What if confidence, strong communication, and leadership were skills children could learn and practice?

In this episode Peyten Williams talks with career educator, former principal, author, and Wake Forest professor Adam Dovico about how parents can intentionally teach children the interpersonal and life skills they need to thrive in the real world.

You’ll learn practical ways to help your child:

• Build authentic confidence
• Greet people warmly
• Use posture, facial expressions, and eye contact to create connection
• Ask thoughtful questions and listen to the answers
• develop stronger conversation skills
• Speak for themselves in everyday situations
• Grow genuine independence and leadership
• Think about other people rather than focusing only on themselves

This episode will encourage you to raise your expectations, believe in what your child is capable of, and use small daily interactions to develop confidence, independence, character, and leadership.

Learn more about Adam Dovico, his books, and his work at AdamDovico.com.

Dr. Adam Dovico is an accomplished teacher, curriculum facilitator, principal, professor, speaker, and author. He is known for his time at the Ron Clark Academy, Get Your Teach On, Elevate Your Classroom, Moore Elementary School, and Wake Forest University, along with hundreds of keynotes and workshops he has provided for educators worldwide. You can learn more about Adam's teaching and leadership online at adamdovico.com, on social media @adamdovico, or in his books: Inside the Trenches, The Limitless School, and When Kids Lead.

What should parents do when a child makes a poor decision, gets in trouble at school, or feels like they do not belong?

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams talks with Bridget Johnson, founder and CEO of Dean’s Roundtable, about how parents and schools can help children learn from mistakes without rescuing them from consequences.

Bridget shares insights from her experience as a school dean and explains why adults should lead with “connection before correction.” Together, Peyten and Bridget discuss how curiosity can transform difficult conversations, why parents should avoid immediately “coming in hot,” and how strong partnerships between families and schools support children more effectively.

They also explore the pressures facing today’s students, including social media, overscheduling, lack of sleep, college admissions anxiety, sports commitments, and the constant drive to achieve. Bridget encourages families to pause and consider whether their goals reflect what their child truly wants—and whether children still have enough time and space simply to be children.

You will also learn how restorative practices combine accountability with relationship repair. Consequences still matter, but children also need opportunities to understand the harm they caused, make amends, rebuild trust, and return to their community with dignity.

In this episode:

• How to ask questions that help children tell the full story
• Why connection should come before correction
• How to partner with teachers, deans, and school leaders
• Signs that a child may be overscheduled or overwhelmed
• How social media and achievement pressure affect belonging
• What restorative discipline looks like at school and at home
• How to hold children accountable with both strength and kindness
• Why parents and children need more grace, reflection, and opportunities for a “do-over”

  Bridget Johnson is the founder of the Deans’ Roundtable, a professional development community for student life professionals.

  The Roundtable was created in 2012 after Bridget identified a significant void in professional support for those in student life roles.

  Since its inception, the Roundtable has hosted an annual conference that attracts student life professionals from across the country, providing them with opportunities to connect, learn, and share best practices.

  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bridget-johnson510/

  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deansroundtable/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@deansroundtable_YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DeansRoundtableWebsite: https://deansroundtable.org/

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams talks with Patty McGee, traveling teacher and author of Not Your Granny’s Grammar, about how parents and teachers can rethink the way children learn grammar.

For many adults, grammar brings up memories of worksheets, red pens, and feeling corrected or left behind. Patty offers a different vision: grammar as a creative tool writers use to build meaning, shape sentences, and communicate clearly.

Peyten and Patty discuss why shame-based grammar instruction often does not work, how children develop as writers, and why grammar play can be more effective than grammar drills. Patty shares simple, low-pressure ways parents can support writing at home through sentence games, word cards, magnetic poetry, Mad Libs, and everyday conversation.

They also explore early writing development, including invented spelling and “scribble writing,” and how parents can respond in ways that build confidence instead of discouragement.

