Do You See?

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Melissa talk about our school guidelines for bringing infants to work, and Ms. Melissa shares her experience in bringing her baby, Rosie, to school with her for the past few months. We explore the procedures and guidelines that make this family-friendly option work and discuss the benefits to our students of having an adorable baby at school.

In this short solo episode, Ms. Angie offers enlightenment on just what Title I funding is, where it comes from, and what it is used for at our school. She also reviews MWMA’s Parent & Family Engagement policy and the Parent Compact. If you have ever wondered what Title I means, this episode is for you!

In this episode, Ms. Angie and her special guest, her son Cambell, discuss high school. Cambell talks about his experiences at Bingham High and gives his tips for having a heart-to-heart conversation with your teenager without offending them. He talks about having a part-time job while in high school, and, in a stunning moment, admits that his parents may be a bit wiser than he is, having lived longer.

Recommended book(s): The Whole-Brain Child by Daniel J. Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson, How to Talk so Kids will Listen and Listen so Kids will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish (warning: from the 80’s), Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne, and All Joy & No Fun by Jennifer Senior

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha discuss gamification in education. Ms. Alisha spills the beans about her classroom theme next year, and shares her expertise about how to incorporate student academic work into a framework that correlates with curriculum, increases motivation and engagement, and fosters both friendly competition and collaboration among students.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Sandee discuss power struggles—what they are, why they happen, and how to avoid them. Parenting tips abound in this useful discussion, which might reframe your perspective on strong-willed children and help them turn this trait to their advantage.

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha explore the fascinating topic of sleep. How much sleep do we need? What is the importance of dream sleep? Do insects sleep? Why does good “sleep hygiene” look like? You may be surprised to learn that getting adequate quality sleep is one of the biggest things you can do for your health. “The shorter your sleep, the shorter your life.”

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Kari explain the Montessori Great Lessons. What exactly are they? Why do we have them? How are they presented? They are part of an authentic Montessori curriculum and are designed to inspire children and ignite their imagination and curiosity. From these Great Lessons come all of the subjects that we study—science, history, language, math and the cultural threads that tie them all together.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Ms. Olena discuss mathematical anxiety—is this a real thing? How does it happen? What does it look like? How can we recognize and alleviate it at home and in the classroom? If you’ve ever had your heart race when asked to calculate something, or your child is avoiding or failing math, better give this episode a listen!

In this episode, Ms. Angie and Ms. Alisha introduce “memory palaces” and the human talent for spatial memory, as elucidated by Sherlock Holmes and Simonides, the ancient Greek poet who left the banquet only to have the building crash down behind him. We also demonstrate how to perform this feat to increase your own memory powers (by memorizing the middle school camp packing list), and explore the correlation between memory and intelligence.

In this episode, Ms. Angie, Ms. Alisha, and Coach Austin delve into the nitty-gritty details regarding childhood nutrition and the brain. Spoiler alert: kids can learn when they eat healthy food. Find out everything you ever wanted to know about omega-3 fatty acids and where to find them, including the long list of foods most kids hate and the one item that most kids will eat!