(Courtesy of the BPLY Committee) We ask you to consider for a moment the following painful but very real scenarios:

A mother and father enter the principal’s office, afraid of what they will hear. They are told that despite the best efforts of the yeshiva, the school simply cannot support their child and that he is being asked to leave the yeshiva. Now a “reject,” their son has no appropriate yeshiva option for the coming school year.

A young girl comes home from school daily violently angry and upset. Spending her days feeling nothing but rejection, frustration and failure at her yeshiva, she says she hates Torah, hates Hashem and she swears to never go back again.

A normally upbeat, positive 16-year old teenage girl has recently has been acting depressed and lethargic. She can hardly get out of bed in the morning. When asked what caused the sudden change, she breaks down and says nobody in school cares about her and she feels like a shadow all day long.

Parents know that their dear son is very talented and gifted in so many ways, yet the report card shows that he is failing. His teachers are reporting that the boy is simply lazy and unfocused, that he is a real underachiever—but his parents know that he is capable of so much.

The scenarios above represent just some of the difficulties often faced by parents and educators in our communities. Those who have been on the front lines of these issues know just how heartwrenching and difficult these situations are and how deeply they affect parents, children and the entire family. The fact is that for certain children, the traditional school setting is simply not the right fit for so many possible reasons. These children are left to struggle, often for years, while underachieving in low-level classes, bouncing from yeshiva to yeshiva or simply going through the motions while their inner angst and discomfort grows. It is truly heartbreaking to see the developmental, emotional and religious toll of such a negative and disengaged school experience at such a transformative time of life such as adolescence.

The good news is that alternative school programs exist with very rich success records for students who do not find success in traditional school settings. In the U.S., it is estimated that over 500,000 students attend alternative schools, which have high success rates in supporting students going through an array of emotional, behavioral and academic struggles.

While models of alternative schools vary greatly, there are a number of factors that can be found consistently in successful alternative school models. (See link here http://www.sedl.org/policy/insights/n06/3.html)

First, alternative schools focus on the whole child, with academic success being just one part of the child’s development; as a result, such programs provide a strong sense of support for whatever struggles the child is going through at any given time. Second, they have fluid curricula, allowing students to move forward in areas in which they are successful and passionate, while giving extra time and support to build skills in areas in which they struggle. Finally, alternative schools connect student learning to the real world, allowing students to understand the importance and meaning of their learning in a way that makes sense to them.

In our community, a committee of community members, educators and rabbanim have been joining together to envision and develop an alternative yeshiva model for “out of the box” learners. We envision a yeshiva where Torah, avodah and derech eretz form the pillars of each student’s formative years. Such a yeshiva would be rooted in a system where the values of setting aside time for daily learning, forming a meaningful, personal relationship with Hashem through prayer and engaging in genuine acts of kindness on a regular basis are all treasured and celebrated with a great sense of purpose and pride. Children will spend their days in a truly Torah rich environment.

Based on the well-researched and highly successful “Big Picture Learning” model that has inspired thousands of students all over the world, (see link here: https://www.bigpicture.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=389353&type=d&pREC_ID=882376)

we envision students working closely with advisors and mentors in a highly individualized program where the passions and strengths of each child are celebrated, as they form the backbone of an education that gives that student the competencies needed to be successful in secondary education and their future professional endeavors. Students are given opportunities to engage in meaningful real-world internships and to exhibit their learning in multiple ways using a model that for over 30 years has helped students struggling in traditional schools prepare for college and careers.

On behalf of the children in our community who so desperately need an educational option to fit their needs, we ask you to come join us and support this cause in whatever way you can. At this point, we are looking for community members to join in making this educational opportunity available to children in our community. The more people come forward to support this effort, the faster we will be able to turn this into a reality. If you would like more information about this initiative, we ask you to please email us at [email protected] to learn more.