by Leonie Globig, Temple Sholom When I first started in the TAP program, the word to best describe my feelings was nervous. I had never done anything like this before, and I was concerned that I would walk into a meeting, knowing absolutely nothing, and be made to twiddle my thumbs while everyone around me would ooze confidence and knowledge. Fortunately, when I came to my first TAP meeting, I found this nightmare scenario I had conjured up in my head to be the furthest thing from the truth. Walking into that first session felt like letting go of [...]

by Jonah Sokolove, Temple Sholom I am a song leader at Temple Sholom. I am normally a very distracted person and don’t like to stay in one place at one time. I love to move around, and get my heart pumping. Throughout the course of TAP I have learned a lot about other people and a little about myself as well. TAP is a supportive group of kids who want to know how to make a better learning environment for the students we are teaching, specifically those students with learning differences and disabilities. We learned that some people learn [...]

by Asher Matthews, Temple Sholom As a songleader at my synagogue, my one-on-one interaction with students is limited, and so I have to be creative in order to find ways to make a positive impact. With that being said, by recognizing that obstacle for what it is, a challenge, as opposed to a setback or roadblock, I have been able to find ways around it. I’ve found countless methods to make an impact on students without talking to them directly just by embracing the challenge, and TAP has helped me to learn that connecting with students with disabilities doesn’t [...]