Episodios
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What do we mean by equity in education and how might we go about achieving it?
Our parent guest today is Erica Turner, PhD, a mom of three who is an associate professor in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. In this week's episode, we explore the Equity in Public Schooling Guide that Erica and collegues developed at the onset of the pandemic to understand issues standing in the way of achieving equitable public schooling for all.
*Episode Notes*
Equity vs Equality Public schools: Middle class flight and opportunity hoarding Anti-Blackness in schools Coded language Color evasive managerialsm in schoools and deepening inequity Consequences and possibilities of more voices at the tableFollow Erica on twitter: @EricaOTurner1
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This week’s parent guest is Tricia Ebarvia, a high school English teacher and a mom of three boys who is one of the four co-founders of the #DisruptTexts movement - a “crowdsourced, grass roots effort by teachers for teachers to diversify literature taught in schools in order to create a more inclusive, representative, and equitable language arts curriculum” (Disrupt Texts website).
In this episode, we explore what the Disrupt Text collective is really about, clearing up misunderstandings and misinformation about the movement to highlight why this work is so necessary. We also provide parents with tangible steps on how to support their children and teachers in this work.
***Episode Notes***
Understanding the Disrupt Texts movements The four Disrupt Text principles Parents roles in supporting their children in disrupting texts Why some parents push back against disrupting texts Parents roles in supporting teachers/schools to disrupt texts Why speaking up mattersFollow Tricia and the Disrupt Text collective on twitter at: @disrupttexts #DisruptTexts
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What drives motivation and what role does motivation play in children's development and growth? How does adversity and stress impact the brain? And what role does joy play?
Our parent guest today is Allyson Mackey PhD, a mom of two and a neuroscientist who is an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania where she heads the Changing Brian Lab. In this week's episode, we explore the changing brain, focusing on the the importance of motivation, modeling effort, experiencing joy, and getting enough sleep.
*Episode Notes*
Understanding brain plasticity Motivation and persistence Modeling effort; tackling failure The importance of joy On resilience and adversity Why sleep matters Teaching an old dog new tricksFollow Allyson's Changing Brain Lab on twitter: @ChangingBrain
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There are over 6.7 million Native Americans still living in the United States today and yet, the people that have lived on these lands the longest are the people we know the least about. In this week’s episode, we explore the contemporary history of native communities through children’s literature.
Our parent guest this week is Traci Sorell, a mom of one and an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation who writes poetry, fiction and nonfiction for children. In this episode, Traci talks about her books as a way for people to learn more about native people in the past and present.
***Episode Notes***
Gaps in the history curriculum post 1870 Representation, research, and own voices Importance of land acknowledgements Respect versus appropriation Cherokee values and hidden figures On Balance: Gratitude for the blessings and the strugglesFollow Traci on twitter and instagram @TraciSorell
Photo credit: Kelly Downs Photography
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We begin Season 3 by exploring the ways in which families can participate in the pursuit for racial and social justice.
Our parent guest this week is Deepa Iyer - a lawyer, writer, trainer, and racial justice advocate. She is currently the Strategic Advisor at Building Movement Project and Director of Solidarity Is, a project that provides trainings and resources in an effort to develop deep and lasting multiracial solidarity. She's also the mom of a 10 year old boy.
In this episode, Deepa walks us through the Social Change Ecosystem Map that she developed for the Building Movement Project. The map introduces families to the many different roles and ways to engage in social and racial justice work.
Follow Deepa on twitter (@dviyer) and instagram (@deepaviyer).
*Episode Notes:*
Defining solidarity The Social Change Ecosystem Map Roles for children and youth in social change How families can use the map for social change Expectations for children Centering our valuesPhoto credit: Les Talusan
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With so many of us confined indoors, home cooking is on the rise. How do we make the most of this opportunity where there are more cooks in the kitchen - even little ones? How much cooking can kids do? What are the benefits of getting kids involved with meal prep? And where do you start if you yourself are not adept in the kitchen?
We’ve cooked up a terrific episode with our parent guest this week, Claudine Boulstridge, who joins us from her home in rural Wales (UK). Claudine is the home recipe tester for world renowned chef, Yotam Ottolenghi. She’s also a mom of three and passionate about sharing her knowledge about healthy eating through her instagram account, @HealthyFamilyFoodIdeas. In this episode - right in time for the winter holidays - we talk about how to support kids in the kitchen, healthy eating, and how food can be a gateway to so much learning.
