Full Circle Stories at BSY — Bet Shalom Congregation

by Heidi Greenberg

I used to tell people how wonderful it was to teach a 3rd grade student, then tutor the same student for bar or bat mitzvah and finally mentor them as a madrich or a madricha for my 3rd grade class. It’s really amazing to see how children grow over the course of a few years from 3rd grade to high school. What's even more amazing is that I blinked and now some of my past 3rd grade and b'nai mitzvah students are parents. What a treat it is for me to spend my days with the next generation of children.

It's an exhilarating, full circle feeling to reconnect with past students who are now parents. When Athena and Tom Hays came to tour the preschool, I was tickled pink with excitement seeing Athena as an expectant mother. At one time she was my bat mitzvah student! And when Brandon and Stephanie Purcel dropped off their son on his first day at BSY, my heart melted. Brandon was my 3rd grade student in the Religious School a generation ago! Seeing Alex Jarecki and meeting Justine and their baby was like taking a step back in time remembering Alex as a young person himself. I have the best job!

I remember Emily Lazear as a student. Now an adult, when she became my colleague as a preschool teacher, it struck me that I hadn't seen her since her bat mitzvah. How awesome it is to work together! Madalyn Holm and Emily Dejewski are also colleagues of mine, teaching in the Religious School, and years ago they were my students, too.

One of the best parts of being a teacher is building relationships with students and families. With my commitment to Bet Shalom for almost 30 years, I have been able to nurture relationships spanning three generations. In the next five years, Athena and Tom's daughter and Brandon and Stephanie's son will be 3rd graders in my Religious School class. Which of my past students will show up next with kids in the preschool? I love these full circle stories!