Posted on 12/01/23
Baltimore, MD - Dec. 1, 2023 - Jewish Educational Services is proud to support Jewish schools in Baltimore. When Rabbi Moshe Frohlich from Bais Yaakov and Rabbi Hillel Hexter from Talmudical Academy approached Rabbi Aaron Levitt, Executive Director of JES, with a request for a professional development day for the day school community, JES was excited to get involved. In partnership with Rabbi Heshy Glass and Eli Shapiro from the Consortium of Jewish Day Schools (COJDS), JES hosted a community-wide professional day on November 7.
Over 550 educators from 10 local schools, as well as several from outside Maryland, packed into the auditorium at Bais Yaakov High School to hear Larry Thompson, M.Ed describe how to apply his proprietary program, RCD: Responsibility Centered Discipline, in the classroom and as part of the school culture. Through this program, Mr. Thompson has helped thousands of educators and schools throughout North America shift from their traditional discipline models to a model that cultivates a climate of responsible students who are ready to take ownership for their actions and make better choices. New and veteran teachers connected with what he said, often nodding along in agreement and recognizing scenarios that he presented were happening in their classrooms or schools.
Referencing his book, Roadmap to Responsibility: The Power of Give 'em Five, Mr. Thompson’s main message was to provide strategies for educators to change their practice of discipline from trying to control students to helping them learn how to maintain control of themselves. Instead of threatening students to get them to comply, present them with the opportunity to do their best to ensure that they feel valuable even if they didn’t meet their academic mark.
Following the three-hour session, principals and administrators has a special lunch session with Mr. Thompson where he cautioned them that in order for his program to be properly implemented, teachers needed the support of their administrators, proper training, and sufficient time to practice.
The presentation by Larry Thompson on his discipline system, RCD (Responsibility Centered Discipline), was exceptional. It was heartening to witness so many schools come together in support of a common cause—the betterment of our students. The event, which you sponsored, brought together educators and administrators from various institutions, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose in our mission to provide the best education possible for our students. - Rabbi Hillel Hexter, Talmudical Academy
Thank you deeply for arranging such a successful day of professional learning! Our faculty who attended felt they gained a lot from the presentation and be”H they’ll have a few more tricks in their toolbox when considering the topic of classroom management. - Rabbi Yochanon Stein, Bais Yaakov
