Alyse Roth isn’t just a teacher at Ohr Chadash Academy. She’s a parent there, too. That was all by design. When Roth and her family moved to Baltimore in 2021, she sought out a place that would work for her as an employer, but also one that would work for her kids as an educator.
“We were looking for an Orthodox day school with a very specific focus on Israel and equal access to both general and Judaic studies, both on very high levels,” Roth said. “I knew people who worked at Ohr Chadash, so that was also very helpful.”
The family found their community, and Roth said that it has been a good couple of years at Ohr Chadash, where she teaches fifth grade. Roth has mostly taught that age throughout her 18-year career, although she has been in the classroom with students from kindergarten through eighth grade. She said she is happy that at Ohr Chadash, she is teaching this age group.
“I love teaching fifth grade. I feel like they’re old enough to be independent. They can learn at high levels, but they’re still kids,” she said. “I like the balance of being sort of in the middle — between kids who are also almost ready for middle school.”
Fifth grade is a tough time for some children, as that aforementioned bridge from childhood to adolescence is not easy to navigate.
“I definitely feel challenged by it every single day,” Roth said. “But I’ve worked in other grades, and I feel most comfortable and most competent with this age group.”
Roth has been prepared for this job for a while, majoring in elementary education in college before obtaining a master’s degree in special education and learning disabilities and another master’s in teacher leadership.
For Roth, becoming the best teacher she could be also meant continuing her own education.
“I feel like you get to a point in your teaching where you feel like — especially if you’ve been teaching the same grade over and over — you’re almost ready for the next thing.
You’re ready to learn. On the next level, you’re ready to take on something new. And part of getting my degree in teacher leadership was also taking on new leadership roles in the schools that I taught in,” she said.
At Ohr Chadash, one of Roth’s favorite parts of the job is getting to see her daughter, who is currently in the school’s early childhood program. Soon, she’ll get to see her son, as well, who will begin at the school in September.
“We’re in different parts of the campus, but I definitely see her around. She gets very excited to see me, and I get very excited to see her. She usually takes one of my snacks that I’m holding. That’s probably why she wants to see me,” Roth joked. “She likes to wear my badge, but she also just loves to give me a hug and a kiss, and then I’ll say ‘have a great day, and I’ll see you at dismissal.’”
It’s even a possibility that, one day, Roth will get to teach her own children, although that’s far enough away that it’s not much of a consideration at this point.
Apart from time at the school, the family belongs to Pikesville Jewish Congregation and likes to spend time outside. Roth said that they are usually waiting all winter for the weather to warm up, just to spend most of the spring, summer and fall doing anything they can outdoors.
“My children like to go on their scooters. They can scooter all day long, and they like to go to the Baltimore Zoo. At Leakin Park, there’s a group of men who run a train, and [my kids] love to go on free train rides during the spring and summer,” she said.
Originally from New York, Roth has grown to enjoy Baltimore after moving down south. She said she plans to continue at Ohr Chadash, and is glad to see her family forge a community in a place that shares their values.
