Yaakov Jelen, Judaic Studies
BIO: Rabbi Yaakov Jelen was born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn and attended Jewish Day Schools throughout his elementary, middle school and high school years. Upon graduating high school, he had the privilege of attending a Yeshivah in Israel and returned with a desire to continue his Torah studies in America. Rabbi Jelen enrolled in Sh’or Yoshuv Rabbinical College to further his Torah knowledge while completing his degree in psychology from Brooklyn College. He has been teaching middle school Judaic studies for the past 20 years. Rabbi Jelen recieved specialized training from Hidden Sparks which trains teachers in helping each student reach their true potential. Today he still lives in Sheepshead Bay with his wife Chanie and their 6 children B”H.
I became a teacher because… I’ve always had a love of Judaic studies and wanted to share our gift as a Jewish nation with the next generation.
My vision for our children is… for them to grow to be proud Jews with a love of Torah, Israel and the Jewish people.
I joined Mazel because… from my first interview, I saw that we shared the same goals and vision in education: Instilling our students with a love of Torah and empowering them to succeed in their learning.
My favorite memory from being a student is… the great stories my Morahs and Rebbis shared with us and of course our weekly football games with my 7th and 8th grade Rebbi.
The most difficult part of teaching is… making sure I’m reaching every one of my students.
My educational philosophy is... founded on the words of King Solomon: “Educate the child according to HIS way.”(Mishlei 22:6) Students have different learning strengths and I believe in teaching them the way they learn best. I feel that students should be active learners and I strive to design my instruction in a way that encompasses all modalities to accommodate all learners. When the atmosphere in the classroom is one of mutual respect and instruction is tailored to reach each child, children are more engaged in learning and achieve above expectations.
I enjoy teaching the subject and grade that I do because... I’ve always felt privileged to teach middle school, a time when children begin to grow into young adults. This crucial time in their Judaic learning experience sets the stage for the rest of their life. I believe in creating an enthusiastic, warm and loving learning environment where students are instilled with a love of Torah and understand how special it is to be a Jew. Throughout my teaching years, I’ve created a special bond with my students, which lasted throughout middle school and beyond. Additionally, I feel students should be empowered to succeed in learning on their own and I make it my duty to provide them with skills to do so.
My best advice to parents is… encourage your children to persevere and never give up.
If I could teach my students only one thing, it would be… remember no matter what, HASHEM will always love you!!!!
If I would not have become a teacher I would have become… a pediatrician, I always loved children and science.
A trick I use in the classroom is… I start off everyday with shaking each of my students’ hand and greeting them with a smile. I want them to know I’ve noticed them today and am happy to see them. This helps set a positive tone in my classroom.
Outside of school I like to… spend time with my family.
