Tuesday Talks!

The first week of school is in the books — and today, I’m sitting down with my favorite 10-year-old (and special guest!) to talk all about it. 🎒  

In this fun and honest conversation, we cover: 

✅ What went well during the first week back 

✅ What didn’t go so smoothly (and how he handled it) 

✅ Goals he’s setting for himself this school year 

✅ How we’re getting back into the school groove as a family  

Whether you’re a parent looking for ideas to connect with your kids or a teacher curious about a student’s perspective, this episode is full of laughs, insights, and practical takeaways.  

💬 Parents — try these reflection questions with your own kids after school! 

💬 Teachers — share this with families to help spark conversations at home. 

📌 Listen now and get inspired to kick off the school year right!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

We celebrate our Season 2 finale reflecting on 41 weeks of educational insights spanning topics from cell phones in schools to the science of reading, classroom management to student self-accountability.

• Sharing our personal connections, including our May birthdays just days apart
• Highlighting key episodes such as classroom management, building community, and understanding the grading system
• Discussing our popular multi-part series on "letting kids fail" and its impact on child development
• Revealing how our episodes with our own children provide real, unfiltered perspectives
• Exploring our deep dive into literacy through the "Sold a Story" podcast and science of reading experts
• Announcing exciting changes for Season 3 including a shift from livestreams to weekly uploaded videos
• Previewing upcoming topics like continued focus on science of reading with special guests

Thank you to everyone who tuned in this season! We'll be back in August with Season 3. Have a fabulous summer!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

Dr. Tiff and Coach Val explore how children often listen for instructions rather than understanding, and why teaching kids to own their thinking is crucial for success. They share strategies for helping students become independent thinkers instead of passive instruction-followers.

• Students are often trained to listen for what to do rather than listening to understand
• Self-reflection is necessary for parents and teachers to recognize how they may encourage dependency
• Breaking information into smaller chunks helps students process concepts more effectively
• Building independence requires gradually reducing explicit instruction over time
• Creating a safe environment for students to acknowledge challenges builds resilience
• Celebrating when students identify difficulties rather than sheltering them from struggle
• Humanizing the teacher-student relationship creates trust that encourages independent thinking
• Starting the school year with clear expectations about student thinking sets the foundation

Share your thoughts on implementing these strategies in your classroom or home! Email us through the link in our show notes or comment on our social media.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

The digital revolution has arrived in our classrooms, and it's transforming education in ways we're only beginning to understand. From fourth graders using ChatGPT for writing assignments to China implementing mandatory AI training for kindergarteners, artificial intelligence is no longer just a futuristic concept – it's reshaping how our children learn right now.

Communication expert Melissa D. White joins Tuesday Talks to demystify AI in education, offering a refreshingly balanced perspective on what many educators view as either a threat or an untapped resource. White introduces us to the concept of Communication Quotient (CQ), explaining how students today need to become bilingual – fluent in both human-to-human and human-to-AI communication. "AI is a language. Coding is a language," she explains, "and the quality of your prompt determines the quality of the AI's response."

Rather than viewing AI as a shortcut that undermines critical thinking, White encourages parents and educators to teach ethical AI communication as a framework for efficiency. She outlines four key benefits of AI in education: improved cognitive development, enhanced communication skills, differentiated instruction capabilities, and more equitable learning experiences regardless of background or resources.

Whether you're a parent concerned about AI "cheating" or an educator looking to harness these powerful tools, this episode provides valuable insights into navigating the digital frontier of education. Subscribe to Tuesday Talks for more thought-provoking conversations about the challenges and opportunities shaping our future.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

Step into the fascinating world of how children actually learn to read with our eye-opening exploration of the science of reading. This isn't just about different teaching methods—it's about understanding the fundamental neural processes that transform squiggles on a page into meaningful language in a child's developing brain.

With special guest Ambria King, an early education advocate with 17 years of experience in various educational settings, we unpack the stark differences between traditional reading approaches and evidence-based methods. While many schools have taught children to use context clues, pictures, and inference to guess at unfamiliar words, research clearly shows that explicit phonics instruction and phonemic awareness are crucial for long-term reading success.

What makes this conversation particularly timely is that many school districts are currently caught in an awkward transition between methodologies. As King explains, "Education does not fit in a kit," yet that's exactly what many schools want—a ready-made solution they can implement without understanding the complex science behind it. This patchwork approach to reading instruction leaves many children struggling to develop the foundational skills they'll need throughout their educational journey.

For parents wondering how to support their children's reading development at home, King offers remarkably accessible strategies: create language-rich environments, play word games that focus on manipulating sounds, be mindful about how you introduce letter sounds, and critically evaluate "leveled readers" that might not match your child's current phonics skills. Most importantly, she reminds us to "give yourself grace" amid all the educational buzzwords and social media noise about reading instruction.

Whether you're a parent, educator, or simply someone interested in how humans acquire language, this episode offers valuable insights into one of the most important skills we'll ever learn—and how we can better support the next generation of readers.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

We continue our discussion about the literacy crisis in American schools and the problems with "cueing" methods that teach children to guess words rather than sound them out.