One of Patty’s most helpful strategies is to notice a strength, then offer the next step: “Because you can do this, you are ready to try this next.” That small shift helps children see writing as a path toward growth, not constant correction.

This episode is especially helpful for parents, teachers, homeschool families, and anyone who wants children to become confident writers without fear, shame, or the grammar police.

Patty McGee is a nationally recognized literacy consultant, speaker, educator, and author of Not Your Granny’s Grammar.

Connect with Patty:
Website: www.pattymcgee.org
Instagram: @pmgmcgee
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patty-mcgee-36507926/

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams talks with leadership coach, speaker, and founder of Pleasantly Aggressive, Rebecca Malotke Meslin, about why parenting is not just teaching — it is leadership.

Rebecca shares practical wisdom from her work coaching school leaders through difficult conversations, emotional regulation, and clear communication. Together, Peyten and Rebecca explore how these same leadership skills apply at home when parents need to talk with children about hard or awkward topics like friendship, technology, dating, school struggles, behavior, independence, and responsibility.

This conversation will help parents learn how to prepare for difficult conversations, avoid procrastinating, stay calm when emotions run high, and communicate with both strength and kindness. Rebecca reminds us that parents cannot control how a child responds, but they can control what they say, when they say it, and how they say it.

If you have ever avoided a hard conversation with your child because you were afraid of saying the wrong thing, this episode will give you practical tools and encouragement to lead with clarity, courage, and connection.

BIO

Rebecca Malotke-Meslin is a leadership coach, professional speaker, and the founder of Pleasantly Aggressive Coaching and Consulting.  

She specializes in helping early and mid-career women leaders in schools and nonprofits grow into confident, effective, and authentic leaders. Through one-on-one coaching, Rebecca supports her clients in building leadership skills, rediscovering their voice, and overcoming barriers to career advancement.

Rebecca also works with organizations to deliver inclusive leadership training, aimed at reducing bias and fostering equity across all levels of the workplace. With a background in social research and over 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, communications, and school leadership, she brings a strategic and empathetic approach to every engagement. Her workshops and keynotes are engaging and impactful. 

Rebecca is also the co-host of the Confidently You: Women in Leadership Podcast, where she shares conversations and insights to support women navigating leadership roles across industries.

Connect with Rebecca

Instagram @pleasantlyaggressive

Facebook @pleasantlyaggressive

Twitter (X) @pleasantlyaggr1

TikTok @pleasantlyaggressive

Websites

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/malotke-meslin/

Website www.pleasantlyaggressive.com 

Confidently You Podcast

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/confidently-you-women-in-leadership/id1649233272 

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams sits down with Chris Cleveland, President of Wesleyan School in Atlanta, to talk about what he has learned from more than three decades of working with students, parents, and families.

Chris offers honest, practical wisdom for parents who want to raise children of character without falling into the trap of over-control, anxiety, or constant rescue. He reminds us that parenting is hard, children are resilient, and our job is not to manufacture perfect outcomes—but to guide, shepherd, and prepare our children to make wise decisions.

Together, Peyten and Chris explore the difference between raising rule-followers and raising good decision-makers, why mistakes are valuable opportunities for growth, and how parents can shift from a “microscope” view of daily struggles to a “telescope” view of long-term character formation.

This conversation is full of encouragement for parents who want to play the long game: investing deeply in who their children are becoming, not just what they are accomplishing.

Chris Cleveland has served as Wesleyan School’s head of school since 2014. He originally came to Wesleyan in 2002 to serve as middle school principal, became principal of the high school in 2004, and assumed the role of assistant headmaster for advancement in 2010. Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Auburn University and a master’s in administration and supervision from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. A member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, Chris serves on the boards of the Georgia Community Foundation, the Georgia GOAL Scholarship Program, the Cleveland Group, and the Executive Committee of the Council on Educational Standards and Accountability (CESA). Chris and Julie have been married since 1991, and they are proud parents of Kyle and Sam.

