Engaging conversations

With the use of smartphones and social media, students often times lack skills necessary to communicate effectively in every day conversations.
Jared Fujishin, a middle school teacher at Baymonte Christian School, is attempting to change the way kids engage in conversation by teaching interpersonal communication skills.  
“It seemed like every year the kids were experiencing more and more anxiety and feelings of loneliness,” Fujishin said. “So I decided to create a curriculum on how to thrive in face to face communication.”
A few weeks ago, Fujishin launched STAR Conversations, an online educational program combining teaching video and written components aimed at perfecting communication skills.
A Scotts Valley native, Fujishin has been teaching theology and philosophy for about three years now at Baymonte, slowly working in basic conversation skills into his classes. Fujishin saw an opportunity to expand his teachings beyond his classroom and decided to create an accessible course to both students and parents. 
STAR Conversations is a four-part online course which according to Fujishin, “will teach you never to feel awkward in conversation again.”
A combination of instructional videos and practice worksheets, the course includes lessons on how to make eye contact, how to ask open ended questions and how to use non-verbal skills appropriately to what you intended to say.
The course is accessed online at www.STARConversations.com. The cost of the program is $65, a price Fujishin decided on in an effort to keep the course affordable to all students who could benefit from its services.
“Before STAR, my daughter was glued to her phone,” said Claudia Martinez, a mother of a student at Baymonte. “Now she leads conversations with her peers and other parents.”
Fujishin will continue to incorporate the lessons from his STAR Conversations curriculum in the classroom. And currently the online program has fewer than 100 participants, but Fujishin is confident enrollment will increase.
“I think kids who grew up with technology in their hands when they were born miss out on some of the interpersonal skills that pass generations grew up with naturally,” Fujishin said. “Our job now is teach them some of those things that older folks might take for granted.”