Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education

2021 Teacher Forum

Kathy Simon

April 11, 2021
Via Zoom

Facing Hard Conversations: How to Stay Open, Curious and Connected with Kathy Simon

  • How can educators approach hard topics with less fear and a greater sense of internal capacity?

  • How can we turn painful comments into educative experiences?

  • How can we help everyone — students, colleagues, ourselves — feel more curious and open-hearted?

As educators, many of us have the tools to help students investigate controversial issues and even to discuss them. But things get more difficult when we're taken off guard by things students or colleagues say, or when we find someone's views just plain repugnant. While it is often not possible to change someone's mind, it is often possible to preserve connection and broaden perspectives.

Kathy Simon

Video: Facing Hard Conversations: How to Stay Open, Curious and Connected (01:21:02)

In this interactive workshop, attendees had the opportunity to work with colleagues and peers* in small break-out sessions practicing skills for listening and for speaking up that can make hard conversations with students and colleagues less painful, less difficult, and more productive.

Co-sponsors of the 2021 Teacher Forum: Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Studies in Jewish Education, the Brandeis University Education Program and the DeLeT Alumni Network.

Kathy Simon is passionate about teaching skills for communicating across difference. With a degree in Hebrew and English Literature from Harvard University, Kathy began her career as a high school English and drama teacher. She then earned a PhD in Curriculum and Teacher Education at Stanford University, and directed the Coalition of Essential Schools, a national school-reform organization focused on creating more equitable and vibrant schools. Kathy is the author and co-author of several books on curriculum, teaching and school reform, including "Moral Questions in the Classroom," "Teaching as Inquiry" and "Choosing Small."

A certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication, Kathy has practiced NVC since 1995 and taught it since 2009. She has been a faculty member with the Mandel Teacher Educator Institute (MTEI) since 2006. Kathy leads workshops and coaches in a wide variety of contexts with educators, parents, couples, clergy, and therapists, and for non-profit groups.

Resources

Dr. Simon's Teacher Forum Slide Presentation

Suggested Reading