00:00 Welcome and introduction to Chris Cleveland
02:15 Why parenting is so hard
04:00 What parents can and cannot control
06:05 Parents as guides, not outcome-creators
07:37 Parenting in today’s culture
10:45 Helping children listen to trusted voices
12:15 Raising decision-makers instead of rule-followers
13:50 Letting kids make small decisions and experience consequences
17:42 How teachers help students learn from mistakes
19:37 “Never waste a mistake”
22:30 Disappointed in the decision, not the child
24:00 The microscope vs. telescope parenting metaphor
27:43 Building a parenting toolbox
29:26 The Graduation Game
31:00 Character over achievement
34:24 Parenting with backwards design
35:36 Closing

To learn more about Peyten Williams and Bowbend Consulting, visit bowbendconsulting.com.

For parent coaching, school workshops, or speaking inquiries, reach out through Bowbend Consulting and explore resources designed to help parents and educators become strong and kind adults in the room.

What actually motivates kids? And how do we help them develop a vision for their lives—without controlling or overwhelming them?

In this powerful conversation, Peyten sits down with educator and consultant Chanita Jones to explore how parents can raise children who are self-directed, confident, and motivated from within.

Drawing on her 20 years as a special educator, Chanita introduces her Liberation Equation™, a framework that helps kids move from being told what to do… to becoming young people who know who they are, what they want, and how to pursue it.

Together, they unpack the tension every parent feels between protecting their child and empowering them—and offer simple, practical ways to build independence at every age.

If you’ve ever wondered how to motivate your child without nagging, pushing, or pressuring… this episode is for you.

• Why autonomy—not pressure—is the key to motivation
• The difference between protecting your child and unintentionally limiting them
• How to help your child develop a clear sense of identity and vision
• Chanita’s Liberation Equation™:
• Simple ways to build independence—from toddlerhood through high school
• Why failure is essential for growth and confidence
• How to use questions (not commands) to unlock your child’s thinking
• A powerful 3-step tool for emotional regulation: ABC (Awareness, Breath, Conscious Choice)

An educator by nature and by trade, Chanita is on a mission to bring liberation to education. A master special educator and NBCT, she has spent 20 years partnering with parents and communities to advance the education of youth ages 12–21 from marginalized backgrounds. Through her framework, The Liberation Equation™, Chanita equips parents and educators with a systematic, explicit approach to teaching self-mastery—growing youth from self-conscious to soul-conscious.

https://www.teacherchanita.com/

If this conversation encouraged you, share it with a friend, a parent group, or someone walking alongside kids.

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams sits down with college counseling expert and author Jay McCann to talk about how parents can support their teens through the college admissions process without increasing stress, pressure, or confusion.

Jay shares what many parents get wrong about college admissions, why families often create a college list that is far too narrow, and how outdated ideas about prestige, rankings, and test scores can make the process harder than it needs to be. He explains how parents can move from coach to consultant, helping teens grow in independence while still offering wise support.

You’ll also hear practical advice on when to start the college search (it's earlier than you think!), how to expand a student’s options, how to think about college fit beyond rankings, and what parents should avoid if they want their child to take real ownership of the process.

Jay McCann is co-author of The College Finder, now in its fifth edition since Steve Antonoff’s original publication in 1993.

Jay earned his graduate degree at San Diego State University, where he was part of the Native American Scholars and Collaborators grant, focusing on education and community engagement. He began his counseling career in Denver Public Schools, where he served as department chair, before moving to Valor Christian High School and now The Westminster Schools in Atlanta. He is also the founder of Future to Find College Consulting.

