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Nick Shander. (Photo Courtesy of the Kaiserman JCC.)<\/p>\n Nick Shander. (Photo Courtesy of the Kaiserman JCC.)<\/p>\n
With the start of the new school year, the Kaiserman JCC Early Learning Center is under new leadership. Nick Shander is the new director of teaching and learning for the JCC\u2019s Early Learning Center, and he comes with extensive experience in education, not to mention experience in the exact place that he will now oversee.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a student at the JCC preschool, and now I\u2019m a director at the school, and a few of my teachers are still teaching here,\u201d Shander said. \u201cSo, teachers I had when I was three or four years old, now I get to work alongside them and continue to support them and help out. I get to bring out the best in all the teachers and people that helped shape me as a young learner. It\u2019s really good to be able to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Shander, this opportunity came together thanks to his wanting to give his stepkids the same experience that he had at the Kaiserman JCC preschool. The preschool director ended up reaching out to Shander and mentioning that the team was looking for a new director of teaching and learning, and Shander, who was working as a special education teacher, knew that it was the right position for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe timing was really great, and I\u2019m really excited to be back where I kind of started my teaching career,\u201d Shander said.<\/p>\n
As he mentioned, Shander didn\u2019t just attend the Kaiserman JCC Early Learning Center; he got his start in education at the school, too. Starting in his teen years, he began working various jobs at the JCC, following in the footsteps of family members. His grandmother worked at the front desk handling membership and payroll for four decades, while his uncle, dad and mom worked at the JCC as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always had that really strong cultural connection to Judaism and Jewish life through my participation at the JCC,\u201d Shander said.<\/p>\n
In Shander\u2019s mind, working with the youngest age bracket of students is a wonderful opportunity. The job is different from that of a high school, middle school or even elementary school teacher, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat drew me to the early childhood field is that they\u2019re so naturally inquisitive and such natural learners. The role of the teacher is different. I would describe the teacher as the expert of observing and documenting the learning that\u2019s naturally occurring,\u201d Shander said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the moment a child is born \u2026 they\u2019re just soaking everything in and absorbing everything that\u2019s around them, and it\u2019s our job to identify and share the learning processes with families and highlight all the great things they do every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Shander knows the hallways he will walk this upcoming school year, they aren\u2019t the same as they were when he was a child. At the JCC, there are several new nursery classrooms. Shander said that\u2019s important because \u201chigh-quality infant and toddler care\u201d can be hard to find.<\/p>\n
Shander said he is excited for the year to start. He said that this time of year moves quickly with school starting, the High Holidays and more, and he wants to make sure that he is ready to support the families who experience it. After all, he now knows what it\u2019s like to be a parent, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really one of the greatest things I\u2019ve ever been tasked with,\u201d Shander said. \u201cI knew I had the skills to be a parent just from my work with kids and training and background, but I never thought I would have the opportunity myself, and it\u2019s been such a gift and a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the year begins, Shander will help create a \u201ccoaching model\u201d that the school can use to identify individual goals for students and help students work toward them. There\u2019s a lot of good already going on at the JCC, but Shander hopes to add even more. All in all, he can\u2019t wait for the students to arrive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m ready to make a really positive impact,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n