How can children thrive during a pandemic? What has this time taught us about the role of education in kids’ lives? And are you a horrible parent, teacher, or caregiver if, at some point in the last year, you were ready to throw in the towel?

This week, Hillary talks to Jamel Holmes, a sixth grade special education teacher in the Bronx who has seen up close how this pandemic is impacting students in one of the poorest congressional districts in the country. She also speaks with economist Emily Oster about what the data tells us about balancing safety, academic achievement, and kids’ wellbeing. Lastly, she sits down with comedian Mike Birbiglia, whose book The New One chronicles his bumpy journey from knowing he should never have kids to becoming a devoted dad. 

Jamel Holmes teaches at the East Bronx Academy for the Future. He will graduate this May from Lehman College, CUNY, with a Master of Science as School Building Leader. You can support his work to provide students with the resources they need to learn and thrive at donorschoose.org/classroom/mr-jholmes.

Emily Oster is an economics professor at Brown University known for her writing on parenthood and early childhood. She has published two bestselling parenting books, Expecting Better and Cribsheet, and is releasing her third book, The Family Firm, this August. She also runs a newsletter about evidence-based pregnancy and parenting called ParentData.  

Mike Mirbiglia is a comedian and bestselling author whose most recent solo shows, The New One, Thank God for Jokes, and My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend are streaming on Netflix. Mike also wrote, directed, and starred in the films Sleepwalk with Me and Don’t Think Twice. He has written two bestselling books, Sleepwalk with Me and The New One, and currently hosts the podcast “Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out.”

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