• A real-life example of a sixth-grade student who struggled with reading due to being taught with picture-based guessing strategies
• The critical importance of third grade as a reading benchmark and how falling behind creates a compounding problem
• How to determine if your child's school is using ineffective reading methods
• Warning terms to watch for: reading recovery, cueing, Fontas and Pinnell, and whole language
• The financial incentives for curriculum companies to sell ineffective reading programs
• How affluent parents compensate by hiring outside tutors while other children continue to struggle
• States implementing phonics-based instruction are seeing dramatic improvements in reading scores
• The connection between reading methods and spelling ability - children can't spell words they can't decode
• Companies are now changing their approach due to pressure, not because they care about children

Check out the "Sold a Story" podcast for a deeper investigation into this issue, and please share this episode with other parents and educators to raise awareness about effective reading instruction.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

America is failing its children in the most fundamental educational task: teaching them to read. This eye-opening episode dives into the revelations of the "Sold a Story" podcast, exposing how millions of children nationwide have been taught reading through methods with no scientific backing.

We unpack the controversial "cueing system" approach that encourages young readers to guess words based on pictures and context rather than sounding them out. Despite its widespread adoption through programs like Reading Recovery and Balanced Literacy, this method bypasses the essential skill of phonics—the cornerstone of reading success according to decades of research. Most troubling is how this system shifts blame to children who struggle, labeling them with reading disabilities when the real problem lies with the teaching method itself.

Whether you're a parent, educator, or concerned citizen, this episode provides essential insights into one of America's most significant educational failures. Watch how the children in your life approach unfamiliar words—are they sounding them out or guessing? The answer may reveal whether they've been sold a story that will limit their future.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

When a Tennessee high schooler with a 3.4 GPA graduated unable to read or write and successfully sued his school district, it exposed a devastating reality in American education. How can students progress through twelve years of schooling without mastering fundamental literacy skills?

Dr. Nikki Anthony, special education advocate and dyslexia specialist, joins Coach Val and Dr. Tiff to unpack this critical issue. She explains that dyslexia – a neurological difference affecting phonological processing – often gets buried under generic "learning disabilities" classifications in schools, resulting in inadequate interventions that fail to address students' specific needs.

The conversation reveals alarming truths about how schools sometimes prioritize graduation statistics over genuine student success. While a school might proudly display "100% Graduation Rate" on its marquee, that achievement rings hollow when graduates lack essential reading skills. Dr. Anthony emphasizes that dyslexia can be identified as early as age 5.5, yet many students aren't diagnosed until third grade—if ever—costing them years of potential intervention.

Parents learning to advocate for their children will find invaluable guidance here. From recognizing early warning signs (delayed speech, letter reversals, rhyming difficulties) to navigating the complex special education system, Dr. Anthony provides a roadmap for ensuring children receive appropriate support. She stresses that parents should start with pediatricians for proper referrals, understand the evaluation process, and recognize their own expertise about their children when working with school teams.

Has your family experienced challenges with dyslexia or reading instruction? Share your story and join the conversation about how we can better serve all learners.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

What does the perfect summer look like through a child's eyes? We decided to go straight to the source and invited Parker and Uriah to share their unfiltered thoughts about summer break, camps, and what actually engages them during those precious months away from school.

The conversation quickly revealed that while kids certainly appreciate the freedom from early morning alarms and rigid schedules, they're not necessarily looking to turn their brains off completely. Our young guests surprised us with their enthusiasm for learning opportunities—provided they're presented in engaging, hands-on ways that break from traditional classroom formats. As Parker explained when discussing educational camps, they don't want experiences where "the teacher sounds like womp, womp, womp." Instead, they crave interactive learning environments like STEM camps where they can explore interests deeply and connect with peers who share their passions.

The key takeaway? Summer planning works best when it balances parental guidance with children's input. Mix structured learning with child-selected activities and some genuine downtime for the ideal summer experience that keeps minds active while still feeling like a true break. Want more insights from our parent-child conversations? Subscribe now and join us every Tuesday for practical perspectives that make parenting just a little bit easier.

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com

Planning summer activities for your children shouldn't wait until the final school bell rings. Dr. Tiff and Val share their personal experiences with summer camps, highlighting the struggle to find options that prevent the dreaded "summer slide" while still giving kids the break they deserve. Both agree that the ideal solution combines learning with movement—exactly the approach our special guest has mastered.

Wanda Wozniak, founder of BTG Learning in Columbus, Georgia, joins us to share her innovative camp model that seamlessly blends academics with physical activities. Her program teaches math through basketball drills, reading through movement exercises, and builds academic skills while kids are having so much fun they don't even realize they're learning. Unlike typical summer camps, BTG measures academic growth with pre and post-assessments, giving parents concrete evidence their investment is worthwhile.

Don't let summer become a time of learning loss and boredom. Listen now to discover how to create a meaningful summer experience that will set your child up for success when school resumes. Start planning today—your future self will thank you!

Tuesday Talks—Real conversations sparking real change in education.

Links to all episodes ➡️ https://linktr.ee/drtiffanyslp
Like, comment, subscribe & share!

Connect with us via email  at [email protected]!

Tuesday Talks is hosted by Dr. Tiffany. She has been a Speech/Language Pathologist for 20 years. She's also a speaker and educational consultant. Dr. Tiffany hosts webinars and in-person workshops for teachers and parents.

Book Dr. Tiffany as a speaker for your teachers, parent groups and professional development sessions! Visit: www.OurWordsMatterConsulting.com