In a growing initiative, teachers and mechanchim from Miami Beach and the greater Florida area are coming together during the summer to spend their free hours doing what they know best – learning.

The teachers, drawn from Chabad schools across the region as well as many other Miami-area Jewish schools, are using these few weeks to participate in a Kollel HaMechanchim.

“It’s practice what you preach,” Rabbi Eily Smith, the menahel of the Miami Mesivta, who directs the kollel, told Anash.org. “Through the entire school year, these teachers devote themselves entirely to their talmidim and share with them how precious Torah is. Now they have the opportunity to really internalize what they have been teaching.”

The kollel, which takes place at Beis Menachem in North Miami Beach, began last Monday and runs for one month. The day is packed – starting with Chassidus before davening, followed by Gemara, Halacha, and more. All participants learn the same subjects, which naturally lends itself to lively discussion. “When we do it together, it’s just a whole different experience,” Rabbi Smith says. “You can feel the energy in the room; the benefits are just compounded.”

Beyond the learning itself, the kollel features a rich lineup of shiurim on both the topics being studied and subjects directly relevant to mechanchim, including class management, charisma in teaching, talking to bochurim, lesson plans, testing and using data, homework, productive meetings, reading assessment, public speaking anxiety, classroom policies, showing care for students, and more.

Among the presenters have been Rabbi Leibel Schapiro, Rabbi Yossi Marlow, Rabbi Yehuda Zweig, Rabbi Yisrael Weberman, and Rabbi Menachem Rapoport. This year’s presenters include Rabbi Yossi Keller, Rabbi Yossi Schmukler, and others.

One highlight is the lunch break, which doubles as prime discussion time, as mechanchim from different schools use the opportunity to compare notes and talk through chinuch challenges with their counterparts. The participants come from a wide range of schools across South Florida, including LEC, Margate/Coral Springs, Yeshiva Elementary, Mechina, Toras Emes, Co-op, and Hebrew Academy, each bringing their own experience and perspective to the table.

“A mechanech knows best that there should never go a day without learning,” Rabbi Smith told Anash.org. “This kollel gives them the framework to make it happen.”