Difficult Conversations: Ft. Jordyn Lipton, Rachel Ahitow, Jaclyn Freitag & Jenny Levine
Meet our guests
Our Guests this month are four teachers that we are lucky to work with at Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School. We decided the best approach to difficult conversations would be to hear from teachers who spend countless hours together on a daily basis. Difficult conversations happen to us all; only those that are open {brave} and honest will share those moments but one thing is for sure; we can all learn from their experiences and grow so much as people and professionals alike.
Meet our four genuine Bernard Zell teachers with wisdom to share:
Jordyn Lipton is a former BZ teacher. She co-taught with Rachel Ahitow in a Kindergarten classroom for three years; Jordyn taught for seven years prior to working at BZ. She currently stays home with her sweet daughter, Leni, while also working as needed for BZ as an Ambassador.
Rachel Ahitow has been a teacher at BZ in early childhood for 15 years. She currently co-teaches in a kindergarten classroom. Prior to working at BZ, Rachel taught for 8 years in public school. She is a fabulous mother to two {lovely} daughters, Mia and Sophie.
Jaclyn Freitag is a current BZ nursery teacher. She has been teaching for seven years and currently co-teaches with Jenny Levine. Jaci is the wonderful mother to her 3-year-old son, Hunter, and is preparing to welcome a daughter, due in June.
Jenny Levine currently teaches with Jaclyn in a nursery classroom at BZ. She has taught early childhood for seven of her nine years at Bernard Zell. She loves working with children and takes pride in her most important role yet- the role of an amazing mother to her son, Joshua!
“You’re carrying that baggage; kids pick up on those stressors.
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Teacher Takeaways
Difficult Conversations
Confrontation is not bad when it’s done in a respectful way and you feel heard.
Use “I feel” statements to bring up issues.
Get to know your co-teacher/colleague well.
Everyone wants to be like and to feel like they belong. When you get to know your co-teacher/colleague, the relationship only gets better and it’s easier to approach difficult situations.
Check out our “Difficult Convo Reflection Worksheet” to facilitate conversations and help build your relationship- follow the link!
Miscommunications arise when you let things sit and don’t talk about them; don’t let them [issues] fester.
The more you hold back on talking about it, the more frustrated you’ll likely become.
Model how to validate feelings and discuss them for children too!
It’s great for children to see that adults (and even teachers!) have disagreements and have to work on relationships. Modeling problem-solving conversations (that are appropriate, of course) is a great way to be honest, open, and showcase the human experience with children.
Resources
Difficult Conversations:
Please check out our “Relationship Building and Communication Reflection” Form! We created it specifically for this episode and encourage you to use it WITH your co-teachers and colleagues. Download it here!
We mention the book, “Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most” By Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen. Check it out here! (Book not affiliated with podcast)
