Ask A Principal

Clinical Psychologist, Dr. Julie McKay, joins us this week to answer some of the questions that families seek answers outside of school. You'll hear what a medical professional has to say about the importance of working together as a team to get help for children. Some of her advice may even surprise you.

Get her advice for how schools and families can work together to best get help for a child.

Amy Beld, Tennesse school psychologist, helps us understand what special education is, how students get the help they need, and what parents can expect in a school meeting.

Kate and Nate discuss the ins and outs of an I.E.P. and how it affects your child.

We hope to empower parents who feel anxious about getting help for their child and to never feel like they are entering into a battle with the school. This is part 1 of 3 episodes on Special Education.

The Coronavirus currently has us self-isolating at home. But what does this mean for our students? Teachers? Administrators? Student teachers? Each entity has their own story about how their life has been upended by the abrupt closing of our schools.

*Teachers talk about what it’s like to parent while also create an e-learning experience for their students.

*A high school math teacher wonders about her students who need her class to graduate with college credit.

*An intermediate principal worries about his students only interacting through social media.

*A parent of a high school senior talks about the grief that her child is experiencing as all of her senior experiences are cut short.

Listen to this timely episode to hear stories from each of these groups while we discuss where to go from here.

As we find ourselves unexpectedly home during self-isolation from COVID-19, our kids will most likely be spending a lot more time online. Parents Who Fight is an organization that teaches parents and educators how to protect kids from the dangers of the Internet. They have tips for how to set appropriate boundaries around apps, how to protect kids from unseen dangers like bullying and sexual predators, and how to put a safety net around all the devices that connect to the Internet in your home, among many more. (plus See the show notes for their top recommendations and a coupon code from Bark!)

Dr. Nate and Kate answer listener questions from the mailbag in this special Spring Break episode

**Due to the nature of this story, listener discretion is advised**

Dr. Matthew Hicks concludes his story about the day a middle school student fired guns at his classmates and teachers. This incident took place in Noblesville, IN, on May 25, 2018.

Dr. Hicks talks about healing from the trauma of this event and the one thing he has not been able to recover yet.

We feel this story is important to share, not to sensationalize school shootings, but to help educators and parents know how to better protect their schools and also to feel confident that there are good people daily protecting the students & staff they love.

Dr. Matthew Hicks was an assistant principal at Noblesville West Middle School in Noblesville, IN, on May 25, 2018, the day one of his students brought a handgun to school and began firing at his teacher and classmates.

Dr. Hicks tells us what it was like to be in a leadership position during this traumatic event, how he helped the students move through it, and what his life is like today, not quite two years removed.

We tell this story not to sensationalize the events, but to give hope that there are educators, police officers, and community members who seek to protect our students every day. We also hope that parents and educators listening can familiarize themselves with their own school’s safety plan so they can best be prepared for any future threats.

This episode does not have any descriptions of the scene of the crime nor does it name the perpetrator. Thankfully, no one perished in this attack. Still, we want to warn listeners that this episode is not for children and it may not be appropriate for everyone. Please use discretion when listening.

Dr. Nate and his panel of teachers share what they are looking for during teacher interviews. Plus they share their most embarrassing interview moments and Nate tells us about a few his own interview fails!

Does your child have a talent for the arts, music, or sports? Are they hoping it will bring them a future college scholarship or even a career one day?

Today's guest is Mr. David Gossett, former professional golfer (winner of the U.S. Amateur, the John Deere Classic, and others included in his title!). But he is also a parent at Nate's school.

He is reflecting on his experience as a student-athlete, what he thought helped him achieve his dreams, and how his parents played a part in all of it.

Dr. Ricki Gibbs joins us for this episode to share his story about how he grew up as a kid with trauma, who made poor decisions at school. One teacher poured into his life and turned it around. Today, Ricki is a Nashville principal and seeking to help kids just like himself.