Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 20, 2012 by Joanne Loiben
Greetings from Kansas! You can call me Dorothy.
I love life in the Midwest. Hustled and quaint wrapped up into a neat little package. The clouds are rolling in as I prepare my lessons for the week. The weather man predicts a nasty chain of storms. My mentor warned me that a storm here can mean lightning cracking the sky in half. I find comfort in the fact that I have already plotted out the quickest path to the Tornado Refuge Area.
My time here in Overland Park is nearing an end. I have been here three weeks now, and I fly out in just three more days. After initially not knowing what to expect, I must say that I am now very attached to the Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy and will be quite sad to leave. The students are amazing. Every day they come excited for my class and have me laughing all the way until the bell. The faculty and staff have been so incredibly sweet, welcoming, and helpful. I have more than enjoyed my time here and learned a great deal about grades 6-12, as I have been involved in activities with the entire upper school.
A highlight from last week: I played in the faculty versus eighth grade volleyball game as the rest of the upper school students, faculty and staff cheered from the sidelines of the JCC gym. The students played their hearts out, but as I scored the last several points for the last game, I am proud to say I kept the faculty winning streak intact.
