When the new girls’ high school was started, I felt obligated to help with it. So I got as involved as I could on a very part-time basis. In the very early years, I would have all email that was sent to the students directed to my computer and automatically printer so I could drop it off at the school each morning. (Students didn’t have email of internet access, and phones were still pretty rudimentary and were not allowed to have data plans)
I also took on the role of helping with the physical aspects of the student dorm — mostly safety, including locks, keycode entry system, stove gas line shutoff lock boxes, light bulb changing, electrical, air conditioners, laundry equipment, … you name it! Given that these kids were away from home with no one really looking after their day-to-day needs, and knowing that I’d want such care if my own kids were out of town, it felt right to provide this needed help.
Eventually I also started teaching one course per week to grades 11&12 — at first photography, then later a physics course that I really enjoyed. I found a great book call ” How Things Work” that was used as a basic physics course in some university arts streams, but I wanted it to be even simpler. In consultation with the author, I modified the course to remove all the math — creating a “conceptual” physics course. Wherever I could I’d merge Torah concepts or at least the amazing symmetries and workings of physics that could not be considered accidental.
I thoroughly enjoyed teaching (as I had enjoyed teaching in University), and got special satisfaction from interacting with these young people and feeling like I was perhaps making a bit of a difference in their lives. Many of these kids were from difficult family situations, including broken homes, abusive homes, poverty, etc.
Teaching — even though it required a lot of preparation (I used to go to Starbucks for a few hours on Sunday to prepare my upcoming classes) — was a great source of satisfaction for me at a time when my career had taken a back seat due to being laid off and unable to get back into my field due to my age.
In the last few years, I taught a basic computer course, introducing such things as Word, Excel, and basic computer literacy in Microsoft Windows. I also gave a several-part seminar in internet and connectivity (cell phone) safety. My belief was that kids should be aware of all the dangers (spoofed emails, viruses, online bullying, dangers of chat rooms and groups, etc.) rather than simply being forbidden to use these services, because all kids will find a way to access them even if they are forbidden. For that class, I arranged for the school to get a number of refurbished laptops, which I then configured for safe classroom use.
Being the only technical person directly involved with this tiny school, I took on the role of technician for the annual production (after first getting approval from a Rav because of singing). I ran a laptop control of projected images and videos, and also helped set up all the rented audio equipment.
During a photography class exercise taking “advertising” shots, someone snapped a photo of me at my desk…
Setting up laptops, and a couple of class shots:
A few of the school photos (I was also the official school photographer):
