Ellen Geller Kamaras
“My proudest accomplishments? Raising children with good values according to who they each are individually. Creating a home where ideas become real and everyone’s voice matters. Professionally, crafting environments where kids can build and think creatively. Teaching STEM, robotics, engineering, and 3D printing while giving students a space to invent, problem-solve, and see themselves as capable creators.” – Betti Missry
Please meet Betti Missry, a respected community member and teacher. She teaches robotics at Hillel Yeshiva from fourth grade through high school, and also teaches at Bet Yaakov of the Jersey Shore. There she mentors their science teachers and teaching lab staff and she teaches engineering and robotics to elementary and middle school students. Betti tutors all high school science subjects and gives private lessons in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and 3D printing. Betti operates a Summer STEM Academy program for kids after camp and is a private nutrition consultant. Additionally, she has taught crocheting to a great many young students.
Betti exudes positive and vibrant energy. Her warmth, vitality, drive, resourcefulness, and kindness are hallmarks of her character.
Let’s follow Betti’s journey from childhood to the woman she is today and discover the experiences that shaped her.
Roots
Betti, born to Laurie and Leon Beda, is their second child. She has two brothers and a sister. Her parents are both Sephardic and are American born.
Betti attended Yeshivah of Flatbush from kindergarten through 12th grade. She was an outgoing child and had a fun group of friends. “I always loved people and socializing.” In high school Betti chatted during classes and received detention for being late and for missing classes. To pay for her detention fines at $20 each, she resourcefully found a job on Sundays.
Betti enjoyed extracurricular activities. She sang in the school choir and participated in plays.
After high school, Betti enrolled in Brooklyn College. Her parents had said no to the gap year in Israel. But Betti was intent on pursuing her dream of learning in Israel and tackled every obstacle. She contacted her high school Israel advisor and secured the one spot available at Machon Gold Seminary for January. How would she pay? Betti was told the tuition would be billed later. Next, she needed airfare. Her solution was to register for Birthright. Finally, she found a cell phone with deferred billing.
Betti packed her bags. She had to confess to her parents that she was staying in Israel until June, beyond the Birthright trip. After three hours of arguing, her father agreed to let her go. He said to Betti’s mother, “She’s so determined and worked hard to make it happen. She deserves to go.” Betti learned that if you work hard, you can achieve anything. This growth mindset continues to inspire Betti throughout her life and career.
Returning from six months in Israel, Betti buckled down in college and began to thrive academically. “I couldn’t get enough of the lectures and wrote down every single word that the professors said. My favorite class was Medical Nutrition Therapy.”
Betti received a B.S. in Health and Nutrition from Brooklyn College and interned at various New York Presbyterian hospitals for one year. Graduating at the top of her class, Betti was offered a full-time management position. She declined due to the 12-hour shifts, Sunday stints, and the long commute. Betti holds Registered Dietitian (RD) and Certified Dietician Nutritionist (CDN) credentials.
A Pivot to Teaching
Betti’s teaching career began when she was a camp counselor. When she crocheted during downtime, her campers would surround her, wanting to learn. Betti started with a class of six students and within a year she was teaching 100 kids weekly. She received phone calls from parents whose daughters were bullied or excluded in school. Betti secretly and creatively helped these girls create friendships and boosted their self-confidence. .
Betti prepared handouts on healthy eating for her students and distributed different fruits and vegetables, exposing the students to healthy foods.
Her official teaching career was launched when her college professor, Penina Karp, asked her to take over an eleventh-grade nutrition class at Shulamith High School. Her initial response was, “I don’t know how to teach!” but Mrs. Karp convinced her she could.
Betti’s teaching philosophy centers on making learning fun and engaging while building student confidence.
After four years at Shulamith, Betti moved to Magen David Yeshiva High School. She taught Nutritional Science, Biology, Health Science, and STEM. Her friend and assistant principal, Audrey Abade, talked Betti into teaching STEM, affirming that she had the personality and science background for it.
Betti didn’t know what STEM stood for! She brought the textbook and supplies home and practiced for hours to prepare for a lesson, becoming an expert. “If a 14-year-old kid could learn this in high school, I can.” Betti learned about lights, LEDs, circuits, motors, sensors, and various electronic components through self-study and hands-on experimentation.
