Student Evaluation Highlights

(Further documentation available upon request)

General

“I absolutely loved your class last semester and really think you do an amazing job. You fascinated me about the subject matter and actually inspired me to become a Jewish history major”

“Matt’s constant asking, ‘is everyone with me?’ made it feel very safe to ask clarifying and qualitative questions as we
moved through material. It was a very safe space to learn and grow. Also, Matt kept us on track and never really
wandered too far – so we could take time to give heed to questions raised but it never seemed to overly detract from
‘getting to where we had planned.’”

“He was great: smart, articulate, and very, very helpful”

Engaging

“Matthew was extremely engaging in all of his lessons. He came to class prepared and presented the material in a way that all of us could understand.”

“Matt’s energy also helped create both a dynamic and serious learning environment.”

Effective

“Mr. Goldstone was an extremely effective teacher because he was able to simplify complex material and put it in relation to other topics.”

“Matt asked each individual student throughout the semester how he could help them learn more effectively, and when I
offered suggestions he incorporated them easily into the lessons, which was very helpful for me, and likely for other
students as well.”

Responsive

“He always emails back within a few hours no matter what my question is.”

“Even on his busiest week, he allocated time for me so that he could look over my paper.”

“Matt is a wonderful teacher, and it was clear to me throughout the semester that he was deeply committed to the growth
of our class. Matt made sure to check-in with me over the course of the semester, and spent a lot of time helping me
figure out how to get the most out of the course.”

Meaningful

“Learning these essential sources on prayer seriously impacted my own prayer practice, and was useful for preparing
and teaching my weekly hebrew school class. After each completed unit, we had a lively discussion as a class about
how to best implement and teach the topics we covered. We negotiated and complicated many of the questions
brought in the Talmud.”

“Professor Matt was an incredible teacher. He paced the class well, was open to hearing feedback and to meeting with
students outside of class. He made sure that everyone was on the same page when interpreting texts and he made
sure that the materials were helpful for our lives as spiritual individuals and as future leaders of Jewish communities.
He also gave us time to process and synthesize the texts we learned and make sure that we drew personal insights
from the texts.”

“Matt was not just our gemara teacher but also concerned with our whole development, as students, as Jews, and as
developing religious leaders. He would often check in about our experiences in general, and (I believe for many of us)
became a trusted supportive presence who we relied on for information about matters personal and institutional. This
was thanks to Matt’s presence and care – the ways that he communicated to us that he truly cared and gave us the time
every time we asked for it.”