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Pollyanna Summer Workshop Series 2024
Just added 3 sessions in preparation of the election...
1 price per school for all 15 workshops for your community
The fee for schools/corporations with 500 students/employees and under is $1700 for the summer and for schools/corporations with 501 students/employees and over is $2200. This is $36,000 worth of professional development for what we trust is a reasonable fee. Please email us at info@pollyannainc.org and let us know if this is a financial hardship.
All sessions are on Zoom at noon ET and 9AM PT and one hour, and workshops are recorded and available on demand until October 1, 2024.
6/25/24 - The Importance of the HoS and Diversity Director Partnership
Pankti Sevak and Patrice Wakeley
Both DEI Directors and Heads of School are in unique positions of seeing and understanding the life of school from a 360 perspective. What does a successful partnership look like between Heads and DEI Directors? How might equity work be successfully built into the school's strategic priorities and governance structure through a partnership in leadership? What are the pitfalls and challenges to successful partnership? In challenging moments how do you lean on one another, serve as thought partners, and move through difficulty with the school's mission in mind? Join a Head of School and DEI Director at this workshop to work through these questions.
6/26/24 - Calling all BIPOC Trustees
Shernice Lazare
Calling all BIPOC Trustees who serve on independent school boards. Oftentimes being a BIPOC Trustee can feel lonely and isolating. Join us as we build community and share successes, challenges, and the unique ways we can have a stronger impact on the board and school communities. We’ll discuss effective practices for increasing our influence and impact, and strategies for succession planning when we transition off as Trustees to ensure that diverse voices continue to populate our boards.
6/27/24 - Combating Identity-Based Stress, Elevating Aesthetic Choice in Schools
Ivy Alphonse-Crean
In the book “Your Brain on Art,” Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross give detailed examples of how the arts must be seen as part of school curriculum, based on the positive benefits aesthetic experiences have on the brain. This workshop will discuss the idea of identity-based stress and will make the case for aesthetic experiences to combat identity-based stress in schools. Who has access to artful experiences? How does art, rest, and wellness benefit the body and mind for underrepresented students and faculty? And how can we best lobby for these programs to be elevated to the level of importance that more “core” subjects have? Participants will leave with key practices to combat identity-based stress.
7/9/24 - Speak Up! Commenting on Current Events to Build Trust at Your School
Jan Abernathy
Whether it’s the US election, the Israel-Hamas war or the anti-DEIB landscape, tension over current events has been brought time and again to the doorsteps of our schools. Some schools found that a lack of criteria for commenting on current events left them whipsawing between competing demands of vocal groups. Others soon realized that refusing to comment conveyed to some in their school communities that they didn't care about them, or worse, that the institution was biased against their identity group. In this workshop, participants will learn strategies for commenting on current events in ways that build trust at your school.
7/10/24 - Socioeconomic Diversity and Advancement
David Smith
As independent schools become increasingly more diverse, we sometimes avoid discussing the critical issue of socioeconomic diversity. Issues related to class show up often in the work of advancement. How do we talk about money as a community? How do we invite people to gather across socioeconomic differences? With tuition rising along with financial aid needs, we need to adapt to changes in our communities. From fundraising appeals to stewardship plans, we will explore specific ways to integrate families of all financial backgrounds into our communities. Fundraisers and communications professionals must lead in this area, but everyone needs help to create a sense of belonging in communities with increasing socioeconomic diversity. This workshop will offer strategies to advance institutions while honoring socioeconomic diversity.
7/16/24 - Nonviolent Communication––Building Connection this Election Season and Beyond
Jason Craige Harris
For some of us, speaking in non-judgmental ways can feel impossible, particularly when it comes to politics. Our language can be shot through with judgment and implicit critique, which becomes more apparent in times of conflict. For others of us, speaking in clear and assertive ways, instead of being silent in the face of things that defy our values, is the challenge. We can become either conflict aggressive or conflict avoidant. Join this workshop to learn practical strategies for fostering clear, effective, and non-judgmental communication with students, colleagues, parents, and loved ones––especially during this election season.
7/17/24 - "Ok, I messed up. Now what...?"
Sam Hosein
The expectations placed on educators is quite high, both in expertise and conduct. We must be experts of our subject and teaching craft and conduct ourselves in a way that models the values and expectations we have for our students and school community. But what about when we mess up? For example, when we misjudge the situation, say the wrong thing, or when our intent fails to align with the impact. Oftentimes, as educators our mistakes feel highly visible, and the stakes can be high. This session will discuss the "oops" moments and the ways in which we can own our mistakes, model accountability, and seek repair when needed.
