Sharon Diamondstein

I think what shaped me into the professional that I am is just on-the-job experience - asking myself, can I do this? I hated doing this as a kid, how can I make it so that it's better for the next generation? That's a big part of it. I continue doing professional development - right now I'm working on a series where I'm learning with colleagues about conflict, and how to have dialogue through conflict, and how do we recognize and have a conversation with somebody with whom we disagree. I've done a lot of professional development in the field of Israel education, and how do we teach about Israel, because that's a very difficult topic, especially now. I've done social, emotional, and spiritual learning - all the public schools do social-emotional learning, and we add in that extra spiritual component. I'm always seeking opportunities for professional growth, how to make things more alive and meaningful. I really believe that the day you stop learning is the day you stop being good at your job, in any field, I think, especially in education.

My mentor, Gail Bookbinder, who was my very first religious school principal back in 2005, has been one of the greatest influences in my professional life. I still talk to her regularly, and at one point she said to me, I don't need to be doing this with you anymore, you've gotten there. But I said no, we're still doing this. Her guidance and support have helped shape my leadership approach throughout my career, and I've maintained that relationship for nearly two decades.

I would say keep an open mind and build relationships. For me, it's all about these relationships, and who are you talking to, and always try to see the good and keep an open mind. One of the things that I've learned early on, and has been reinforced to me, is oftentimes what's being expressed is not what's actually being expressed, especially with criticisms or the really hard questions. It's coming from a place of, I'm afraid, I don't understand, I don't know, and that especially came out during COVID. Right before COVID, we lost our beloved Rabbi who passed away, and there was a lot of people uncomfortable with uncertainty, and that often causes people to lash out because they don't know what to expect or what's coming. If somebody's starting off in this field, you have to really come to it with an open heart and an open mind, and really listen and build relationships.

I think any religious institution will see a decline in engagement. We have a generation of kids and teens that have so much being asked of them - they're being asked to do sports, and to do clubs, and to do jobs, and oftentimes religious engagement comes at the very bottom of that list. We see that across the board. On the flip side to that, people in this field as professionals are also dealing with a lot of burnout. In the Jewish world, post-October 7th, there's exhaustion. You have those competing, or maybe not competing - they're kind of in concert with each other. Everybody's tired. I was reading an article in eJewish Philanthropy about the state of Jewish education, insights from leaders across the field, and the part that talks about the supplemental schools says the third challenge is human capital - Jewish education is facing a shortage of excellent educators at the moment when excellence matters the most. The teachers are expected to be mentors, counselors, content experts, experiential educators, culture builders, oftentimes mom, dad, everything. It's a lot to hold together. It's one of the things that I really still feel strongly about - we need to build this next generation of young Jewish people into a place where they can be proud of their heritage, and proud of who they are, and proud of what they do, and still have some sort of reasonable expectation of showing up, which is the biggest challenge right now.

I believe strongly in lifelong learning and the importance of professional growth. Throughout my career, I have pursued continuing education in areas such as conflict resolution, Israel education, and social-emotional learning. These experiences have enhanced my ability to support students, families, and educators while adapting to the evolving needs of our community.