A Promise that Shaped my Path to Teaching

By Erica Marie Holmes, Stoler Teacher

I became a teacher because I never wanted a child to feel the way I did growing up. As an 80’s baby with undiagnosed ADHD, I was often misunderstood in school. There wasn’t much room for children who learned or behaved differently. You followed the program or you were labeled a problem. I remember the “special desk” with the three walls that was supposed to keep me from distracting others. What it really did was make me feel isolated and unseen. I promised myself that if I ever worked with children, I would do everything in my power to make sure no child ever felt that way.

That promise shaped my path. I learned early on that children thrive when they’re taught with flexibility, compassion, and creativity. I met one little boy who had just begun speaking at age four, and he changed me as much as I changed him. I became his safe space, someone who saw him, not his challenges. By the time he left preschool, he had friends, confidence, and a growing vocabulary. He showed me that advocacy, patience, and genuine connection can transform a child’s world.

Working at the ELC has strengthened everything I believe about children and community. What makes this place special is that the values we talk about, kindness, gratitude, wonder, responsibility, joy, are lived every single day. Children are encouraged to explore, to question, to collaborate, to try again. Families are partners, not observers. Teachers are trusted to bring both heart and skill into the classroom. It feels like a place where every child can truly flourish.

How my faith perspective shapes what I see

Being from a different faith has actually helped me understand this community in a deeper way. My relationship with G*d guides how I show love, serve others, and find purpose. When I stepped into a Jewish early-learning environment, I expected to feel different—but instead I found connection. The rituals, the blessings, the focus on tikkun olam (repairing the world), the weekly rhythm of Shabbat, these practices opened my eyes to how deeply values can shape a community.

And the beautiful surprise?

Teaching Torah values to the children has helped me understand my own Christianity better. The stories overlap. The lessons overlap. The principles flow into each other. Learning Torah has expanded my Bible knowledge and given me a richer foundation for my own faith. It’s rare to teach in a place where your spiritual understanding grows simply by showing up to work.

I love the rituals. I love the way children light up during Shabbat singing, the way they talk about being helpers, the way they take ownership of kindness. I love watching them learn that their actions matter, that even at three and four years old, they can bring goodness into the world. Seeing these values practiced daily has strengthened my own commitment to modeling patience, compassion, and integrity.

The heart of it all

What I’ve learned here is that community isn’t built on everyone believing the same thing. It’s built on everyone bringing their whole selves, honoring each other, and finding common ground in the values we live.

As a lead teacher, I get to be part of shaping that every day. I get to help children feel capable, loved, and seen. I get to help them understand their world and their place in it. And I get to grow alongside them, spiritually, professionally, and personally.

This work is my passion, my calling, and my joy. And I’m grateful that the ELC gives me a place where my story, my faith, and my values can coexist and thrive while serving the children who inspire me every day.

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Erica Marie Holmes is an early childhood educator and evangelist who has worked at the ELC for four summers. She began as an assistant camp counselor with Noah’s Ark, where a seasonal role grew into a year-round position and a passion for early childhood education. In her second year, Erica completed her 90 hours and became a lead teacher. She is currently in her second year teaching three-year-olds and has also taught Pre-Kindergarten. Erica brings faith, resilience, and a child-centered approach to her classroom each day.