Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
Georgia Gobora is a graduate of the Abrams Hebrew Academy, a lifelong Philadelphian and a teacher by trade, but she didn’t plan on ending up as a staff member at her alma mater when she decided to check in with her old head of school, Rabbi Ira Budow, one day earlier this year.
Gobora was in the market for a new job, and while she didn’t see one posted for Abrams, she figured it was worth asking and catching up either way.
“It was really random. I was like, ‘Let’s see what’s going on at Abrams,’ and I emailed Rabbi Budow, and he said, ‘We’re actually making a special education program brand new this year,’” Gobora said. “I was like, ‘Oh, that’s perfect; that’s exactly what I do.’”
For Gobora, the move made sense on many levels. For one, she has a lot of pride as an Abrams graduate and wants to see the school succeed. She also knows that many schools like Abrams are, for the first time, venturing into truly embracing special education, and she wants to help with that process.
“I always wanted to reach the more challenged kids, not just necessarily special education,” Gobora said. “But once I started digging deeper into it, I did realize I wanted to do special ed and make sure that all the kids were getting the support that they needed, especially in the context of Jewish day schools, because that’s an area that has been lacking development of special ed as a whole.”
While the program is only a few months old, Gobora said that that can be an advantage: Abrams’ current teachers get the freedom to shape it.
“You’re going in with a clean slate and a fresh start and trying your best to help support these students, where they weren’t getting any type of specialized curriculum or support before. Now, we have a great team of people who are trained and certified to do this. So, it’s been bumpy, just like anything new, but I’m so excited for it,” she said.
Gobora said that the early returns from this school year have been wonderful. The special education students have a newfound confidence, and for some of them, this is the first time that school has been productive in a while.
“They’re starting to realize, ‘I’m learning, and this is a safe space for me. I can ask questions. They’re going at my pace. I’m learning in a way that works for me. I’m not just sitting in the back of the classroom and waiting for class to be over. I’m actually seeing results,’” she said. “I think they’re really starting to see this as a super-beneficial program, and hopefully they’ll like coming to school more and they’ll like having interactions with their teachers and their peers and see that they’re getting something out of it.”
Gobora credits her upbringing and the Philadelphia community as a reason that she has grown to be so supportive of special education. The Bucks County resident enjoys living a quieter life in the suburbs.
“I feel like [Philadelphia] is just a very supportive community. Bucks County is a really welcoming and warm place to be,” she said.
Gobora grew up with her family “bouncing around synagogues,” but she has found a home at the Lubavitch of Bucks County in Newtown. She attends services and events there, and said that the inviting nature of the Chabad is what has kept her coming back.
The homecoming to Abrams has been a special one for Gobora. When she joined the team, some staff members who remembered her from her days as a student said, “Oh, Georgia’s back!” she said.
At Abrams, Gobora has a unique bond with the students she teaches, and it has only made her job better.
“When I’m trying to connect with the kids, I can be like, ‘I know what you’re going through; I’ve literally had some of these teachers.’ I can relate with them on a deeper level, and I can have a better understanding of where everyone’s coming from,” she said. “I went through the same thing, so I really like working with Jewish students.”