“Working at MDY changed my life. We were one big happy family. Their professional development really shaped me and left me wanting more.”
CIJE, the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education, plays an integral role in Betti’s professional goals. Its mission is to unlock the potential within every U.S. Jewish student. It brings hands-on STEM learning to more than 200 Jewish day schools and yeshivot.
Betti also worked at YDE Girls High School and taught human anatomy, nutrition, elective courses, and applied engineering and principles.
A Match Is Made
Three different people tried to arrange a match between Betti and Alex E. Missry. Such hashgahat pratit! Alex’s grandfather, Eli Dweck, had been a matchmaker and one of the shadchanits who proposed the match had been set up with her husband by Eli. She wanted to repay the mitzvah.
When Alex and Betti finally met they immediately clicked. “We are very much alike and have that ‘doers’ personality.,” Betti stated. The couple has children aged three to thirteen. They encourage non-tech activities and cultivate independence in their children from a young age .
Betti proudly shared that Alex is a giver. He works in the wholesale sector and is the President of Ilan High School. Alex took over for his father, Eddie Missry, a”h, in fundraising for both Ilan High School and for a widows and orphans hesed fund. Alex also started a youth program in the Lawrence Avenue Shul.
The family moved to Deal from Brooklyn during the pandemic, looking for more space and a backyard. They were still in lockdown when Alex returned to his office. Betti was zooming with her children for their classes and for her MDY and YDE students.
“I was on Zoom, cooking all the time, nursing a newborn, and we were grieving my father-in-law’s passing after Pesach. To keep my kids stimulated, I arranged fun and educational activities. They included an art room with supplies, a garden and seeds for planting, and art and gymnastics online classes. The kids played sports outside, too.”
Betti’s Essence and Influencers
Betti describes herself as fun, high energy, loyal, creative, growth-oriented, and resilient. She also generates warmth, caring, and vivacity. Her commitment to her family and her students is unsurpassed.
Grandma Norma and Grandma Betty were strong educational role models. Norma Shrem returned to college in her late 50s and earned a master’s degree in social work. Grandma Betty (for whom Betti was named), was born in England and deeply valued education. She had a lifelong love of learning, She remained curious and eager to expand her knowledge even in her later years.
Betti gets her high energy and fun-loving nature from her mother. Betti has wonderful memories of family trips and strives to provide the same types of experiences and happy memories for her children.
Betti’s cousin and best friend, Mariel Hidary, a”h, inspired her to teach crocheting. Before she died, Mariel was studying dance therapy with the goal of improving girls’ self-esteem and confidence through dance. “I hope I am carrying on her mission through a different method.”
Rewards and Challenges
Betti loves seeing kids light up about learning. Engaging children came naturally to her, and she treats her students like her own kids. “Watching my students’ growth in self-esteem from September to June and [from] year to year is incredible. I thrive on building children and shaping confidence and curiosity.”
Robotics competitions are intense, yet Betti’s students remain calm and composed, even amid tournament-day chaos. Betti credits the classroom culture she has built, where mistakes are looked at as learning opportunities and challenges are met with determination. Students gain confidence and learn to treat setbacks as problems to solve. When difficulties arise, they don’t panic, they get to work.
Betti’s oldest son, Ezra, won first place in a nationwide robotics competition, competing against 140 robots. Betti’s teams have consistently won first place for several consecutive years, demonstrating the effectiveness of her teaching methods and program development.
Her challenges? Time is number one. Organization is central to Betti’s ability to manage her busy life. She creates detailed color-coded schedules for each child and coordinates carpools for all activities. For her personal and work commitments, Betti maintains a separate handwritten planner.
What’s Next
Betti has two book ideas for hands-on guides for nutrition and STEM.
Connect with Betti at Bbmissry@gmail.com. Ellen Geller Kamaras, CPA/MBA, is an International Coach Federation (ICF) Associate Certified Coach. Her coaching specialties include life, career, and dating coaching. She can be contacted at ellen@lifecoachellen.com.