Let's Talk TPS
May 8, 2024
Happy Teacher Appreciation Week
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, I thought it only appropriate to share two stories and a passage that have been instrumental in shaping my journey in education over the last three decades.
The first involves two educators I had in high school. One was an English teacher who was both feared and avoided by most of my classmates bent on grade perfection. The fear came from both the volume of work and the scrutiny he applied to our writing. The avoidance was the result of the small probability that one would receive an “A” in his class. The second was a coach who everyone hoped would help shape and drive their athletic careers. He had been an exceptional athlete during his youth, and together with a dynamic personality and a quick wit was someone everyone wanted to be around.
The teacher delivered as expected. He torched my writing, bloodied my edits, and delivered significant doses of humility to my GPA. No matter what I turned in, it was never enough to cross the moat and climb the wall that guarded the elusive “A”. The coach heaped praise on my efforts, complimented my overrated results, and never spent much time improving my/our abilities. But sure, he was always quick with a story and everyone thought we were cool to be in his company.
Mark Twain once wrote that “when I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant that I could hardly stand to have the old man around, but when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years”. Well, when I got to college, I couldn’t believe how important and amazing that English teacher had been in helping me succeed where others were falling short. And as for that really cool coach, it took me years to recover from instruction that failed to extract and demand the best from me and my teammates.
The passage I mentioned is from Robert Bolt’s play A Man for All Seasons about the life and death of Sir Thomas More, then Lord Chancellor of England under Henry VIII. In one Act, More is asked by an overly ambitious Richard Rich about selecting a career of significance. Probably hoping More would suggest law or politics or some other occupation typically associated with power and significance, More responded as follows:
Sir Thomas More: Why not be a teacher? You'd be a fine teacher; perhaps a great one.
Richard Rich: If I was, who would know it?
Sir Thomas More: You; your pupils; your friends; God. Not a bad public, that.”
Cheers to all those educators committed to revealing the excellence every student possesses. There are few professions more noble than that of a teacher.
And to all the moms out there - Happy Mother’s Day!
Yours in Education,
Michael Ben-David J.D./M.Ed.
Superintendent of Schools
Bergen County Poster Contest
Smith School's Mariann Lee, grade 4, was this year's second place "My County" poster contest winner (see photo to the left - the bright yellow poster behind Mariann)!
This past weekend, Mariann received her trophy at a special ceremony held on the steps of the Bergen County Court House. Mariann attributes her success to Ms. Fitzpatrick's amazing social studies class. Way to represent Tenafly! Congrats Mariann!
Holocaust Remembrance Day
On Monday, Holocaust Remembrance Day (also known as Yom HaShoah) was recognized by the students and staff at each of our six schools by walking one million steps, for a total of 6,000,000 steps, as we quietly remembered the many lives lost during the Holocaust. TMS and THS also had special video presentations and guest speakers including Mr. Sam Rosmarin, a child of two Holocaust survivors (presented at TMS, see picture to the right) and Mr. Sami Steigmann, age 84 and a Holocaust survivor (presented at THS, see picture below). To stress the significance of this day, our school community was reminded that no matter what our differences are, we should treat each other with love, kindness and respect.
The Band's All Here!
It's been a busy few weeks in the Band Room at Tenafly Middle School!
- April 24: TMS hosted the annual NJSMA Middle School Concert Band festival, welcoming schools from across the northern area of New Jersey including Bergenfield, Belleville, Clifton and West Essex. Bands received taped and written critique, as well as an on-stage clinic. The TMS 6th, 7th and 8th grade Bands performed, with each group earning the highest level GOLD AWARD!
- April 27: The TMS Jazz Band traveled to Princeton High School to participate in the annual NJAJE Middle School Jazz Band Festival. Students earned high praise from the adjudicators with Jisoo Hong (8th grade) earning an award for Top Soloist from the entire festival for the second year in a row, and Dawson Park (8th grade) and Hojoon Lee (7th grade) earning Top Musicianship Awards (see image to left.)
- May 4: Eight members of the TMS 6th grade Band were selected for this year's NJSMA 5th and 6th grade Honor Band festival held at Mt. Olive High School: Ellie Park, flute; Anne Valtchev and Louie Kim, clarinet; Alexa Na, alto sax; Eddie Huang, tenor sax; Asher Miller, trumpet; Jackson Park, trombone; and Mateo de Miguel, tuba. Dr. Kimberly Burja, band director at TMS, was selected as one of this year's conductors, and she couldn't have been more proud of all the students in the ensemble.
South Korea Education Commission Visits THS
Recently, South Korea's Ministry of Education requested a tour of Tenafly High School while an education delegation from their country visited the United States. In their outreach to us, they noted that they "look to create positive climates, healthy environments, and safe facilities for each child's best learning experiences" and provide an opportunity to "broaden their perspectives and gain insights while visiting exemplary schools in the U.S." They added that our high school came highly recommended as an important stop in New Jersey. We enjoyed hosting them on April 24th as Principal Morrison provided the tour, and Vice Principal Yoo served as our outstanding translator. The delegation was extremely impressed and mentioned that THS was only one of two schools they planned to visit in our state. Quite an honor for us!
Arbor Day Celebration
In honor of Arbor Day (April 26th), the Tenafly Environmental Commission planted a Dawn Redwood tree at the corner of Riveredge and Foster as a way to celebrate the day, and to recognize THS' 100th Anniversary. Mayor Zinna and other Borough representatives were present for this dedication ceremony. Principal Morrison and Student Council President, Zach Shammash, represented on behalf of THS. Be sure to check out the new tree the next time you drive by!
New Tiger Mural at THS
THS' Art Experience students recently entered into a friendly classroom competition: Who can design the strongest Tenafly Tiger "posterized" design using the online program photopea.com? The selected winning design would then be executed within the high school's halls as a large painting created by the entire class. Ms. Allen, Ms. Evanowski, and Mr. Graziano reviewed the entries and decided that sophomore Sean Kim (photo right) created the best design and color plan for this project.
Now came the challenging part! Using the grid method, 24 small squares were distributed amongst 21 students. Individuals were challenged to complete their square with great precision, so that their section lined up perfectly with the sections around them. Within days, a group mindset emerged, and our students worked on multiple squares with their peers. The result is this vibrant collaboration of 21 students who worked as a team to accomplish this amazing work of art! See the image at the top of this newsletter.
