MTA freshmen and sophomores were empowered to take ownership of their educational growth during the yeshiva’s first ever student-led conferences (SLCs). Students had the opportunity to meet one on one with their rebbeim and teachers and collaboratively discuss successes and areas of growth, as well as goals set by each talmid, with specific focus on how to achieve them. With help from the guidance department, talmidim have been preparing for SLCs during their advisory sessions over the past few months to ensure that they maximize this unique experience. “We are very excited to be introducing student led conferences at MTA,” shared Rabbi Dov Emerson, director of Teaching and Learning. “The goal of SLCs is to give our talmidim an added level of ownership in their education and growth. By meeting directly with their teachers and rebbeim, they have an opportunity to reflect together on their progress this year, and to set goals for growth for the remainder of the semester and beyond. Taking time beforehand to work with our talmidim and allow them to practice setting goals and role playing was another crucial step towards ensuring that these conversations were impactful.” Talmidim made the most of this initiative and truly took ownership of both the meetings and their overall learning. “The SLCs are valuable not just because they allow each talmid to focus on areas of growth specific to their classes. They do much more than that, as they are a natural extension of our mission here at MTA to create the next generation of Jewish leaders,” said Rabbi Emerson. “Learning how to hold an effective meeting, set goals and collaborate are crucial skills for becoming a successful adult and leader, and our SLCs are just one of the many ways in which we are training our young men.” In between meetings, talmidim also had the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities, including sports, games, an open learning seder in the beit midrash, study hall, a guidance session and a chesed project.