***Episode Notes***
Managing kids in the kitchen Understanding kids’ cooking capabilities Healthy eating Kids menus & school lunches Cooking as a gateway to learning Where to startFollow Claudine on Instagram @HealthyFamilyFoodIdeas
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Death is an inevitable part of all life, and yet talking about death is one of the hardest conversations that adults can have with children.
To navigate this complicated topic, we are joined by Miranda Featherstone, MSW, a writer and school based counselor, and a mother of two young children. We discuss the importance of normalizing death, how to talk to children about death using developmentally appropriate language, and understanding grief.
***Episode Notes***
Normalizing death How to talk to children about death The experience of profound loss Expressions of grief How grief evolves The four tasks of grief Complicated grief Why talking about death is like talking about sexLinks to some of Miranda's writing:
Ghosts In My Nursery (The Yale Interview)
Resist Fear Based Parenting (The New York Times)
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Growing up in the United States as a minoritized person in terms of skin color and religious identity has never been easy, so how does one raise their children to feel connected to their country and their faith?
Our parent guest this week is Simran Jeet Singh, PhD, a Sr. Fellow at the Sikh Coalition, and a social justice activist, scholar and teacher, who is the dad of two girls. He’s also the author of "Fauja Singh Keeps Going" – a picture book we discuss on the show. In our episode, Simran shares ways in which he lives his values and uses empathy to fight against racism and hate.
Follow Simran on twitter and instagram @SikhProf.
*Episode Notes*
Children’s books and representation Social justice parenting Why empathy? Identity and spirituality Reflecting on 9/11(turning hate into love) The uncertain future (post 2020 election) -
In this episode, we explore how children learn from play, risk-taking and failure. We’re joined by parents, Jennifer Oxman Ryan, PhD (senior project manager and researcher on Project Zero’s Pedagogy of Play initiative at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education), and Jake Ryan (Founder and Director of the Open Bench Project, a maker space in Portland, Maine.). We explore the world of maker spaces, which allow for risk-taking and failure as important ways to learn and grow, and how parents can take a more playful disposition to parenting.
***Episode Notes***
Play and maker-centered learning Cultivating agency, curiosity, wonder and empathy Letting kids take the lead Risk taking and failure Being good at being bad Playful parenting Engaging with difference Reflections on sending your kid off to college (in a pandemic) -
The way we consume and talk about news and current events has completely changed in recent years. In this week’s episode, we discuss all things related to the news and how to talk with our children about what is happening in the world around us.
Our parent guest this week is Amna Nawaz, an Emmy and Peabody award winning journalist. She is a Senior National Correspondent and the primary substitute anchor for PBS NewsHour, as well as a mom of two. In our episode, we discuss ways to introduce children to the news, how to maintain a healthy news diet, and about representation in the media.
Follow Amna on twitter @IamAmnaNawaz and on instagram @AmnaOnPBS
***Episode Notes***
The changing news landscape Experiencing news as a family (how to talk about complicated news stories) On finding trustworthy news sources Openness to other points of view Maintaining a healthy/balanced news diet On representation Work/life realities
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We begin our second season by exploring the many facets of learning.
Our parent guest this week is Annie Snyder, PhD, Senior Learning Scientist at McGraw-Hill and a single mom of three boys. In our conversation, we talk about everything from reframing the “loss’ of learning to how the pandemic offers us an opportunity to reconsider and racalibrate what we call learning.
***Episode Notes***
The Covid Slide Socio-emotional learning Failure as learning Pandemic learning Reframing learning Learning from children -
In this week's episode, we explore the world of science from an anti-racist perspective.
Our parent guest this week is Theanne Griffith, PhD, a mom of two and a neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. She is the author of the new STEM focused chapter book series, The Magnificent Makers (illustrated by Reggie Brown). We explore her books, discuss the importance of scientific thinking, and why science is for everyone.
Follow Theanne on twitter / instagram @DocTheaGrif
***Episode Notes***
The Magnificent Makers Series Representation, Barriers & Opportunties to pursuing STEM fields Why science(tific thinking) is important Right Brain / Left Brain / Whole Brain! Doing science at home Science from an anti-racist perspective Impact of the pandemic on children’s development Titles of the books -
Bonus content from Episode 6 Conversations About Race with Charles Barrett Adams, Managing Partner at The Lion's Story. In this mini episode, Charles talks about the role parents can play in advocating for sustainable change in schools, by reflecting on his role as an active parent in his children's schools.
