One-Two Year Old Teachers
Emily Dennen
Before arriving at TBS I taught kindergarten, fourth and fifth grade and was a literacy instructor at the Jewish Community Day School of Rhode Island. Before teaching elementary school, I taught children ages 18months-3 years for four years. I am knowledgeable in the field of child development, having studied this special area of interest as an undergraduate at Smith College, and during pursuit of my Masters degree at Brandeis University. I have a particular interest and experience in progressive models of education, including the Reggio approach. |
Ryjbara Elysee
I hold a Masters of Arts In Teaching from University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth. Prior to joining the TBS team I was a camp counselor at YMCA West Roxbury and a tutor at America Reads. I am bilingual in English and Haitian Creole. As an educator my goal is to share the milestones of growth and learning that a young child experiences. They bring me joy every day! |
Kate Fitzgerald
Working with children has always been my passion. The joy and excitement children exhibit when they are provided with a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment is incredibly rewarding. I believe developing trusting relationships with children and their families is a key component to creating such an environment. I adhere to the philosophy that It Takes a Village to Raise a child, that every child deserves individual attention so that their needs are being met and that each child has inherent dignity - a born- given right to be treated with love and respect. I have taught at The New England Home for Little Wanderers, am a Nighttime Post Partum Doulah, have nannied for numerous families and am currently raising my own family here in Needham. I graduated from Colby College with a BA in English and Writing. I am dedicated to continuing my own learning and growth through formal training in child development and personal and professional experience. |
Meghan Halpern
I hold a BA of Arts from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where I also developed an understanding of child development, teaching strategies, and curriculum development in many of my courses. At the same time I earned my TEFL teaching certificate, and began my tutoring career. For the past few years I have been a toddler teacher at Maimonides ECC and a TK teacher at Teddy Bear Club Lincoln where I taught children ages one to five. I came to TBS for the sense of community, and specifically Jewish community, that is so important to me. In my teaching I bring a creative approach to the classroom, with an emphasis on experiencing the natural world, and a passion for language and language development. Above all, I work hard to foster relationships of love, joy, and respect in the classroom, and value each of my students as the individuals they are. I can speak English, French, and Mandarin, a splash of Hebrew and my name in Hebrew is Elisheva. |
Jaimee HIrschfeld
I received my BS degree from Assumption University where I majored in Psychology and minored in elementary education. Outside of my studies, I also ran track and field as a sprinter all four years. I am high energy and thoroughly enjoy the fast-paced environment of a classroom filled with young kids. I am excited to be working in such a beautiful and caring environment. I am very passionate about working with children and found my love for this career path at a very young age. I became a “mother’s helper” for my neighbor at just eight years old and began babysitting at age fourteen. During my experience as a babysitter/nanny, I worked with children as young as four months old through adolescence. Prior to TBS, I completed an independent study in a nursery in my high school and spent a semester teaching fourth grade. In college, I completed Community Service Learning (CSL) in a middle school classroom. I love the energy they bring and being able to see them grow and develop new skills every day is a rewarding experience. As a patient, organized and creative preschool teacher, I enjoy daily routines and designing fun activities for children, while also working on problem-solving and effective communication skills. |
Melissa Loeb
I have a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders and previously worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist for the past 11 years. I decided to make a career shift and become a preschool teacher at TBSCC because of the amazing sense of community here, the values placed on Jewish and secular learning, and the environment of providing children access to a wide variety of materials arranged to be inviting and provoking of their curiosity and creativity. I am also a mother of two children who attended TBSCC, and our family immediately adopted the guiding principles taught at the Children’s Center. I love observing children making their own discoveries and solving their own problems with gentle guidance and support, and I love being a part of the joy that children experience when they discover a new capability or a new way of interacting in their world. |
Makaela MacEachern
I hold a BA in Art Education from Massachusetts College of Art And Design where I also explored child development and curriculum development and interned in kindergarten through middle school. For the past few years I have been a toddler teacher at a local preschool where I taught children ages one to three. In my teaching I bring a creative approach to the classroom I am a passionate teacher who works to individualize instruction to the needs of each child. |
