Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcast

Many parents feel unsure when they should start talking to their children about addiction and even more uncertain about what to say. In this episode, author and educator, Jessica Lahey, offers practical tips and guidance for having conversations about drug and alcohol abuse. She draws on the latest research and her own experiences to share what families need to know to keep their kids safe.

• Check out “5 Things You Need to Know About Youth Vaping” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine
• Explore PTA’s newest grant opportunities including funding to encourage tobacco use prevention here
• Follow Jessica Lahey on Instagram @TeacherLahey and on TikTok @JessLahey

Read Jessica Lahey’s books The Addiction Innoculation and The Gift of Failure

There is so much children can learn from the great outdoors! We spoke with Bianca Myrick, executive director of the Virginia Association of Environmental Education to learn how families can explore the environment together and raise kids who care for the planet. Bianca shares ideas on how you can replace screentime with green time at home and advocate for environmental education in your child’s school. 

• Explore the Virginia Association for Environmental Education’s website and find your chapter of the Association for Environmental Education here 
• Read “How Your Family Can Be More Green at Home” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine 
• For more resources, explore PTA’s Healthy Earth webpage 

Choosing a summer program that is fun, educational and affordable is no easy task. Brodrick Clarke, VP of Programs at the National Summer Learning Association joined the show to help. He talks about the tools families can use to find high-quality summer programs and offers tips for finding a program that will be a good fit for your child. 

Resources: 

• Visit DiscoverSummer.org to search for summer programs in your area that have already been vetted by the National Summer Learning Association 
• Explore Smarter Summers, Brighter Futures: A Summer Playbook for PTA and School Leaders 
• Read “Tips to Keep Your Kid Learning this Summer” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine 
• Learn more about the National Summer Learning Association at SummerLearning.org and follow them at @SummerLearning. 

When our kids talk about the latest social media trends, it can feel like they’re speaking a foreign language. Founder and CEO of the Social Institute, Laura Tierney, joined the show to help us understand how we can best support our children in navigating the current social media landscape. She highlights the importance of positive social media education and shares how technology can support our children’s mental health and even their study habits. 

Resources:  

• Explore the Social Institute’s family resources and watch recordings of their recent webinars 
• For more information, check out Schools and Social Media: A Survey of NSPRA and CoSN Members from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) 
• Look back at our episode with Dr. Sameer Hinduja, Social Media & Cyberbullying 101  
• Follow the Social Institute on social media at @TheSocialInst and Laura Tierney at @SoLaur 

While segregation may seem like a thing of the past, it’s still a major issue affecting our schools today. We spoke with Stefan Lallinger, executive director of Next100, to explore why schools aren’t more diverse and how we can advocate for systemic change. He also shares his insight on the upcoming Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action and its implications for the future of K-12 education.

Resources:

• Read the Century Foundation’s article, “The Benefits of Socioeconomically and Racially Integrated Schools and Classrooms” and explore School Segregation in Cities Across America Mapped
• Learn about the Century Foundation’s Bridges Collaborative which is reigniting a nationwide movement for integrated schools and diverse neighborhoods
• From the Archives: For those of you looking to dive deeper into issues of racial equity in education, listen to our episode with Dr. Shawn Jones 
• Follow Stefan Lallinger on social media at @StefanLallinger

We often ask kids what they want to be when they grow up, but how often do we help them figure out the answer? We invited Jean Eddy, Executive Director of the American Student Assistance (ASA) and ASA’s “Solve It” contest winner and high school student, Elliana Cabellon to talk about career exploration. They share how families can help kids follow their passions, plan for their futures and explore STEM career pathways.

Resources:

• Learn more about career exploration at ASA.org and use the Futurescapes tool with your kids to explore pathways you’ve never considered before!
• Visit PTA.org/PropellingOurWorld to discover easy and fun design challenges that demystify engineering for students and their families
• Read “STEM Careers: Introducing Kids to Innovation” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine

Is your school district prioritizing Family-School Partnerships? The Director of Family-School Partnerships at Colorado Department of Education, Darcy Hutchins, shares how states and districts can embed best practices into their protocols to ensure strong family-school partnerships. She also offers advice for where families can look for information about policies affecting their own communities.

• Check out National PTA’s new advocacy resource, Strengthening Family-School Partnerships through Education Policy
• Explore National PTA’s updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships
• Read through the Colorado Department of Education’s Framework for Family-School Partnerships and their Promising Partnership Practices

What does it mean to be an advocate for all children and how can you jumpstart your own advocacy journey? We discussed the answers to these questions and so much more with Rosazlia Grillier, a founder and governing council member of the United Parent Leaders Action Network (UPLAN). She shares her own experience, how you can find the leader in you, and how to get connected to a network of advocates and take action.

Resources:

• Learn more about Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI) at COFIOnline.org and the United Parent Leaders Action Network (UPLAN) at unitedparentleaders.org
• Read Everyone Wins! TheEvidence for Family-School Partnerships and Implications for Practice, the latest book by Dr. Karen Mapp and Dr. Anne Henderson
• Explore National PTA’s advocacy resources at PTA.org/Advocacy

Since the start of 2020, it feels like we’ve experienced—or witnessed—one crisis after another. How should we talk with our children about these challenging topics—and how can we cope with them ourselves? We interviewed Dr. Pamela Cantor, founder and senior science advisor at Turnaround for Children to get her advice. She shares how relationships, routines and resilience can help us traverse these tumultuous times.

Resources:

• Visit TurnaroundForChildren.org for resources and resources focused on whole child development

• Follow Pamela Cantor on social media at @DrPamelaCantor and read her articles in Psychology Today

• Check out “Racism and Violence: How to Help Kids Handle the News” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine

Do you start sweating when your kids ask for help with math homework? Lots of parents struggle with math anxiety—our child’s and our own—but math is everywhere and it’s our job to help our children embrace it. We sat down with Eugenio Longoria Sáenz, founding director of the Center for Family Math at The National Association for Family, School and Community Engagement (NAFSCE). He shares how you can overcome your own math anxiety and help your child learn how to approach math with curiosity and an open mind.

Resources:

• Visit FamilyMath.org and follow @NAFSCE on social media to learn more
• Explore National PTA’s STEM+ Families Math Night resources
• Check out “Have a Math Chat with Your Kids” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine