Recorded on Juneteenth, Melissa and Nicole speak to an amazing panel of top educators from around the US, Evan Whitehead, M.Ed., Basil Marin, Ed.S., Amber Coleman-Mortley, and Markeyna Willimas, Ed.D., about the questions they are encountering from students and their own children around race during these times. We also discuss the types of questions that we are expecting to arise in this area as we return to school in the fall. This is the first episode in a series of conversations on this topic. Stay tuned.

Join us as we discuss work/life balance with Dr. Damon Korb, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, author of Raising an Organized Child, Speaker, and Director of the Center for Developing Minds, Kyle Anderson, a dad, special education teacher, fellow podcaster, and author of To The Edge: Successes and Failures Through Risk Taking from NV, Becky Simon-Kolesnik, a mom and KG teacher, and Yashmi Mistry, a registered dietitian and mother of two, as well as your regular co-hosts Melissa Sidebotham and Nicole Biscotti.

In this episode, Nicole and Melissa talk with Laura Robb, a literary expert, speaker, educator with over 40 years of experience, and prolific author of important works on the topic of literacy, Evan Robb, school principal of over 20 years, former English teacher, TEDx speaker, and author several books including of one of Melissa's favorites- The Ten-Minute Principal, and Marilyn Muller, founder of the Moms for Free and Appropriate Education and mother of a child with dyslexia about how we can use this time as families to discover or rediscover a love for reading while we are sheltering-in-place. We also started off the episode with Yashmi Mistry, a mom of two boys who are very intelligent but are not huge fans of reading. (While we lost her after the intro., we made sure her questions and perspectives were covered. Don't worry, we will have her back in a future episode! The input of parents just like you, is what makes this show work.)

In this episode, Nicole and Melissa talk with Evan Whitehead, District Administrator in Chicago and frequent panelist, Amber Coleman-Mortley, Director of social Engagement at iCivics and mom of three, Noella Bickel, Assistant Principal of Guidance in a large CA middle school, mom of two, and ADHD parent, and Shelly Vohra, PhD in Ed Tech, Educator/Coach/Consultant from Toronto, Canada. This panel with broad backgrounds and perspectives discusses the inequities that have always been there but have been laid bare during this time. They also discuss what can be done and lessons learned for the future.

In this episode, Nicole and Melissa talk with Dr. Brad Johnson, author, speaker, and play advocate, Linda Clarke, mom, former PE teacher, and current 1:1 para-professional in Special Education, and Sachi Itow, mom and physical therapist about the challenges we are facing keeping our children moving during these times of Shelter-in-Place orders and Quarantines.

In this episode, Melissa and Nicole chat with Steve Sostak of the Inspired Citizen Movement and Global Youth Media, Jeremy Birk, the Executive Vice President of Curriculum and Innovation from the Spring Education Group, Evan Whitehead, a District Administrator from Chicago, and Melissa Slinn, a mom and School Board Member from Illinois. Both Steve and Jeremy have extensive experience in education all over the world, while Evan and panelist Melissa bring the American perspective.

Join Dr. Damon Korb, Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, author of Raising an Organized Child, Speaker, and Director of the Center for Developing Minds, as he talks about parenting in these strange times with Tennille and Tiffany, two moms from CA, and your regular co-hosts Melissa Sidebotham and Nicole Biscotti.

Please join Vernon Wright, District Administrator, Leadership Speaker, founder of the Zero Apology Zone, and dad from TX, Tom Hudock, Business Creator, Performance Coach, Founder of Arc: Academy of Inquiry Middle School, and dad from Victoria, BC, three students: Elizabeth- a high school student, Tallulah - a high school student, and Dutch- a middle school student, and also Becky, a repeat guest and mom from WA. This panel discusses the transition from classroom learning to distance learning for students and the unexpected bonus some are finding of having the time to pursue learning and activities they enjoy.

In this episode, Melissa and Nicole chat with: Kris Felicello, author of The Teacher and The Admin, TED Talk Speaker, and District Admin from NY Taylor Armstrong, Assistant Director of Technology for multiple school districts in AL, founding member of the Education Never Dies Movement, and originator of the #BeTheCompass movement on Twitter Jen Vanderputten, advocate for special needs children and a mom from NC who found herself homeschooling unexpectedly while waiting for her son's proper placement in an appropriate program Lori Delisle, a mom from CA who homeschooled her three boys until the oldest was in 7G. This panel discusses the benefits and challenges of homeschooling and offers some advice to those of us who are finding ourselves unexpectedly homeschooling during the school shutdowns. #PullUpASeat

This was going to be a regular introductory episode talking about the importance of parents and educators working together. Given the circumstances of all of our lives in this time of COVID-19, school shutdowns, social distancing, and beyond, this conversation turned into something more. It turned into a critical conversation about how we need each other now more than ever.