Yeshivat Noam extends tremendous hakarat hatov to Hidden Sparks for gifting the teachers with multiple sessions of coaching with Lily Howard Scott. This opportunity was invaluable as a school, especially during a challenging year like this one. Social emotional learning has always been an integral part of Yeshivat Noam’s culture and integrated into the curriculum both in and out of the classroom, but working with Scott, and placing a heightened focus on this year, has made an even greater difference. Scott shared simple, creative and engaging ways for teachers to incorporate social and emotional learning into their classrooms immediately. She shared resources of all of the materials that she discussed and made herself available to the teachers at any time for follow up. After attending a smaller session with Scott, one teacher commented, “I love listening to Lily’s ideas and experiences in the classroom. The way that she is open with us, helps us be open with her so that we can really focus on what our students need from us. Her activities, whether it’s written or an energizer, have just enough silliness to keep them fun for the students and the teachers. I’m looking forward to using them with my students to continue to build my relationship with them.”

Scott will have an impact on Yeshivat Noam’s teaching and students well beyond 2020!