Malka Rosen

Name: Mrs. Shaindy (Soskin) Applegrad

Year moved: 2004

Originally from: Kensington, Brooklyn

Current neighborhood: Pine River Village

Job: teacher, principal

 

“Teach with passion or not at all. Teaching isn’t a job; it’s a calling,” says Mrs. Shaindy Applegrad, educator extraordinaire. Mother, bubby, teacher, and former principal, Mrs. Applegrad has spent decades giving children the tools to succeed in the classroom and in life. For her, it’s a mission and a tremendous privilege. And for her fortunate students, it’s a chance to learn in a way that shows them strengths they never knew they had, focusing on building self-esteem.

A teacher grows in Brooklyn

I grew up in Boro Park, where neighbors were also family, as a child of a Holocaust survivor. My father had escaped the war because my brilliant grandfather foresaw Hitler’s intentions and fled with his entire family before the monstrous Nazi regime took over. I was very lucky post-Holocaust to have a maternal grandmother and both paternal grandparents. Only once I became a grandmother myself did I recognize the enormous impact we have on our grandchildren.

I grew up in a very loving home where there was always simchas hachaim. My parents’ home was always open to anyone who needed a meal or a bed. My father would collect money and distribute it to the poor for their basic needs. When I was married, I lived in Kensington, Brooklyn, where I raised my children and had the privilege of hosting many gedolim due to my husband’s job as executive director of Torah Temimah. When my youngest turned three, I decided to look for part-time work. I’d never dreamed of being a teacher or even an assistant in the classroom, but I was offered an assistant job and the hours were perfect. I would be getting home just as my youngest disembarked from her bus.

After a few months, the principal called me to his office for a meeting.

“We need to break up the class you’re working in,” he told me. “And we’d like to give you the other class to teach.”

“But I don’t know how to teach!” I sputtered.

“I’ve watched you, and you’re good,” the principal said.

I didn’t know that this would be the first step of decades of teaching, but once I stepped into the classroom, I never left.

Learning in Brooklyn

I was a teacher, but I was also a student.

I needed to learn more about this unexpected profession. Watching master teachers and taking training courses was a good beginning. I saw that I had an affinity for children who, although bright, were falling through the cracks. They were unable to grasp concepts easily and suffered from feelings of helplessness. I was told that I would need to be licensed to enter this field. With the support of my family, I went back to school to get a degree in education. In a sea of 18-year-olds, I was practically the bubby of them all, but they quickly got used to me and considered me just another student.

Learning disabilities was an emerging field. The understanding that some children learn a little differently and have diverse learning needs was making waves in the world of education. I completed a master’s degree in special ed, with a specialization in learning disabilities. I attained licenses in both regular and special education, and this gave me the ability to write curriculums for general mainstreamed students and individualized education plans for the students who needed it.

When Bais Fruma of Munkatch was looking for a principal, the principal at my school, Shaarei Torah, where I taught an inclusion class, recommended me. I spent many wonderful years in Bais Fruma as the English principal and set up a brand-new resource room. Working with Mrs. Frumi Horowitz was a pleasure. I had the honor of receiving much brilliant guidance and advice from the Munkatcher Rebbe. My children, who pitched in during the hectic years when I was in school for my degree, were so proud when I made principal. Besides being a principal, I also taught methodology at Bais Yaakov of Boro Park Seminary for 10 years. I had the privilege of training hundreds of girls, some whom I now see frequently in Lakewood.

Teaching in Lakewood

Living near my children was a dream, and I wanted it to become a reality. My husband and I were still working in Brooklyn, but we were willing to commute. So, 20 years ago, we took the plunge and bought a home in Pine River Village. We’re close to my children, and the grandchildren come over all the time. I love spending time with the eineklach, watching each of their personalities emerge and develop.

Living in Pine River Village is a delight. We have shiurim, Tehillim groups, monthly Rosh Chodesh parties, and events throughout the year. It’s beautiful how we share in each other’s simchos and host their guests when necessary. We look out for one another, and there’s a genuine feeling of being taken care of.

After two years of living in Lakewood, I accepted a position at Rabbi Jacob Joseph (RJJ) in Staten Island. I was the principal for grades Pre 1-A through 5^th grade, creating a new curriculum for all the grades, Pre 1-A through 8^th grade. (Grades 6–8 were under the jurisdiction of the menahel, Rabbi Friedman.) I also set up and directed the resource room. At one point, the board of directors at RJJ wanted me to extend my hours, but I was taking care of my mother-in-law full-time, and it would have meant that I’d be coming home too late.

I made the decision to work in Lakewood. I began by teaching methods in Bais Shaindel as a twelfth-grade elective while working in Toras Aharon, where I was the director of the resource room. But the administrative work began to feel tedious. I was at the stage where I longed to be a hands-on teacher, remediating children with reading difficulties, working with kids on the spectrum, helping boys understand social cues, and teaching real critical thinking skills.

I found the job I wanted at Masoras Avos, an incredible boys’ school run by the Grossman family, where I love working with my boys. I see all ages and stages. My boys keep things lively, but a skillful blend of love and firmness keeps everything balanced.

The school is a pleasure to work in. Experienced, loving staff, wonderful students, and an administration that treats the staff like royalty combine to create a place I love and appreciate. We receive welcoming packages at the beginning of the year, beautiful Chanukah gifts, and mishloach manos. Daily lunch and a brand-new coffee station are an added plus. Tree of Knowledge, the agency that services the school, has special programs for teachers throughout the year. Every teacher feels a sense of mission and a sense of being well taken care of, which makes working in Masoras Avos a pleasure.

My husband is currently learning full-time, and I feel privileged to contribute to this illustrious goal. He started our married life in kollel and now we’ve come full circle. His Torah learning is an inspiration to my entire family.

Teaching, anywhere

Over decades in education, so much has changed—curriculums, methods, buzzwords—and we should adjust accordingly, but the fundamentals stay the same.

We still want to connect to each student on their emotional level and build their self-esteem.

We still need to modify our lessons so that all students can participate.

We’re still positive, because positivity is a key tool for success. A cheerful teacher makes a cheerful student.

I once worked in a kiruv school in a Pre 1-A classroom. There was an older boy who came from a difficult family background, and the menahel asked me if he could help me serve lunch. I would schmooze with him, building a connection and infusing him with positivity.

Years later, this little boy, now all grown up, met the assistant principal.

“For a while, it was hard,” he admitted to his former principal. “But now I’m shomer Shabbat. Mrs. Applegrad always said that I was good.”

It’s what we do every day. Before entering the classroom, we daven to Hashem that we should say and do the right things, for we have the enormous task of building Yiddishe neshamos.

 

SIDEBAR:

Advice for young moms (and everyone else!)

As an experienced educator, one theme clearly stands out: I’ve seen that homes infused with simchas hachaim and a calm atmosphere produce the best children. It’s a tall order when life is hectic, but children from such homes are more confident and accomplished.