7/18/24 - Demystifying Racial Competence
Ali Michael
"Racial competence is a matter of skill, not character," according to Howard Stevenson, PhD. In other words, if you find it difficult to manage racial stress, if you struggle to recognize racism or you can't think of ways to intervene when you see it happening, that's not because you are bad. It's because you lack skill. This workshop will unpack the 4 foundational aspects of racial competence, why they matter, and how to acquire them. The facilitator is white and will share many stories from her life.
7/23/24 - The Total Package: Exploring the Experiences of Parents of Black Students in Independent Schools
Naledi Semela
Independent Schools are fueled in large part by three elements: trust, relationships, and community. As DEIB efforts have evolved significantly in recent years, the experiences of families of color bear more inquiry and exploration. Join a conversation guided by a qualitative study of parents whose academically talented, Black students attended NYC independent day schools in the past decade and hear some recommendations for how schools can help to empower this important constituency.
7/24/24 - Building Alliances: Connecting Our Shared Legacies of Trauma and Resilience
Elizabeth Rosner & Jason Craige Harris
Much appears to divide us, particularly along identity lines. So often identity groups are pitted against each other, as though their strivings for inclusion and justice cannot be reconciled. The fault lines between Black and Jewish communities, and all those who straddle both, bear this out. Such divisions also fracture school communities. Students, faculty, and parents struggle to talk about identity in more inclusive and intersectional ways. Yet there are lessons we can learn about how to have such conversations better, where no group’s experience is discounted. In the face of struggles over what might appear to divide us, Elizabeth Rosner and Jason Craige Harris discuss ways to work with the individual and collective history of Black and Jewish communities to help focus on what connects us.
7/31/24 - Addressing Microaggressions: Before and After They Occur
Jason Craige Harris
Children, like all humans, at times treat others as "others." Othering can manifest in subtle ways in school communities largely under the umbrella of microaggressions. Everyday slights, insults, and put-downs based on perceived or actual identity diminish a sense of dignity and belonging. In this workshop, participants will explore the kinds of microaggressions that happen in schools, how to prevent them and how to address them. Participants will leave with tools to foster an enduring sense of community.
8/1/24 - Teaching Open Mindedness
Eva Vega-Olds
Few examples exist in the wider culture of people having courageous conversations that go well. We are more frequently confronted with examples of what not to do rather than what to do. This culture of close-mindedness and a lack of inquiry leaks into our school communities and cultures. Middle and high school students may find themselves reproducing the same dynamics of dysfunction they see in the wider society. Faculty may wonder how to support these students and to navigate them toward more skillful engagement with one another. This workshop is designed to support middle and high school faculty to encourage students to develop open-mindedness and inclusive inquiry. This all with the goal to engage in true dialogue to understand varying opinions. Teachers will leave with discussion protocols and new strategies to support students.
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8/2/24 - Politically Correct: Maintaining an Inclusive School in a Highly Partisan Culture
Jan Abernathy
As we approach the Presidential election, schools are wondering what communications strategies they can use to remain non-partisan and welcoming to all, regardless of which candidate or social issues community members support. Come to this session to learn ways to communicate with your adult community about how your school will handle the upcoming election season, whether in the faculty room between adults, or in the classroom with students. Using transparent communication that leans into your school's mission, learn how to communicate that divergent positions can be respected and embraced in heterogeneous communities.
8/5/24 - Preparing for the Election in an Age of Unrest - A Focus on Community-Wide Programming
Jason Craige Harris
Our political climate is shot through with both difference and division. Whatever the outcome of the U.S. presidential election, intentional action needs to be taken to ensure that our school communities lean into practices of dialogue––both before and after the election itself. In this workshop for school leaders, participants will acquire a blueprint for the kinds of institutional steps that schools can take to safeguard their communities from polarization as well as the kinds of spaces they can facilitate to foster group dialogue among employees, students, and families to foster an environment of civil discourse and disagreement.
60 minutes
8/7/24 - Election Anxiety: Conversations That Connect in School Settings
June Christian
Explore effective strategies to uphold civility and foster meaningful conversations in the midst of an emotionally charged election season. This workshop equips educators with the tools needed to manage heated conversations, promote respectful dialogue, and maintain the school's core values amid diverse political beliefs. We'll delve into techniques that not only defuse tension but also encourage constructive, connecting conversations that bridge divides.
60 minutes
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