The Changing Brain: On Motivation, Persistence, and Joy

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 table Follow Erica on twitter: @EricaOTurner1

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 matters Follow Tricia and the Disrupt Text collective on twitter at: @disrupttexts #DisruptTexts

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 tricks Follow Allyson's Changing Brain Lab on twitter: @ChangingBrain

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 struggles Follow Traci on twitter and instagram @TraciSorell Photo credit: Kelly Downs Photography  

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 values Photo credit: Les Talusan 

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 start Follow Claudine on Instagram @HealthyFamilyFoodIdeas

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 sex Links to some of Miranda's writing:  Ghosts In My Nursery (The Yale Interview) Resist Fear Based Parenting (The New York Times)  

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