It must be that time of year, as recently, both professionals and parents have called me to ask about Shefa School, so I thought I would share. This is my son’s second year here. He is now in the sixth grade. The school is in Manhattan and next year there are enough kids to have a school-bus option for Bergen County students.
The Shefa School is a Jewish school geared towards language-based learning disorders. For my son, I slowly see his deficits shrinking; the gap is getting smaller and he is feeling positive about learning. The way the teachers present new material make me envious of the creative education he has and what I myself needed as a child. I feel blessed that his education is so on target for what he needs. People ask what do they (Shefa) do, or what is so good about it that his needs can’t be met elsewhere? I’m not an educator and I can’t adequately answer how or what they do. For me, the answer is simple: At Shefa School they are remediating his disabilities. They teach him the skills he needs. They teach in a way that is appropriate for him and students like him. Honestly, there is no crystal ball and I don’t know what Yeshiva High School will be like for him. But, for now, he is exactly where he needs to be. I wish he could have started this school in first grade.
In the beginning of the school year my son and I saw a Netflix documentary, called A Long Walk to School. It is a beautiful story with breathtaking scenes of children in several different third-world countries who are determined to get to school. Some students walked through deserts and confronted wild animals and other students pushed their brother in a wheelchair through a small stream. In this movie, attitudes towards education and the commitment to get there are inspiring. It is a reminder to not complain about GW bridge traffic, and be grateful that Shefa School is available.
On several occasions, my son and I discussed the commute to his school, which will be further next year, and he said, “Mom just do whatever it takes, I don’t care if it is longer.” With his attitude, he clarified for me that the commute is my problem, not his. I need to give a big thank you to Gabe Muth, a local Teaneck resident whom parents hired this year to provide our kids with some of their transportation needs; he has been a godsend. Transportation problems fall on the parents, not the child, and next year, Shefa School is assisting parents in solving the problem. The child’s problem is reading and writing and Shefa School is meeting his needs.
One can stop complaining about the Shefa School commute and be thankful a visionary with a big dream, coupled with energetic and skilled administrators, are paving the way to have a school in their own space. A Long Walk to School is in French and, because of Shefa School, he is able to read the subtitles. To his teachers I say, Merci!
By Gila Cohen
