Joseph Hammer likes school so much, he’s decided not to leave. Hammer, 18, wants to pursue a career in elementary education.
Every Wednesday, you’ll find him working as a madrich teaching assistant at Congregation Beth Shalom’s Polsky Religious School, where he discovered he really enjoyed working with children. His particular assignment is looking after the religious school teachers’ children, who range in age from 1-year-old to about 7 years old.
“It’s very fun because you can see the kids grow and watch them learn new things,” said Hammer, who is in his fifth year as a madrich. “It’s important for kids to respect the teacher, and I think I’ve done a pretty good job (teaching) what is right and what is wrong in the classroom. Everybody follows directions, and they’re just really good kids.”
Patti Kroll, the school’s director of education, says she trusts Hammer to look after the kids with no adult supervision.
“Joseph has decided to pursue a career in education, and he absolutely has the temperament, the good intuitive sense of what to do with kids and how to keep them productively occupied,” Kroll said. “I trust him so implicitly to make good decisions, to have a well-controlled group of children … I think he’s been a superb role model.”
Hammer makes sure the kids have a structured and fun afternoon.
“We start at 4:30 and have free play, then we have snack time — usually it’s pretzels or a healthy snack. If it’s nice out, we usually go outside and play on the playground, and we go to the playroom every day,” he said. “They’re always in such a good mood, and they always smile when you have a bad day. It’s good to be around them, because they make you so happy.”
Hammer, the son of Linda and Steve Hammer, has also worked in the Child Development Center at the Jewish Community Center as a leader in training for a group of 4-year-olds at the summer camp.
Next year, Hammer plans to attend the University of Kansas and major in elementary education. In addition to his experiences at Beth Shalom, Hammer has already gained some classroom experience through the Center for Advanced Professional Studies (CAPS) program at Blue Valley North.
“It’s basically a program … where you can experience a job, so in college, you don’t have to try to figure (your career) out,” he said.
His particular program, Teacher Education 2020, focused on using technology in the classroom, such as Smart Boards, an electronic student response system and laptop computers.
“The kids coming in are much different than before … they have all this technology. It’s important to create a classroom that engages students in learning and (uses technology),” he said.
Another part of the program is classroom observation; Hammer observed a second grade class as well as sixth and seventh-grade math classes.
“(The second grade class) was probably my favorite one, because they’re fun to watch. I like little kids better — it’s easier to deal with them, and it’s more fun to see how they learn and process things,” he said.
Hammer is also an Eagle Scout in Beth Shalom’s Troop 61, has earned the Presidential Service Award for the last four years and is a member of the National Honor Society.
For his Eagle service project, Hammer decided to make a walking path at a Salvation Army facility. He and other Scouts worked together to make the project a success.
“It was a big area … 100 feet by 95 feet. We cleared brush and trees and designed a walking path and put benches to create a nice area for families,” Hammer said.
Kroll said that Hammer’s service-oriented personality and skill working with kids has impressed her for a long time.
“I knew he was an exceptional young man from his years in school, and I honestly hoped he would (go into education) ... I was very pleased we were able to give him a starting point and that it’s something he has chosen to pursue in college,” Kroll said. “I think when he takes something on, his commitment and his follow-through are superb. I’ve seen that through Scouts; I’ve seen that in the school. He’s responsible. He’s reliable.”