Not at Risk: Education as a Work of Heart

by Menachem Gottesman

Overview

Jerusalem's Mercaz L'Mida Dati Learning Center (“Meled”) has been transforming lives of youths and restoring families for over twenty years. Not At Risk tells its story in the words of its founders, and details groundbreaking educational work, sharing not only experiences and insights of faculty members and parents, but heartwarming, and at times deeply painful, personal stories of former students.

In addition to his professional experience in child development, Dr. Menachem Gottesman drew upon three main sources to create a healing educational environment for youth labelled “at risk”: A.S. Neill's philosophy of education, the therapeutic method developed by Dr. Milton H. Erickson, and the spiritual outlook of Rabbi Dr. Joseph B. Soloveitchik.

Not At Risk shares the secret of Meled's success. Open-minded educators, professionals working with adolescents, and concerned parents will find this book an invaluable resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781613291726
Publisher:	The Toby Press, LLC
Publication date:	10/10/2018
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction xvii

Chapter 1 Life Support Systems 1

The Educational Dimension A.S. Neill 1

The Therapeutic Dimension M.H. Erickson 5

The Spiritual Dimension J.B. Soloveitchik 10

Chapter 2 Labor of Love 21

Birthing 22

First Steps 25

Coming of Age 27

Chapter 3 Assessing Vital Signs: The Intake Interview 35

Overview 35

Strategies of Intervention 36

Chapter 4 The Healing Environment 51

Nuts and Bolts 52

Mutual Support 55

Structure 59

Outside the Classroom 59

Spiritual Enhancement 63

Religious Studies 64

Other Options 67

Chapter 5 Someone Who Cares 73

Staff Constellation 73

Following UP 78

Qualifications 79

Chapter 6 Coming to Senses 87

Extending Vision 87

Tuning In 88

Smoke Detection 89

In Good Taste 90

Lending a Hand 91

Chapter 7 Reuniting 97

Chapter 8 On the Edge of the Couch: A Play by Meled Students 103

Chapter 9 The Immeasurable 123

Chapter 10 Looking Back into the Future: Students' Own Accounts 131

Chapter 11 Insights of Staff Members 155

Chapter 12 Concluding Remarks 169

Postscript 171

Appendix: A Radio Magazine Program about Meled 173

Bibliography 177

About the Authors 179