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November 9, 2001/Cheshvan 23, 5762, Vol. 54, No. 9
Head of the classDiana Young of Scottsdale has been teaching at the Phoenix Hebrew Academy for 18 years. She decided to embark on a career in Jewish education when her daughter Devorah, now 28, was starting school."Sending (Devorah) to a Jewish day school was a given. At that point, I felt it was important for me to be able to share in Devorah's experiences," Young explains. "Teaching in a public school didn't give me this opportunity." Currently she's a second- and fourth-grade teacher of secular studies. Young holds a bachelor's degree in special education and elementary education from the State University College in Buffalo, N.Y. She also has 32 years of teaching experience. In addition to her many years at the Academy, Young taught a Beginning Hebrew and Lifecycle class at Temple Beth Israel for two years. The biggest change she's seen during her years as an educator in the Valley is "the awareness and implementation of helping Jewish children with special needs. When I first began teaching in Jewish education, the class was seen as a whole - no one student was give resource teaching," she explains. "Today, we have several resource staff working with children who need additional help or enrichment." In her spare time, Young is an avid walker, spending an hour a day taking a four-mile walk. Young feels that the sprawling nature of the Valley makes it important for Jewish children to attend a day school, so they can "share on a daily basis with other Jewish children (in) experiences that are uniquely Jewish. This only enhances Jewish identity and gives Jewish children a sense of pride in being Jewish." Head of the Class is a new education feature. Each story will profile a local Jewish educator. Suggestions for future stories may be sent to Jewish News of Greater Phoenix, Attn: Beth Olson, 1625 E. Northern, Suite 106, Phoenix 85020. |
