No Silly Questions- An Education Podcast for Parents

Cancel culture, collecting receipts, watermarking nudes, comparison quicksand and digital pacifiers. These are the complex realities that teens face everyday in their online life. This episode will, without a doubt, help every parent better understand what their kids are going through and how to help.
More on Dr. Emily Weinstein:
Dr. Emily Weinstein is a Principal Investigator at Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. For the last decade, her work has focused on chasing answers to questions like: How do today’s technologies shape teens’ lives and development? What’s hard for them and why? How can adults better support kids who are growing up with unprecedented connectivity? Emily is one of the leaders of the Digital Dilemmas project and the Reimagining Digital Well-being project. Her new book with her longtime research collaborator Carrie James, is Behind Their Screens: What Teens Are Facing (and Adults Are Missing). The book is coming out this August and we are fortunate to get a preview of the valuable insights she has to share on today’s episode.
Resources:
nosillyquestionspodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

Our guest today helps us understand that there are many other smarts, beyond the classic book smarts and street smarts. And enormous possibility can exist for kids when we recognize their unique aptitudes, in school and at home. We hope today’s episode expands our perception of what it means to be quote- “good at school.”
More on Dr. Thomas Hoerr:
Dr. Thomas Hoerr led schools for 37 years and is currently a Scholar In Residence at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, teaching in the Educational Leadership and Policy Studies program. His newest book, The Principal As Chief Empathy Officer: Creating A Culture Where Everyone Grows, shows the role of empathy in relationships in leadership. Hoerr believes that we can all grow our empathy. Hoerr currently writes a monthly leadership blog for ASCD and wrote a monthly column, “The Principal Connection,” from 2004 to 2018. Two of his previous books focused on the importance of SEL to students and staff (Taking Social Emotional Learning Schoolwide and The Formative Five: Fostering Grit, Empathy, and Other Success Skills Every Student Needs). Hoerr has written four other books, more than 170 articles, and has presented at schools and conferences around the world on empathy, leadership, multiple intelligences, faculty collegiality, grit, and the Formative Five.
Resources:
nosillyquestionspodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

Preschool - and early childhood learning - plays an essential role in the lives of many parents and children. Working parents rely on preschool, and research shows that a HIGH QUALITY preschool program can have a lasting positive impact on the life of a child. According to the NATIONAL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, providing a high quality education for children before they turn 5 yields significant medium and long term benefits for children, including being:

• Less likely to repeat a grade
• Less likely to be identified as having special needs
• More prepared academically for later grades
• More likely to graduate from high school
• Higher earners in the workforce

Furthermore, access to effective, diverse programs breaks down barriers that have prevented many children– particularly children of color and children from disadvantaged families– from achieving their full potential.

But how do we ensure that - on a LARGE SCALE - our children are having experiences in early childhood programs that best support their short and long term development. Today, we’ll learn from Dr. Kara Ahmed about how New York City, our country's largest school system, is supporting its youngest learners.
More on Kara:
As Deputy Chancellor of Early Childhood Education, Dr. Kara Ahmed is responsible for ensuring the system is prepared to support all of New York City’s young people from birth to five years of age.

For the past 14 years, Kara was the Principal for the Department of Education’s Living for the Young Family Through Education (LYFE) program, which she transformed into a nationally recognized, city-wide, early childhood education program.Kara began her career as an early childhood educator and then became the Early Childhood Supervisor for New Brunswick Public Schools. There she led all operational and programmatic aspects related to the public school and private provider preschool programs. Kara also led the implementation of preschool inclusion to guarantee children with identified disabilities were naturally integrated into general education preschool classrooms. Kara went on to work with William Patterson University to support the New Jersey DOE’s implementation of preschool across the state, and she taught graduate courses at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Kara has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Fordham University. She has a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership and a Doctor of Education in Education Policy, both from Teachers College, Columbia University.

Resources:
nosillyquestionspodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

“Bright Kids who Couldn’t Care Less” is the title of our guest Ellen Braaten’s most recent book. And it’s a trend she’s found in her renowned private practice as a clinician. So why do some kids care and others don’t? In our conversation with Ellen we get into childhood motivation, how it all works, and what’s a parent to do when their kid is being - what can even feel like a taboo word- “lazy.”

Ellen Braaten, PhD, is an experienced and prominent psychologist, researcher, speaker, and author. She is the Executive Director of the Learning and Emotional Assessment Program at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), and the Kessler Family Chair in Pediatric Neuropsychological Assessment. She also holds an appointment of Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Braaten is widely recognized as an expert in the field of pediatric neuropsychological and psychological assessment, particularly in the areas of assessing learning disabilities and attentional disorders. Dr. Braaten has traveled internationally and is a frequent media contributor to NBC News, WCVB Boston, CBS Boston, and The New York Times. She has authored several books and articles, her most recent one being Bright Kids Who Couldn't Care Less (2023).
Resources:
nosillyquestionspodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/

Welcome to an episode of NSQ Parents Unplugged- where we hear from parents and professionals about their experiences with school and the educational choices they're making for their families.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re thrilled to be joined by three esteemed guests- Lily Walla, Loren Klein, and Lizza Assa- three amazing mamas who all work in the parenting space - for a special discussion about work and life, the balance of both, and the spaces where they intersect.
More on our guests:
Lili Walla toddler mom and founder of Auggie- platform where empowered parents create personalized registries, shop, and share real recommendations from expecting and beyond.

Loren Klein is a mom of three, teacher, social worker and certified educator of infant massage with over 15 years of experience working with families and children. After graduating from Washington University, she began her career with Teach for America in a middle school classroom. While teaching, Loren earned a master’s in both education and social work at Columbia University. Since then, Loren has facilitated therapeutic programs for children, developed resources and workshops for families, and served as the main communication point for parents of students with disabilities at the New York City Department of Education. Loren is the founder of ZenHippo.

Lizzie Asa , MS. Ed. and the founder of The Workspace for Children. I'm a parenting strategist and independent play expert who believes that play is how children make sense of their world.
Resources:
nosillyquestionspodcast.com
https://www.instagram.com/nosillyquestionspodcast/