School leaders and teachers see the Conversation Crisis every day. Students arrive academically capable, but when it is time to engage in real discussion, something happens. Participation feels risky. Silence feels safer. Community breaks down. It is the predictable result of a screen-saturated, polarized, AI-shaped world. Enter Conversation Comeback.: A Teacher’s Guide to Class Discussion…
On The Purpose and Practice of K-12 Humanities Teaching in Today’s World, Co-written by Humanities Educators | 2026 Schools are moving quickly to adopt AI. New policies are being drafted. New tools are being piloted. Professional development is focused on integration and regulation. All of this work matters. But as the AI conversation accelerates, something…
Thank you to Anastacia Ike-Foreman for sharing her R.E.A.L. life with us! Anastacia is a seventh and tenth-grade English teacher at Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School (TVT) in Irvine, CA. She shared her perspective that listening is the heart of discussion and that structured dialogue helps her students move beyond black‑and‑white thinking toward more nuanced…
Thank you to Alex Munro for sharing his R.E.A.L. life with us! Alex is a seventh-grade history teacher at Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, IL. Here are his thoughts on the value and practical steps of teaching discussion skills to middle schoolers. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Name: Alex Munro Hometown:…
I recently found myself nodding enthusiastically as I was reading Sian Leah Beilock’s article in The Atlantic, “Teach Students How to Think, Not What to Think.” Beilock, a cognitive scientist and the president of Dartmouth College, argues that higher education should focus less on ideology and more on helping students develop the skills to think…
Sidra D. Smith, Ph.D. | R.E.A.L.® Discussion | Director, Independent Schools Program After many years as a school leader, this fall looks different for me. I am not walking into opening faculty meetings or greeting families at back-to-school night. Instead, in my new role supporting R.E.A.L.® Discussion, I spent the summer with hundreds of educators…
It’s been fun to see other founders share the “unhinged” things they have done to build their businesses. But to me, this trend is more than entertainment. It’s an example of authentic interaction in a world that is increasingly AI-dominated, and I’m a relentless champion for human connection.
So, what are some of the “unhinged” things I have done to build R.E.A.L.® Discussion?
Liza Garonzik featured on Millions of Conversations television show and podcast What happens when we teach young people to truly listen, speak with courage, and connect face-to-face? In Episode 8 of Millions of Conversations, hosted by Samar S. Ali and produced by NewsChannel 5 Network, Liza Garonzik joins the show to explore that big, deceptively…
If we are serious about preparing students for the future, we cannot prioritize technology over humanity. We need both. Artificial intelligence may shape the tools of the future, but authentic interaction shapes us.
Even as AI opens new doors for innovation, it cannot replace what makes us most human: our ability to connect through authentic, face-to-face conversation.
Thank you to Kacie Neville for sharing her R.E.A.L. life with us! Kacie is an English teacher at Cleveland Central High School, a public high school in Cleveland, MS. Here are her thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. Name: Kacie Neville Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but…