Religious School Blog

Stacey Lysoivanov

Scott Meyer

Stacey began her teaching career at Beth Tikvah 11 years ago. She has taught multiple grades including 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9. She is passionate about teaching young children Hebrew in hands on ways that help them connect letters and sounds. In her professional career, Stacey is a paraeducator. In this role she works with special needs students. She feels that the most rewarding experience as a teacher is seeing the excitement on kids’ faces when they make the connection and understand the concepts that are being taught.

Stacey chooses to be involved in Jewish education because she thinks it is important to learn about our heritage and the history behind the religion in which we practice. Having grown up going through Jewish education she wanted to continue to make it as fun and interesting for kids as her teachers did for her.

It is important to be a part of the community to learn from others as well as know that there is always someone there to support you. I choose to dance in the circle of education and the religious school environment. I like to encourage my students to be proud of themselves and where they come from, as well as to continue to ask questions and keep learning new information.

As the most seasoned educator on staff, Scott is beginning his 47th year at Beth Tikvah. He has served as a teacher, mentor, consultant, and friend! Professionally he is a researcher for Northwestern University’s fundraising team. He also addresses ad hoc questions about a variety of topics and works to find the appropriate answer. He loves trying to solve the mysteries as well as learn how others got to their various stations in life. He’s used his research skills to help explore and discover material to share with the students, as well as to find solutions to class problems.

When Scott connects the past to the present and finds that one of his current students is the child of a former student, it brings him a sense of pride. It suggests to him that in some way a positive Jewish impression was made in the past that is carrying through to the present and, hopefully, the future!

Scott is closely associated with two Chicagoland synagogues which allows him to network with other Jews beyond his specific community. His long-time involvement in the field of Jewish genealogy (as an author, speaker, and society officer) has brought him before Jews from communities around the world. It has given him a more personal perspective on Jewish history that has helped him personalize many of the classes he’s taught that touch on Jewish history.