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In this week's episode, we learn about what racial literacy is and why we need it more than ever.
Our parent guest this week is Charles Barrett Adams, dad of two and one of the founding members and managing partner of The Lion’s Story, an organization that seeks to prepare individuals and organizations to navigate and resolve racially charged situations using research-based strategies. We talk about managing stress during conversations related to race, and how to engage with our children about racially charged situations - from processing the news to everyday experiences with microaggressions.
*Episode notes:*
Processing events of racial injustice with children Racial literacy: Managing racially stressful situations (how to CLCBE) Racial climate change White Supremacy and Colorism, Prejudice, & Microaggressions The Lion’s Story: Overview and upcoming workshopsSee also our bonus content where we talk specifically about schools and the role parents can play in advocating for change.
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In this week's episode we enter the world of social studies to explore the possibilities of restorying our past, understanding the present, and restoring our future.
Our parent guest this week is Noreen Naseem Rodriguez, PhD, a professor of elementary social studies at Iowa State University, and a mom of two. We discuss what social studies is; pushing back against dominant narratives and explore hidden histories; and how to watch the new PBS Asian American documentary with our kids.
Follow Noreen on twitter at: @naseemrdz
***Episode notes***
Social studies in perspective Pushing back against the dominant narratives Exploring hidden histories PBS' Asian Americans documentary Reflecting on heritage months Documenting the present -
In this week's episode, we reflect on the ways the past few months of the pandemic have reshaped schooling.
Our parent guest is Victoria Hunt, PhD, an educator with over twenty years of teaching and administrative experience and a mom of two young adults. She is the founding principal of Dos Puentes Elementary School, a dual-language K-5 public school in New York City. We talk about the challenges and opportunities that have emerged from the sudden and unprecedented shift to online schooling, and the ways in which we might reimagine schooling moving forward.
Episode Notes:
Teaching your own kids is hard What parents might not know or realize / a behind the scenes perspective Loss of learning in perspective (Pandemic) Special educationInterlude
The future: A focus on social-emotional well-being? Ideas to take to the future and reimagining schooling
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Bonus content from last week's interview with early childhood researcher, Jennifer Keys Adair, PhD, in which she reflects on being a parent of teenagers and what she's learned from them.
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In this week's episode we look at how young children learn and what they need from their parents during the pandemic.
Our parent guest this week is Jennifer Keys Adair, PhD, an early childhood education professor at the University of Texas at Austin and mom of three. We talk about ways to balance our children's needs with our own needs; using technology; the importance of play and boredom; and the benefits of developing agency in young children.
*Episode notes:*
What kids need from parents (during the pandemic and beyond): The 15/45 rule Strategies to get work done while caring for your kids How to give children attention Leveraging/understanding technology Opting out and balancing online learning The importance of play - and boredom(Interlude)
Understanding children’s agency Agency in children of color Cultivating agency at home The importance of not overprotecting kids
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This week’s episode enters the world of books and storytelling to explore ways of talking about social identities and difference with our children.
Our parent guest on this episode is Mathangi Subramanian, Ed.D., award-winning author, activist, and adoptive parent. We talk about books and storytelling as a way to both broaden our children's worlds and imaginations, and also serve as a gateway to social justice issues.
*Episode notes*
Books as mirrors and windows / Diversifying children’s literature Responding to questionable/stereotypical content in books The benefits of reading aloud to (older) children (gateway to social justice conversations) Reading fiction and nonfiction Fostering creativity[interlude]
Recognizing that kids know more that we think Modeling social justice How to engage (and re-engage) in conversations about social justice with your kids
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Our first episode focuses on the challenges facing parents and folks in parenting roles with having their kids at home rather than in school.
Our parent guest on this episode is Chris Steinmeier, Ed.D., co-founder and co-director of the Natural Creativity Center and dad of two. We talk about school at home vs self-directed learning; finding work-life balance; and using this time as an opportunity to connect with the young people in your lives in a whole new way.
Episode Notes:
Clarifying terminology (homeschooling, school-at-home, radical unschooling) A response to “fear of falling behind in learning” Principles of self-directed learning/educationInterlude
Rediscovering curiosity (recovering internal-motivation) Avoiding evaluative language Sharing in responsibility Being with your family