Links:
The College Finder
Website: TheCollegeFinder.net
Instagram: @the_college_finder
TikTok: @thecollegefinder.net

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, we sit down with Erin Carey, Executive Director of Trinity Presbyterian Preschool, to uncover why your child’s physical development is directly connected to their academic success, emotional regulation, and confidence. Erin explains why movement, motor development, and brain development in early childhood are the true foundations of learning, and how the way children move quite literally strengthens the brain, improving cognitive development, self-regulation, and problem-solving skills. We explore how young children’s brains develop through movement, why crossing the midline is critical for reading and writing readiness, and the link between fine motor skills and classroom success.

In this episode, we're joined by educator, author, and consultant Lori Cohen to explore a topic that is foundational to a child's well-being: the power of a parent's well-being. Drawing on her extensive experience as a teacher and her work with educators, Lori uses the metaphor of an "ecosystem" to help us understand schools—and how the adults (educators and families/caregivers) are a crucial part of their child's emotional landscape. Lori will share practical, proactive strategies parents can use to create well-being, from simple mindset shifts to everyday habits. This conversation is an essential guide for any parent who wants to be a strong, steady anchor for their child and create a healthy ecosystem at home.

Lori Cohen has worked in education for over 25 years, serving as a teacher, instructional coach, site leader, professional development facilitator, and published author. While working in schools, she developed a Teaching Fellows program for new teachers, in-house professional development tailored to the needs of the staff, built instructional coaching programs, and served as the Dean of Faculty where she oversaw the overhaul of teacher growth and evaluation. She also supported new teachers across the state of California as they developed their skills as early-career educators. Lori has also served on independent school boards and served as board chair.

In 2019, Lori began working as an independent consultant and has worked with clients all over the globe. She has worked with the Eastern Education Resource Collaborative (East Ed) and as the Developer of People and Programs for Bright Morning Consulting. She is a contributing author of The Art of Coaching Workbook (2020), co-author (with Elena Aguilar) of The PD Book: 7 Habits that Transform Professional Development (2022), and co-author (with Elizabeth Denevi) of Integrating Educator Well-Being, Growth, and Evaluation: Four Foundations for Leaders (2025). She is currently working on a book on transformative lesson planning, due out in 2026.

In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, we sit down with Anthony Thomas, a high school dean, to explore how to discipline teenagers, set healthy boundaries, and build trust during the challenging high school years.

Anthony draws from his experience overseeing student discipline, attendance, and wellbeing, and explains how the role of a dean often overlaps with that of a parent: acting as a mediator, counsellor, cheerleader, and crisis responder for young people navigating adolescence. 

Together, we explore accountability, responsibility, and the importance of clear rules, especially for high school students living in an era shaped by social media and blurred boundaries.

Anthony shares practical insights on setting boundaries and building trust with teenagers, enforcing consequences with care, and building strong relationships through proactive conversations. He speaks about the idea of using structures and expectations as “guard rails” designed to catch young people before they fall. 

Whether you’re struggling with discipline or simply looking for better ways to connect with your teen, this conversation offers grounded advice from both an educator and a parent who understands the pressures families face today.

Anthony Thomas currently serves as Upper School Dean of Students and Head Boys Basketball Coach at Woodward Academy in College Park, Georgia.

Born in Atlanta and raised in College Park, Anthony Thomas is a 1998 graduate of Woodward Academy. He went on to earn his degree in Political Science from Furman University in 2002, where he was a four-year basketball letterman. He received his Juris Doctor from Georgia State University in 2005 and later completed a Master’s in Educational Leadership from Harvard University in 2024.

A licensed attorney with the Georgia Bar Association since 2005, Anthony has been a dedicated member of the Woodward Academy faculty since that same year. He is committed to student development both in and out of the classroom and the court. Anthony is passionate about connecting with students and supporting their growth as they find their stride.

A selfless, lifelong learner and self-described “ultimate teammate”, Anthony continues to seek out ways to empower young students each day. Outside of his professional life, Anthony enjoys spending time with his wife and two daughters and is a passionate supporter of all things Atlanta sports.

Anthony’s successes can be traced back to one phrase: “to God be the glory!”