Practicing Inclusive Conversations at Chatham Hall

9/9/2025

Professional Development at Chatham Hall

At the start of the school year, Chatham Hall was delighted to welcome Charles Weathers and The Weathers Group to campus for a series of powerful professional development sessions. Known for their engaging, hands-on approach, Charles and his team guided faculty and staff through the practice of inclusive conversations and helped us explore how to interrupt stereotypes in real-life situations.

Creating a Practice Space

From the beginning, Charles reminded us that this work is about growth, not perfection. “This is a practice space, not a performance,” he said. That set the tone for our time together—an environment where faculty could speak honestly, listen with curiosity, and learn from one another. Together, we agreed on shared values for the workshop:

Build a positive school culture
Honor confidentiality
Speak your truth
Listen with compassion

Skill Labs in Action

The heart of the training came through Skill Lab roleplays, where faculty practiced handling scenarios drawn directly from boarding school life. In small groups, participants stepped into roles as faculty members, students making comments, and students receiving those comments, while peers observed and took notes. These exercises reflected challenges that might emerge in dorm life, classroom discussions, or social interactions.

By working through these scenarios, we learned how to pause, reflect, and reframe conversations in ways that strengthen belonging and encourage civil discourse.

Tools for Conversation

To support these moments, participants practiced using sentence stems such as:

“I hear you saying…”
“Can we pause to think about how this might feel for someone experiencing ___?”
“Let’s unpack that together…”
“What I appreciate about your perspective is ___, and I’d like to add ___.”

These simple tools offered practical strategies for navigating difficult conversations while fostering respect and understanding.

Reflection & Commitment

After the roleplays, faculty reflected on what worked, what challenged them, and how fatigue or past experiences might shape our responses. Most importantly, everyone identified personal takeaways: what they would keep doing, stop doing, and start doing to make conversations more inclusive.

Each participant also wrote down one inclusive practice on a Commitment Card, with the promise to revisit and build on that commitment later this fall.

Continuing the Work

The session was not a one-time event but part of Chatham Hall’s long-term commitment to professional growth. Faculty left with the reminder that we don’t have to face challenges alone, that support is always available, and that small, consistent actions are what create lasting change.

At Chatham Hall, we know that creating a culture of belonging is essential to helping every girl thrive. Thanks to the guidance of The Weathers Group, we have new tools, fresh energy, and a shared commitment to carry this work forward.

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