritage Teacher Training Fellowship, the Institute coordinates the GiveBack Fellowship program, which seeks dynamic college graduates who would like to participate in a Peace Corps type of experience after college by working in a Jewish day school for a year. The GiveBack fellows, however, are not yet ready to make the same two-year commitment to teaching and graduate school as the Legacy Heritage Teacher fellows. As a result, these fellowships have recruited fresh talent into the field. “Through the help of my Azrieli classes, mentors and peers, the fellowship has given me the tools and supportive framework necessary for me to succeed as a new teacher,” said Raphael Rosenzweig ‘07YC, a Legacy Heritage Teacher Training fellow and Judaic studies teacher at Yavneh Academy in Dallas. “With a year of experience, I am now better equipped to engage students in our tradition and texts and expand the way they think.” Montreal native Aaron Kogut ‘09YC was searching for a “meaningful way to contribute to the Jewish community” and deferred dental school to teach as a GiveBack fellow at SCY High in San Diego. “The GiveBack Fellowship gave me the confidence and structure to become a teacher.” Day schools are reaping the programs’ rewards. “The Legacy Heritage Teacher Training Fellowship shaped our school in a positive way and created a sense that a student can look at a Modern Orthodox guy as a role model who they can imagine themselves being,” said Rabbi Ari Leubitz, principal at Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles and mentor in the program. “The fellowship established Yeshiva University as a place committed to the education of educators.” Elana Kermaier, assistant general counsel of the Legacy Heritage Fund, said the goal in funding the program was to improve the quality of Jewish education in communities throughout the country by encouraging the best and brightest students to pursue a career in teaching. “The passion and commitment of the fellows, coupled with the skills and support they receive through the program, have come to represent excellence in the teaching field.”