Today is the first day of the rest of your life. It’s a saying we have all heard and at different times in our lives relied on for guidance. But it is true—we all experience different phases of our lives, starting as children and on through adulthood.
One of these phases is the amazing time in many women’s lives when they go from the never-ending, full-time job of motherhood to when their youngest is in school full-time and they start to wonder, “What do I want to do now?”
At the Allegra Franco Sephardic Women’s Teachers College we believe that the start of this phase of a woman’s life is the beginning of a tremendous opportunity. The opportunity to use all of the life experiences gained as a mom and combine them with the tools needed to be a classroom teacher for the next generation of our community. Many of these women are graduates of our community’s yeshivah day schools. Many have an extensive background in Judaic subjects that they have studied—and lived—throughout their lives.
Allegra Franco is starting a new program to train these jewels of our community so that they can enter the classrooms of our own yeshivot as BJE certified teachers in Judaic Studies. This is an extensive two-year program that will train its participants in everything they need to know to excel as Judaic studies teachers. At the completion of the program, participants will receive a certificate from the Board of Jewish Education (BJE) certifying them in the field of Judaic Education. This certificate will allow its holder to compete for a job in any Jewish day school in the community and is recognized throughout the United States as the standard of Judaic teacher certification.
Not only will these graduates be able to enter the classroom as expert educators, they will also serve as role models for the young women of our community, showing them all they can accomplish in their lives. They will also be in the unique position of being able to teach our children using their life experiences, having grown up and raised children in this community.
It is truly a win/win situation: The Allegra Franco Sephardic Women’s Teachers College will be training the women of our own community to teach the next generation of children the values and traditions of our community. In addition to serving the needs of our community and upholding its traditions, these women will have the opportunity to earn an income and the tremendous amount of personal pride and growth that comes from being a teacher.
This program is starting this October and there are a limited amount of spaces available. If you are interested, contact Charles Anteby at canteby@aol.com or (908) 489-1110 for additional information.
The Allegra Franco Sephardic Teachers College’s mission is to insure the highest quality education in our community, while maintaining our Sephardic heritage, by inspiring and training women to become Judaic Studies teachers for our community yeshivot and by offering an intensive continuing education program for those striving for excellence in judaic studies.
