Read Write Think (and Listen) with Renee Podcast

Meet Reilly Kate. She's 6. She's a reader. She's a writer. She's a thinker. In this episode, Reilly selects a few pages from Hey Ant! to discuss the importance of understanding characters in the books we read. She looks closely at a few pages, and then connects the ideas to Ivy and Bean, and (of course) Harry Potter. When we have a process for thinking about characters in books, we also have a process for thinking about others in the world around us...but perhaps more importantly - about ourselves. "Books help you realize who you are inside. Books help me understand who I am." - Reilly

I'm joined by Rachel Hatteberg Walt, the founder of Craftingood. Together, we discuss in this episode the importance of supporting the children in our lives to cultivate the spirit of gratitude which in return inspires a heart of generosity, compassion, and kindness. Rachel gives us the tools we can do this not only in the holiday season, but extend it throughout the entire year. We can use our talents and creativity to Craft Some Good for others!

You've heard it before - kids are like sponges, soaking up what's all around them. If that's the case - you're teaching constantly. Are we being mindful, and intentional about what we are teaching? In this podcast Brook and I share a handful of ideas we've been thinking about and learning as parents...and parents who teach. How can we be fully present and attentive around the children in our lives? What would happen if we put our screens aside and played a game? Read a book? Made some playdough? How are we provoking learning in the lives of children we interact with? Let us know what works for you and the children in your lives. Let us know questions you are thinking about so we can join you in that conversation on a future episode!

How do we shift our teaching from a basal to a balanced literacy approach? When I moved to Los Angeles, CA in 2010 it was a big question I had. As the second largest school district in the United States, most of the teachers followed a manual that scripted lessons with little to no support to teachers in understanding the art of teaching reading, how to design student centered curriculum, how to teach readers to choose their own books, & how to teach reading in a book that you’ve never read? In this episode you’ll hear the story of Florence Griffith Joyner Elementary School in Watts, CA where Dr. Long spearheaded a team of educators who were ready to embrace the challenge. Inspired by Dr. Long’s love of learning, listen to Joyner’s turn around story. In 2012 Dr. Long (eligible for retirement) arrived at Joyner, surrounded by 5 public housing projects, 100% free and reduced lunch, 60% English Learners, 40% Standard English Learners, and a team of educators who embraced the idea of creating a community of professional practitioners. A case study for urban education scholars? Yes. A case study for unlocking the potential in a low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhood? Absolutely. Dr. Long guided teachers to embrace the study of teaching through the Turnaround Arts Foundation, Guided Language Acquisition Design, glued together through a balanced approach to teaching literacy in all academic areas. With her vision, she led educators, students, and families, to believe that they in fact deserved the very best that teaching has to offer - that literacy, is in fact, a civil right. Today, retired from the Los Angeles Unified School District, a professor at the University of La Verne, she reflects on her work at Joyner, and continues to support educators in equity, arts integration, and mindfulness.

It's not actually a graduation requirement to accumulate massive post college debt! In this episode, Brook Wolcott, college admissions counselor, decodes a bit of the college admissions process puzzle in ways that remind us that debt can have a significant impact on life after college...so why not think strategically about the admissions process from the start? Brook sets us up to think in ways that can significantly reduce the weight that debt can play post college for so many of us. If we consider (and prioritize) cost, (social) fit, (academic) prestige, we can think through the college admissions process in fluent and comprehensive ways...that make sense for you and your family.