A Letter from Barbara Silberman - DJDS Teacher & LRC specialist retiring after 14 years

 

By Barbara Silberman, DJDS Upper Division Teacher & LRC Specialist for 14 Years

 

I originally moved to Denver, Colorado from New York 15 years ago. Acclimating to Colorado was challenging for me - missing my family, friends, and the school I worked at for 12 years (Island Trees Middle School). I soon learned that there was an opening for a 7th Grade History and English teacher at Denver JDS (it was RMHA back then) during my second year in Denver. My husband, Mickey, suggested I interview. I was a bit hesitant because I loved working in public school, but I remember meeting and then interviewing with Bryan Hay and immediately I thought he was a very kind man and when he offered me the job, I said yes. Then I met Jason Snyder and Judy Sylvan. It was impressive how welcoming and knowledgeable they were. Immediately, DJDS gave me a sense of belonging, and like my previous school, it became my happy place.

I taught 7th grade English and History for about 4 years at DJDS. During that time, students who required extra support didn't receive any in the Upper Division. Learning resource centers were still largely in development phases during that time. The year my older son entered the upper school, I talked with Lena Fishman, head of the lower division Learning Resource Center (LRC), and Bryan Hay about creating the LRC for the Upper Division and everyone agreed it was time. 

The following year, I taught 7th Grade History, and I began the Upper Division LRC and supported students in the Lower Division as well. The LRC grew from supporting my son and one other student to supporting 43 students in Grades 6-12 this past school year. I am very proud of all my LRC students because they are bright, hard-working, and high-achieving individuals. I am also very proud of our teachers because they were willing to learn, be open-minded, supportive, and understanding. I wouldn't have been able to run a successful program all these years without the support of Jason Snyder, Peta Miller, Ben Levy, and Bryan Hay. They have truly been invaluable in so many ways.

About 8 years ago, I was asked to take over 10th grade English in March and have been teaching English ever since. I was the English Department Chair for a few years, but I didn't want to take away time from being the Upper School LRC Specialist, so I gave it up to fully concentrate on teaching English and the LRC.

I have had so many favorite classes and feel so lucky to have been their teacher. Three favorite memories come to mind throughout my career at DJDS: when teaching World War I in 7th Grade, the class partook in trench warfare, using water balloons and crumbled yellow paper for mustard gas. It was a very happy day. My second favorite is a tie: when I taught English 8th grade for a few years and I would turn my classroom into a poetry cafe. Each student wrote an original poem, we sat on the floor with pillows, lights were dimmed, candles were lit, soft music was played, read poems, snapped our fingers, and then had hot chocolate and cupcakes. In 10th Grade English, we read The Great Gatsby, and the students pretended to be party coordinators and had to convince me to hire them for a 1920s-themed party. In their proposal, they needed to include invitations, music, games, perform a dance routine, food, decor, and special guests all from the 1920s. 

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In addition to providing me with a fantastic place to work, DJDS was wonderful for both of my children, Zachary and Shannon. They have a true love of Judaism and grew into high-achieving adults because of DJDS's warm and supportive environment and their teachers. Even though I am now ready for my new journey of getting my Ph.D. in Education, teaching in college, and traveling more, DJDS will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you for giving me the privilege of working with so many students, who I call my Bubalehs (I may need to trademark ‘Barbara's Bublalehs’), and for allowing me to be fortunate enough to have a job that fulfills my passion for teaching.