Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcast

Is your teenager so stressed you worry they’re on the brink of burning out? Teens are still facing the typical pressures of navigating friendships, relationships, college admissions and now a pandemic. Our hosts spoke with adolescent psychologist and best-selling author, Dr. John Duffy, about how families can support their teens during this challenging time. He offers advice and shares how parents can distinguish between typical teenage stress and when it is time to seek help.

Resources:

• Explore relevant resources from Active Minds including their Stress vs. Anxiety page and their tips for Managing Your Anxiety.
• Get more information about anxiety in Child Mind Institute’s article, “What Are the Different Kinds of Anxiety?”
• Learn more about our expert guest at drjohnduffy.com  and get a copy of his latest book Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety.

How can we prepare to meet every child’s needs as they return to school? We spoke with National School Psychologist of the Year, Chandrai Jackson-Saunders to learn how schools can set children up for success and how families can help by focusing on the whole child. She offers concrete strategies school communities should implement to meet the variety of needs children will have in the wake of the pandemic.

Resources:

• The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has lots of resources available about the return to school, as well as family resources designed to help families like yours!
• Get even more back to school resources from our partners at Child Mind Institute.
• As your children return to school, if you’re wondering whether they are just a bit behind or may be struggling with a learning difference, check out Understood.org’s Take Note tools.
• Learn more about our expert guest at cjsaunders.org.
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Teens experience mental health issues at alarming rates. How can you tell if it’s typical teenage angst or something more serious? If your teen is experiencing depression, how can you best support them? We sat down with Dr. Doreen Marshall, VP of Mission Engagement at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (ASFP) to get answers to these questions and more.

Resources:

• Visit AFSP’s website to learn more about suicide prevention and to get tips on how to have a #RealConvo about mental health.
• Share Seize the Awkward resources with teens and college students in your life to help them navigate these issues.
• Learn more about depression on Mental Health America’s webpage and use their screening tools to gauge if it is time to seek outside help.
• Familiarize yourself with crisis resources available including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800 273-8255 and the Crisis Text Line: Text “TALK” to 741741.

It’s time to rewind! Join our hosts Helen & LaWanda as they look back on highlights from our first three seasons. They discuss some of their favorite pieces of advice and share a sneak peek at our upcoming mini-series.

Resources

Episodes referenced in this compilation include:

• Middle School: What Every Parent Should Know with Phyllis Fagell
• How to Handle Homework: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly with Steve Sheldon
• Tackling COVID-19 Anxiety Together with Erlanger Turner
• Navigating Online Resources During COVID-19 with Merve Lapus
• Raising Kids Who Embrace Race with Melissa Giraud and Andrew Grant-Thomas
• Talking Race & KidLit with Kwame Alexander
• How to Help LGBTQ Youth Thrive with Ellen Kahn and Jodie Patterson
• Money Talks: School Finance 101 with Marguerite Roza
• The Truth About School Discipline in America with John King
• Beyond Academics: Preparing Your Kids for Life with Linda Darling-Hammond

Learn more about our show and listen to all of the episodes at www.notesfromthebackpack.com

You may not be aware, but every school has LGBTQ youth and families. Is your PTA using inclusive language and offering affirming programs and activities? We sat down with two guests from the Human Rights Campaign Ellen Kahn, senior director of programs and partnerships, and Jodie Patterson, board chair of the HRC Foundation, to learn how to become better allies to the LGBTQ community.

• National PTA & HRC have collaborated on this new LGBTQ glossary to help you understand and use affirming language.
• Discover resources for creating more inclusive school environments on HRC’s Welcoming Schools page
• Read Jodie’s book The Bold World: A Memoir of Family and Transformation and pre-order Born Ready: The True Story of a Boy Named Penelope
• Follow the Human Rights Campaign at @HRC and Jodie at @Jodie_GeorgiaNY

When you think of parent teacher partnerships, conferences and report cards might come to mind, but what if we made family engagement more fun? Colleen Ryan, 2019 Toyota Family Engagement Teacher of the Year shares her innovative approach to building partnerships with families. She offers advice for parents and teachers on how to work together to help kids get what they need to thrive.

Resources:

• Read “6 Ways to Be Engaged in Your Child’s Education” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine
• Discover more about The Passage, the mobile classroom that Colleen and her colleague launched to bring learning to the neighborhood and follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• For more opportunities to learn at home with your kids, check out Wonderopolis a project of National Center for Families Learning

Raising a teenager can be difficult—even under normal circumstances—and COVID-19 has added new challenges. We talked to Dr. Lisa Damour, adolescent psychologist, and high school student Isaac Hurtado, co-host of the hit podcast, Teenager Therapy, to get tips. Isaac shares his experiences and what he’s hearing from other teens as they cope with all that 2020 has thrown at them. Dr. Lisa Damour offers her own professional perspective on these topics, covering everything from remote learning and social media use to anxiety and depression.

Resources:

• Check out these relevant resources on Lisa Damour’s website, including strategies for managing COVID-19 stress and anxiety and tips for raising teenagers
• Read Dr. Lisa Damour’s New York Times bestselling books, Under Pressure: Confronting the Epidemic of Stress and Anxiety in Girls and Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood
• Follow Dr. Lisa Damour at @LDamour and listen to Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Parenting 

Follow Isaac Hurtado and Teenager Therapy on social media at @TeenagerTherapy and listen to Teenager Therapy

Parents dread getting a call from their child’s principal’s office. But maybe It’s time to shift our mindset and think of principals as partners who support our children’s development. We talked with Dr. Tayarisha Batchelor, principal of the Rawson STEAM school in Hartford, Conn., about how families and parent leaders can collaborate with their principal. She shares how she has supported families in her communities during the pandemic and how she helps her staff engage in meaningful family engagement practices.Resources:

• The New Teacher Project (TNTP) has released two new resources, the COVID-19 School Response Toolkit, geared towards families, and the 5 Essentials for Engaging Families in Reopening Efforts for school leaders.

• Watch our webinar Family Engagement in a Virtual World to learn more about connecting with families during distance learning
• Check out NAFSCE’s Family Engagement during COVID-19 Survey Results
• Follow Dr. Tayarisha Batchelor on Twitter at @TstoneTG

Do you want to talk to your kids about race and racism, but not sure where to start? We spoke to Melissa Giraud and Andrew Grant-Thomas, founders of EmbraceRace, to learn how to approach these conversations with young children. Using their professional expertise, and their own parenting experiences, Melissa and Andrew also share advice on raising advocates for racial justice.

Resources:

• Explore the wealth of resources EmbraceRace offers. 16 ways to help children become thoughtful, informed and BRAVE about race is a great place to start!
• Check out National PTA’s diversity, equity and inclusion resources, including How to Talk about Race & Justice in America
• Read “How to Talk to Your Child about Racism” in PTA’s Our Children online magazine
• Follow EmbraceRace on social media at @RaceEmbrace