“I believe in our students and I believe in the ideals of the school,” said Rabbi Ami Neuman, principal of the Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy, as he reflected on his first year as principal and set his goals for the coming year.
“I see a very bright future for our school and our students,” he continued. “I know that the people I work with are committed to our highest ideals: of seeing students not where they are, but where they could be; seeing teachers not where they are and where they have been, but where they could be.”
Rabbi Neuman is not new to RTMA. He joined the staff 14 years ago and, in his words, “I have eaten, slept and drunk JEC for the past 14 years.”
When Rabbi Neuman first arrived he was a rebbe and hockey coach. The following year he became the director of RTMA’s vast extra-curricular program, where he thrived and empowered students.
“Being the student activities director gave me the chance to give students voice and ownership over their extra-curricular program, which is now a big theme here,” he said.
Three and a half years ago, Rabbi Neuman was promoted to vice principal, and now, at the end of his first full year as principal, he sees a very bright future for RTMA.
Since Pesach, under Rabbi Neuman’s leadership, the whole of RTMA learns b’chavruta for morning seder. “No job or learning the students will ever do in the future is going to be sitting through eight hours of lectures. It’s a ridiculous construct,” said Rabbi Neuman. “So, it all goes back to students taking ownership of their learning and being active participants in what they do. We learn b’chavruta, the way it is done in a beit midrash, so it is not a lecture-driven experience. The Jewish mode of learning has always been getting our hands dirty and getting into it. So we’re just going back to our roots.”
Alysia Heller, mother of twin 10th graders Aharon and Moshe, commented, “Rabbi Neuman brings a combination of youth, vision and intensity to his new position as principal that we are confident will lead the JEC into a bright, new future.”
Under Rabbi Neuman’s leadership, the general studies curriculum is constantly adapting to meet the needs of the 21st-century learner. The school invests in professional development, regularly bringing in experts to talk to the staff about current trends and best practices in education. In addition, the staff meets three times a month for teacher-led discussion groups, where participants are always looking for ways to hone their craft and advance the educational program.
To accommodate the rapid expansion of RTMA’s award-winning STEM program, plans are in the works for a new, expanded, state-of-the-art STEM lab. Just a few weeks ago, RTMA won the first-ever CIJE Robotics competition held as part of the CIJE Innovation Day. The school was also proud to boast three finalists in the National Chidon HaTanach competition this year.
At times, Rabbi Neuman seems like more of a coach and cheerleader than a principal, a quality that students and parents alike value greatly.
“I want to make sure each child at RTMA knows just how much he is valued. I want to bring out what is best in each and every one of my students. My goal is to prepare students in all their different capacities, whether it’s academic, spiritual, social-emotional, to become everything they can become, to become their futures, to become active learners—life-long learners, to become pillars, to be giants, to stand up when everyone else is sitting down,” said Rabbi Neuman.
When Rabbi Neuman walks the halls, he quite naturally says hello to every student. And they return the greeting with warm smiles in kind. It seems fitting that the principal of the Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy should have this trait, the natural impulse to love all people.
By Alissa Paige Joseph
