Senior Dad Briefing Room

Seth Rosenfeld was an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle. But it was his work for the Berkeley University newspaper, The Daily Californian that started him on a 30 year journey that culminated in the writing of his book" Subversives the FBI's war on student radicals and Reagan's rise to power". It took five lawsuits for the FBI to release over 200,000 pages of classified information about government spying. Seth Rosenfeld joins Senior Dad Stan Goldberg and gives us some insight into his fascinating book.

Seth Rosenfeld was an investigative reporter for the San Francisco Examiner and the San Francisco Chronicle. But it was his work for the Berkeley University newspaper, The Daily Californian that started him on a 30 year journey that culminated in the writing of his book" Subversives the FBI's war on student radicals and Reagan's rise to power". It took five lawsuits for the FBI to release over 200,000 pages of classified information about government spying. Seth Rosenfeld joins Senior Dad Stan Goldberg and gives us some insight into his fascinating book.

Ingrid Shafer has team taught at the college level for 40 years at the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma. She is a Professor of Philosophy and Religion and more degrees to boot. She is a new friend and I asked her how we should teach our quicker learners. That's where our conversation started. I hope you enjoy listening to Ingrid as much as I enjoyed thinking with her.

Bill Glasser is a psychiatrist who developed Choice theory he also has a position on redefining mental health. There are 18 schools in the country designated as Glasser Schools which means they teach the Choice theory as part of their curriculum. Bill is truly one of the great creative thinkers of our time and in our multi-part conversation with Bill we learn some of the events that shaped his thinking.

The environment that a child learns in can determine outcome. At school how we treat the child not only effects how the child learns but also teaches the child how to treat others. If a teacher uses power, force or abuse to teach, that is what a child will learn. The Grand Traverse Academy in Traverse City MI uses none of these. It is a Bill Glasser inspired school and it uses "a gentle way to teach". Kaye Mentley the superintendent of the school district tells us how they do it.

Jose Barillas is the Principal of Thurgood Marshal Middle School in Chicago IL and is a hero. I thought about our conversation for 1 month after we recorded it before I could edit it. His story so gripped and troubled me I needed the time to gather perspective. He has taught for 30 years. His school which is a small school (400 students) has been selected one of the “Schools to watch”. Now in the sunset years of his career he looks at what has changed and what needs to be done. Jose’s school has 97% free lunch and 85% Latino. Jose helps us understand what is happening with parental involvement at his school and how it affects the children.

Holly Seerley is the mother of a child with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) and Dyslexia. She faces the issues that normally confront a parent with a child with those conditions, but when he was in middle school, a new condition arose; Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSS), and Holly’s challenge was intensified. We’re all venerable to having a child or parent with PTSS. Holly shares what it is like.

The Wisdom of Deb Meier

One of the founders of the modern day small schools movement Deb Meier looks back at the small school movement and sees dangers she never envisioned. Still a supporter of small schools she sees nonetheless a possibility for oppression. Deb tells us what she thought when she started the modern day small school movement years ago in Harlem.

Mel Levine didn’t do well in elementary or grade school. He had a sense of humor and made his classmates laugh. When his classmates came to his house to play he told his mother to tell them he wasn’t home. He would rather play with his animals and play in his own mind. His older brother got into Harvard and had Mel visit him on weekends. These visits excited Mel’s mind and he became an A student from then on. Mel’s brother found the way in to help Mel learn. Mel graduated first in his class at Brown, became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, went to Harvard Medical School and is now the Director of the University of North Carolina Center for the Study of Development and Learning. Mel is one of the leading figures in the world in the study of the different ways that people learn. Mel doesn’t believe that one way or 5 ways or 10 ways fits all. There is a way to reach every child we just have to follow the clues. Mel spurns labels like “Autism”, “Bipolar”, “ADHD” and likes to visualize the child as they will be at 24. Mel founded the All Kinds of Minds Institute and has changed the way we view learning, all because a kind older brother took the time to find the way in. We learn who Mel is and what he thinks of the world around him.

The divorce rate among parents with children with extra needs is reported to be 85% within the first five years of diagnosis. Mary McFarland nationally know Oakland California based Psychotherapist discusses these startling figures. We explore the possible reasons for this and actions that couples can take to reduce the chances of divorce. Although this show focuses on parents with extra needs children it can apply to all parents.