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Student Profile - Esta Yavner
Like many of her classmates in the Jewish Early Childhood Certificate Program at Gratz Online, Esta Yavner is seeking formal professional credentials to complement her classroom experience in Jewish early childhood education. Now entering her tenth year as a preschool teacher at the Early Childhood Center of the JCC of Rhode Island, Esta views the Gratz Online certificate program as the next logical career step. Esta, who holds a B.S. degree in Nursing from Boston University, left nursing soon after the birth of her oldest son, now 19. She has never looked back. When her two sons were young, she began teaching preschool at the JCCRI, combining her love of children with the caring skills of her former profession. For many years, Esta had been thinking about returning to school to receive formal, graduate training in education. “I had thought about commuting to Boston and wasn’t real excited about this,” she explains. When she attended a program sponsored by the JCC Association, she learned about the Gratz Online Certificate Program in Jewish Early Childhood Education, plus the opportunity to receive a tuition subsidy. A major draw was that this online program flexibly fits her busy lifestyle, including a work week of more than 25 hours. An added benefit has been the opportunity to develop her computer skills through the Gratz Online Web platform. To accommodate her work-family life, Esta has been taking one course per semester since entering the program a year ago. She has enjoyed the variety of courses ranging from educational theory to classroom management and Jewish identity formation in young children. “So far the courses I have taken are extremely relevant to what I do everyday,” says Esta. “This program has given me a lot of skills and I hope to continue to learn more skills.” The Certificate Program in Jewish Early Childhood Education has given Esta a different perspective on teaching and the opportunity to network with colleagues outside of Providence. She has also gained many practical skills and techniques which she has applied to her own classroom. Esta particularly enjoys the interactive forum discussions and the opportunity to interact with other Jewish early childhood educators in the U.S. and around the world. She appreciates the ability to respond at her own convenience to instructor questions or to classmate comments. “It is the next best thing to being there,” says Esta. “I love the Jewish component and I just think it adds a personal dimension.” Because she has enjoyed Lyndall Miller’s classes so much, last year she decided to fly down to Philadelphia to meet her teacher. “Now I have a face with a personality,” she says. As for the immediate future, Esta remains committed to what she loves most: family and teaching young Jewish children. |
Residence: Providence, Rhode Island