Team Finch Newsletter
November 2019
I am excited to announce that I have added  Professional Coaching  to the services I offer. Working with educators one-on-one and in groups is a precious opportunity to take time for deep focused conversation. Read more about coaching below and  on my website.

With the 2020 presidential election one year away, I urge you to consider participating in The  Can We?  Project   Summer Institute on Dialogue and Civic Engagement .  This is a training and planning opportunity   for PreK-12 educators from across the country. Our schools have an opportunity to model purposeful educational engagement next fall when this historic election challenges us all to bring our best selves to work. (more info below)

Check out this brilliant tool created by Donna Milani Luther, Head of Inly School . The  I-4 Problem Solving Process  provides a tactile, dynamic way for students to  Inquire - Imagine - Invent - Implement.

Proactively onward!

Jennifer Bryan, Ph.D.
What's New
In a nutshell: professional growth requires behavior change. Changing behavior takes hard work over time. If you have the right form of support, encouragement, and accountability, you are more likely to actually grow and change. That makes coaching an ideal vehicle for the meaningful, professional development you seek.
  
As a coach, I help you build essential competencies for personal and professional growth. Together, we work on: cultivating self-awareness, managing emotions, communicating clearly, leading with empathy, and working with ambiguity. These "soft" skills are actually the hardest to learn, practice and integrate into your work. 

If you want to grow your joy and maximize your impact in the face of too-many demands on your time and increasingly complex work challenges, coaching with me can help you slow down, connect with your deepest values, and serve the field of education in the ways that matter most to you.

Contact me and tell me about your professional goals . Let's explore the possibility of working together. 
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Is your school community ready to turn the 2020 Presidential Election into a meaningful, productive learning experience?

This summer, join educators from around the country at The "Can We? Project"  Summer Institute on Dialogue and Civic Engagement  in Portland,
Maine, to hone tools and create strategies that will allow your school community to harness the power of dialogue across political differences.

Our last presidential election sent school communities scrambling for ways to manage divisiveness and to bring people together. It's difficult to imagine 2020 will be any different. This time, however, schools can prepare. Training adults in dialogue skills serves multiple purposes and Institute participants can select the track that best matches their community's needs.

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Shout Outs
New Book from Shafia Zaloom
Shafia Zaloom's new book  Sex, Teens, and Everything in Between: The New and Necessary Conversations Today's Teenagers Need to Have about Consent, Sexual Harassment, Healthy Relationships, Love, and More   needs to be within arm's reach of every middle and high school educator. Parents need to read this book too! Time to get real, get current, and get educated so we can provide our kids with the tools they need.
Collaboration with Teaching While White
In August I had the pleasure of collaborating with Elizabeth Denevi, Director of East Ed and Jenna Chandler Ward, the co-founders of  Teaching While White an organization that examines the places  Where Whiteness Intersects with Antiracist Teaching and Learning.  They have trainings coming up in MA, OR, CA, MD and MO. Also, check out their latest podcast Challenging The Canon " .
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What's Next
Gender in Sports: What Are The Questions? Who’s Got The Answers? - November 15th 2019

Gender impacts all corners of school life, from curriculum to dress code to admissions and social programs. It is in athletics, however, that our evolving understanding of gender creates a unique, immediate challenge to the binary system of organizing sports for kids. Dr. Bryan will provide a snapshot of current thinking about gender identity development in children and adolescents and highlight the salient dilemmas for those working in youth sports.

New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Annual Meeting, Worcester, MA on Friday November 15th. Athletic Directors, Equipment Managers, Sports Information Directors, Facilities Managers, and Athletic Trainers.
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Navigating Gender and Sexuality Diversity, Pre-K - Grade 12: Frameworks, Values and Practice - December 10th 2019

A Workshop with Jennifer Bryan

Tuesday, December 10, 2019
Wellesley, MA
8:15 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

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Jennifer will be in Philadelphia presenting at the NAIS Annual Conference . Get up early on   Friday, February 28 for her 8:00—9:00 AM concurrent session.  Navigating Gender and Sexuality in PreK-12
 
Students naturally explore a range of identities, expressions, and roles as they navigate the social and academic world in PreK-12. This session provides (1) a conceptual model for understanding biological sex, gender, and sexuality and (2) contemporary terminology for exploring these essential parts of human identity. You will be invited to generate questions related to the Why? What? Who? When? and How? of engaging with these issues. Bring humility, curiosity, and a sense of humor!
Team Finch Consultants
PO Box 961
Northampton, MA 01061
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