AISG is pleased to have welcomed Jennifer Abrams as the last speaker of our Speaker Series this school year. Abrams is a former high school English teacher, new teacher coach, professional development facilitator, and current communications consultant and author. She has written books such as Having Hard Conversations and The Multigenerational Workplace: Communicate, Collaborate & Create Community and works with educators and others in school on new teacher and employee support, being generationally savvy, effective collaboration skills, having hard conversations, and creating identity safe workplaces.

Abrams visited us virtually twice over two weeks, once meeting with our parents and once with our Upper Secondary students. Around 60 parents joined in to learn more about how to successfully communicate with the school about their concerns. Parents learned to differentiate between concerns and complaints, when to voice a concern, and what language to use while doing so. Abrams also stressed the importance of body language and how to gain confidence as well as convey your point seriously through different stances of the body. Parents were then given time to reflect and ask specific questions they had for Abrams, who was very helpful in helping those who may not have found their voice to speak up before.

Our Upper Secondary students gathered in the theater to listen to a workshop on how students can advocate themselves and specifics ways to be an upstander. Abrams addressed why students might hesitate to have hard conversations and stressed that this is common, even with adults. She gave students the language tools for how to speak up and gave students tips on body language to gain the confidence to be a firm and articulate upstander. March in AISG was Upstander Awareness Month, and we are glad to give students even more tools to learn how important their voice can be.

We want to thank Jennifer Abrams for giving the students and parents in our community the proper tools of communication, whether it be facilitating communication between school and parents, or for our students to stand up and speak for what’s right.

This event was sponsored by the AISG Annual Fund Speaker Series that brings fascinating people with their captivating stories into our school to inspire, enlighten and transform learning. The speakers are invited to AISG from all over the world and share their experiences.

Made possible through generous donations from our AISG community, we are excited to bring these extraordinary speakers and look forward to the many more who will come to touch the minds and hearts of the members of the AISG Community.