EduLead 2025: Full Schedule

9:45am CST

Stretching your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

At this moment in time when things are ever shifting, it is critically important that we strive to develop ourselves, not just as educators, but as human beings. What can we do to be bigger and better versions of ourselves as collaborative team members and as leaders? This workshop, based on Jennifer’s new book, Stretching Your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work, will introduce us to adult developmental theory and to five focused ways we can develop ourselves at work.
We will build our skills to:

know ourselves and our identities
better suspend our certainty and think with greater complexity and openness
take increased responsibility for our language and communications
engage with reciprocity and live ‘out loud’ our belief of mutual respect for all
build our resiliency and work on our emotional hygiene
Consider what it means, in practice, to grow (up) – to develop our skills and capacities as lead learners in our schools.

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Jennifer Abrams is an international educational and communications consultant specializing in supporting public and independent schools, universities, and non-profits. She trains and coaches educators, administrators, and other professionals on new teacher and employee support, having... Read More →

Friday May 9, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
Lower School Library

Teachers/Staff/Administrators Session

11:15am CST

Building Relationships - Communication Basics (All Community Session) LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST

Lower School Library

This foundational session is designed for all individuals interested in learning and reviewing basic communication skills that build more trust in relationships. The workshop will provide skills to change personal behaviors within one’s sphere of control that can increase trust in everyday interpersonal and group interactions.
Participants will learn how to:

Use effective non-verbal body language can increase or decrease how trustworthy others feel you are
Paraphrase and listen more skillfully so others truly feel heard
Ask questions that open other people’s thinking so they want to respond
Offer suggestions that others want to hear and will take into consideration
Praise so others will feel acknowledged
Apologize so others feel better
Respond more effectively to conflict and tension interpersonally and in group situations

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Friday May 9, 2025 11:15am - 12:30pm CST
Lower School Library

Whole Community (Anyone)

1:30pm CST

Having Hard Conversations LIMITED

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Lower School Library

As administrators, coaches or colleagues, we often come up against situations where difficult topics must be addressed. What do we know about the best strategies for those moments? What questions should we be asking ourselves before we speak, and what environments are best for when we do speak? Based on Jennifer’s book, Having Hard Conversations, and her work with conflict and interpersonal communication, this session will provide participants with action plans and scripting tools for having those necessary hard conversations.
Participants will learn how to:

Identify why they hesitate having hard conversations
Choose questions to ask themselves before they choose to speak up
Articulate in professional language the challenges they are facing
Determine the goals of the conversation and write an action plan of support
Script the conversation avoiding trigger words that put others on the defensive
Choose the best ‘wheres’ and ‘whens’ for a productive discussion

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Friday May 9, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Lower School Library

Teachers/Staff/Administrators Session

9:45am CST

Stretching your Learning Edges: Growing (Up) at Work (REPEAT) LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST

Lower School Library

know ourselves and our identities
better suspend our certainty and think with greater complexity and openness
take increased responsibility for our language and communications
engage with reciprocity and live ‘out loud’ our belief of mutual respect for all
build our resiliency and work on our emotional hygiene

Consider what it means, in practice, to grow (up) – to develop our skills and capacities as lead learners in our schools.

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Saturday May 10, 2025 9:45am - 11:00am CST
Lower School Library

Teachers/Staff/Administrators Session

1:30pm CST

Collaboration and Leadership Skills for Team Leads, Department and Committee Chairs and Others LIMITED

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST

Lower School Library

We know how to do our jobs well and then we are appointed ‘lead’ of a group of adults. We have a credential or license to do our educational and/or clinical work yet becoming a department chair, committee head or team lead requires different set of skills. In this session participants will discuss the role of “group leader” and the skill set that goes with this new role in building collaborative and professional culture within their workplaces.
Participants will learn how to:

Increase one’s credibility in the role as chair or team lead
Understand adult learning theory and how that plays out in meeting design
Use non-verbal language to create an approachable or credible stance depending on the needs of the situation
Listen and paraphrase effectively so others feel heard
Ask questions others want to answer
Provide effective feedback through praise, suggestions and requests

Speakers

Jennifer Abrams

Communications Consultant

Saturday May 10, 2025 1:30pm - 2:45pm CST
Lower School Library

Teachers/Staff/Administrators Session