Civil Discourse Mini-Conference with Facing History and Ourselves

September 27, 2024  |  Ensworth School, Nashville, Tennessee

What can civil discourse look like, sound like, and feel like in the classroom? How can school leaders foster a culture of emotional safety, empathy, and reflection? How might schools become cultural binders for students, teachers, and families in polarized times?

View the Mini-Conference Schedule

Target Audience: Teachers (K-12), Division Heads, and Department Chairs

Description: TAIS is excited to partner with Facing History and Ourselves alongside Tennessee's own expert teachers to offer a mini-conference on Civil Discourse. With two tracks (a Lower School track and a Middle/Upper School track), this mini-conference will feature keynote speakers, expert presentations, and teacher-led workshops. From lesson plans to conversation guides, attendees will leave the conference equipped with practical tools and strategies to implement immediately.

Keynote Speakers: 

Liz Kleinrock (she/her) is an award winning educator, current independent school administrator, and best selling author, as well as a Korean-American transracial adoptee, queer, Jewish woman. In 2018, Liz received the Teaching Tolerance Award for Excellence in Teaching, and in 2019 delivered her TED Talk, “How to teach kids to talk about taboo topics." In the spring of 2021, Liz released her first book, Start Here, Start Now: A Guide to Antibias and Antiracist Work in Your School Community with Heinemann Publishing, and is excited to share the publication of four children's books with HarperCollins. She currently works as Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging at Lowell School in Washington DC.  

 Teacher-Led Session Focuses:

• Reflecting on taboo language
• Guiding students in exploring the many ways to be human
• Supporting emotional regulation in students and teachers
• Teaching students to deeply discuss, face-to-face, in today's polarized and tech-centric world
• Centering students' mind, heart, and conscience in reflective conversations on topics that matter
• Examining multiple perspectives through current events
• Molding difficult conversations with parents and coworkers into opportunities for collaboration
• Grounding in school mission and personal values as drivers of civil discourse
• Navigating conflicts of curriculum with stakeholder ideologies

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Guest: $265

REGISTER HERE

TAIS Board-Approved Cancellation Policy

Attendees will receive a full refund for an in-person conference if they cancel up to six weeks prior to the event and a 50% refund up to four weeks before the event. Refunds are not possible after four weeks prior to the event due to the costs incurred for food orders, hotel contracts, venue costs, and other administrative and setup fees. All refunds will reflect a 15% administration fee.