Some of the most impactful moments at Akiva School do not take place during a planned lesson or scheduled program. They happen in conversations; between a teacher and a student who is struggling with an issue, between an educator and a parent navigating concerns about academic or social growth, or in a classroom full of students asking big, complicated questions around identity, values, or beliefs.
Last month, Akiva School faculty and staff participated in an inspiring day of professional development focused on strengthening the skills needed to facilitate crucial conversations. Partnering with Facing History and Ourselves, a leading national organization dedicated to equipping educators across the country with tools to shape civic responsibility, empathy, and curiosity in their students, educators at Akiva engaged in hands-on learning designed to build these skills across all areas of school life.
The session was led by Geffen Rosenthal, a Jewish Education Senior Program Associate at the organization, and centered on the Facing History and Ourselves’ Fostering Civil Discourse Guide. Through an interactive workshop that used real life scenarios that educators navigate every day, role-playing scenarios, and guided discussions, Akiva teachers practiced strategies for engaging in crucial but often difficult conversations. They explored strategies for connecting with parents about academic or social challenges their child may be facing, navigating differing family values and beliefs with sensitivity and respect, just to name a few topics. Time was spent thinking about how to support students and each other as they raise complex questions that often carry deep emotion and multiple perspectives.
The aim was not to arrive at easy answers, but to refine our capacity to listen well, ask thoughtful questions, and create spaces where these difficult conversations can happen respectfully and productively.
Akiva Head of School, Rabba Daniella Pressner, said, “This program was a unique opportunity to sit together with the Akiva faculty and think about the courage it takes to enter into these conversations and how this commitment impacts not only our relationships with each other and the greater adult community, but also models for our children the need to engage with deep honor for each person.” Pressner added, “We thought through how to ask questions with curiosity and love, how to encourage our children to explore their assumptions more deeply and how to support our classrooms in tougher moments of conflict and disagreement, creating space for honorable dissent, patience and a desire to grow from and with each other.“
Rosenthal explained, “At Facing History and Ourselves, we encourage students to consider the moral complexity in the world around them and apply these lessons to their own lives. With regards to civil discourse, we believe that how we talk about things matters. Students must learn how to bring their minds, hearts, and consciences to reflective conversations, so that they can fully extend their understanding when in challenging dialogue with others across differences. This is a skill they can learn early and develop over time.”
The investment into this type of professional development reinforces Akiva School’s commitment to both professional growth and to supporting a school culture and environment where dialogue, reflection, and empathy are at the center of learning. The impact of this program will be seen every day at Akiva, in communication, in the care taken during difficult moments, and in the confidence with which educators can guide students through the questions that matter most.
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