Programs » Gateways Teen Volunteer Program » A Tale of Two Teens

Voices from the Gates: A Tale of Two Teens

Each month, we introduce you to another “Voice at the Gate,” someone whose life has been changed by Gateways’ innovative programs and services. These include children with special needs in multiple Jewish learning settings across the community, their families, educators and teen volunteers.

On Sunday mornings Bronwen Stern can be found in the first grade classroom at her home congregation, Temple Isaiah in Lexington. As one of 85 area teens Gateways’ Madrichim Program trained this year to be an aide (madricha) in their congregational religious school, Bronwen is making a difference.

That’s because these teens are filling a critical need: working with students with diverse needs, and helping them successfully integrate into the classroom.

Bronwen, a Lexington High School junior, says she was inspired to join the Madrichim Program because she enjoys “being able to see the progress that each kid makes throughout the year.” Bronwen takes special satisfaction in helping students who struggle with the Hebrew letters because she had a tough time with them too. In addition, she says, she enjoys the ongoing challenge of “creating different ways to explain the lesson they’re learning and helping them gain confidence.”

Isaiah’s Special Needs Coordinator Rebecca Winters reports that she is appreciative of the entire Madrichim team and that Bronwen -- known for “her consistency, patience and willingness to help out -- is a valued member of the classroom community.”

As for Bronwen, she credits Gateways’ training program for giving all the madrichim a jump start on their classroom duties -- through role-playing a variety of classroom scenarios and exposure to a plethora of skills and strategies, including rephrasing directions until they’re understood, creating handy Hebrew word banks and summarizing challenging passages.

But one core truth stays with her every time she works with the first-graders. “The most important lesson I learned from training is that there are so many approaches to everything and everyone has their own way of learning,” Bronwen says. “We know that you cannot try to push someone to learn the material in a certain way -- you have to adjust the way you are helping them until they are fully able to grasp the concept.”

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Joe Step addressed the audience at the recent Teen Volunteer Appreciation Event, sharing many of his emotions as he “graduates” after three years in Gateways’ Teen Volunteer program, and speaking in many ways on behalf of his --- fellow Sunday morning teen volunteers.

“Gateways has been a highlight of my week throughout nearly all of high school, both with Mitzvah Mensches and morning sessions,” he said. “I had no idea how much of an impact this program would have on me as a person.” Not only did he develop strong bonds with the students he was paired with, but Joe says he also was enriched by another aspect of the program – “the network of teenagers with whom I could discuss the work we were doing, both the ups and the downs.” He also gave kudos to “the amazing Shana [Belenky],” the classroom teacher he’s worked with for the last three years. “Entering a classroom in which I knew and was friends with the teacher gave me a greater amount of confidence and sense of comfort, which carried over into my work in the classroom.”

Joe also became an integral part of the team preparing his most recent student for his bar mitzvah -- studying prayers and learning his Torah portion. Every Sunday morning the two would settle into bean bag chairs in the corner, and run through a nearly full Shacharit service, “every week cleaner and smoother, giving both of us a sense of accomplishment and a greater connection to Judaism,” he says.

Practicing the Torah together “always brings me back to memories of learning my portion in seventh grade and I am extraordinarily excited for him to have this same experience of a bar mitzvah and become a man.”

But, woven into the learning has always been a generous helping of Gateways fun, adds Joe. “Every week provides lots of laughter and fun, with the students, teachers, and fellow volunteers. Whether it’s reading a student’s funny story, trying to do yoga, or singing and dancing to our favorite songs with Miriam, our two hours together always include plenty of good times.”