Katie Phelps
I have a strong passion for working with young children. I love listening to children and finding moments of joy and discovery. I have been teaching in early childhood for many years. Before joining the Temple Beth Shalom community I taught preschoolers at the Needham Children's Center, Radcliffe Child Care Center, and Children's Corner at Newton Wellesley Hospital. |
Johari Pimentel
My educational background is in human services and I taught for many years in early education. I have always enjoyed working with children and their families. As a newborn coordinator, I had the privilege of connecting with families from the beginning in a supportive and empathic manner. Through such collaborations, I was able to build relationships with each family, which was a rewarding process. This same goal carries into my teaching where I make warm connections and enhancing care coordination at a place that has so much meaning to those involved. I have a BS in Psychology and an MS in Human Services from Northeastern and an MA in Psychology from William James College. |
Chloe Raisman
As a dedicated and responsive toddler teacher I am comfortable working with students of different skill levels to promote learning and boost educational success. I use the theory of growth mindset to develop young minds and inspire love of learning. STEM learning is a part of the daily curriculum of my classroom as I give toddlers the opportunity to explore basic concepts of the world around them. Before coming to TBS I taught toddlers at Little Corner School House in Needham. |
Barbara Rome
I am a graduate of Boston University with a bachelor of science degree in personnel management. Before coming to TBS, I worked for various preschools in the area including JCC of Newton, Rosenshine Nursery School at Temple Reyim and the Suzuki School of Newton where I worked with children ages 2-5. As an educator I believe in supporting children in developing a love of learning through music and art, and work to support their social and emotional growth. |
Kateryn Silvestre
Before coming to TBS, I worked as a preschool teacher at Champions in Boston and a babysitter for children ages 5-11. I am currently a student at Bunker Hill Community College. Children's growth and development is amazing to me. I appreciate their intelligence and curiosity. To foster a passion for learning in children I give them a few materials and an idea to get them started and then encourage them to use their imaginations from there. |
Marisa Stanewick
I have a BA and an associates degree in early childhood education from Mount Ida College and am in the nursing program at Mass Bay. I have been substitute teaching at TBS for many years and taught two year olds in the TBS summer program. I also taught pre-k at Needham Children's Center, South Boston Neighborhood House and Franciscan Hospital for Children. As a teacher I work to create an environment of love and trust, while still embracing the need to set limits in order to support children in learning and growing. |
Skyndy Suffron
I feel in love with early childhood after spending the summers assisting my mother in her role as a kindergarten teacher. I have always been amazed by how a child’s brain works. When I took my first class in human development, I was hooked! Before coming to TBS I taught toddlers at the Rock & Roll Preschool in Cambridge and The Institute for Pan African Cultural Education in Boston. I love the way toddlers ask questions and notice so many things that the adults around them never stop to see. I have an Associates of Science in Early Childhood Education from Urban College of Boston and am currently earning my Bachelors in Early Childhood Education from Lesley University. |
Alessandra Varon
I earned my BFA in Film, Television, and Media Arts along with a minor in Theater Studies from Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT. I also hold a TEFL Certification, which enabled me to teach English as a second language to students in China aged 4-12. In addition to teaching at TBS, I also teach as a drum tech for the Quincy-North Quincy Marching Band and in the afterschool program CinemaKidz in the Boston area where I lead classes that teach the basic tenets of filmmaking, animation, and hands-on media arts to students in grades 1-6. As an educator my goal is to facilitate an environment based on empathy, mutual respect, and creativity where children are free to explore and develop their interests and capabilities as they form habits and gain knowledge that they will carry throughout their lives. I aim to provide a space where children are comfortable being uncomfortable as they navigate the new waters of the world. |
Nicole Zemel
I have been a part of the TBS community for the past decade beginning when my three children attended the Children's Center. I joined the TBS team professionally, first as a substitute and then as pre-k teacher. I love getting to know the uniqueness of each child. As a teacher, I listen to children and believe that children are best served by adults who honor and protect time for them to learn, reflect, and grow physically, emotionally, and spiritually. |