I’m part of the national leadership of a youth movement and every year, it’s my privilege to supervise our new local leaders as they prepare for the year ahead.  Providing them with Shefer workshops equips them with the tools they need.
They learn that trust in others leads to growth. They also learn that delegating responsibility is a vital part of education and that adapting our mindset to expect cooperation is the key to enabling the kids to make a significant contribution.  This is great preparation for the children and their leaders as each group matures and rises to their next set of challenges

With twenty years of experience as a kindergarten teacher, I know that today’s parents have it much harder than when I first began teaching.  That’s why I wanted to give them something helpful for parents’ evening.  I looked into a few recommendations and ultimately I chose a “Shefer” workshop.  It was the best choice I could have made!
The parents participated enthusiastically and the evening was a huge success!  Some of the parents went on to organize a Parenting Group Workshop in our community.  Since then, I’ve seen a massive change in the behavior of their children, and the parents can’t stop raving about it!
For one family, it was truly a lifesaver. Their child would regularly have extreme temper tantrums.  After his parents took part in the Parenting Workshop for three months, his tantrums stopped completely!  This has been wonderful for the parents as well as the kindergarten staff but the one who has really gained the most is that sweet child who has learned to cooperate and is finally happy and well adjusted.

I am the principal of a girls’ high school whose staff took part in a Shefer Teachers’ Workshop.  Since the workshop, our school has undergone a remarkable transformation.
We began to enforce our rules and hold the students accountable both for their behavior and for their scholastic achievements.  Now the school sets the expectations for the students and not vice versa!  Remarkably, the students have stepped up to the plate.  This change has led to a higher level of learning as well as a marked improvement in the social-cultural atmosphere in the school among the students, and between the students and teachers.  Implementing the Shefer Approach has been enormously significant in facilitating this change.

 After I participated in a Shefer Teachers’ Workshop, I resolved the issues of disrespectful, violent and anti-social behaviour that were rampant among my students.
I realized that accepting unsatisfactory behavior with the justification that I couldn’t expect better from them is ineffective at best, and detrimental at worst.  Not only did it not lead to improvement, it perpetuated the problem.
I have since redefined my role as a teacher.  Now I know that my students can live up to my standards.  Instead of ‘being considerate’ of their limitations, I now believe in them and expect them to overcome their challenges despite difficult circumstances.  Today I know they have it in them!  That’s what real encouragement is about and the results have not been long in coming.
The number of classroom disturbances has decreased drastically, the students’ behavior has vastly improved and the level of learning has soared!

I participated in a Shefer Approach Teachers’ Workshop in Bet Shean.  At the beginning of the workshop, I was very skeptical; implementing the lovely ideas the counselor was presenting to us seemed out of the question in the classes I knew about!  I began asking hard questions. The explanations and suggestions I received showed me how to approach the situation from a completely new angle.  I discovered that the “Shefer Approach” can really be put into practice in my classroom! The whole atmosphere in my class improved, and I began to enjoy teaching again.

As an elementary school teacher in southern Israel, I participated in a Shefer Approach workshop for our school staff.
The lectures gave us a new mindset.  We tend to focus habitually on the students’ limitations, adjusting our expectations and the lesson plan accordingly.
In contrast, the Shefer Approach focuses on trusting and believing that there is more to them than meets the eye.  Believing in the students’ (sometimes hidden) strengths enables them to realize their latent potential.  Putting this mindset into practice has been empowering for the students and for me as a teacher.