Send us a text I am devoting the mini Holiday Break episodes of Talking About Kids to poetry about the holiday season and issues related to kids. In this third mini episode, I will read “Perhaps the World Ends Here” by Joy Harjo. It is a poem about the table around which a family gathers. A link to the poem is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text I am devoting these mini Holiday Break episodes of Talking About Kids to poetry about the holiday season and issues related to kids. In this second mini episode, I will read “Christmas Bells” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In it, Longfellow struggles to reconcile the feelings of peace and goodwill associated with the Holiday season with the American Civil War, which was waging at that time. That struggle seems relevant today. A link to the poem is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text In her 1985 essay, "Poetry Is Not a Luxury," Audre Lorde argues that poetry gives form to ideas that are "formless" but none-the-less "felt," ideas that precede "understanding." I have always believed that Lorde is describing, among other things, historic and childhood trauma. In honor of this, I am devoting these mini Holiday Break episodes of Talking About Kids to poetry about the holiday season and issues related to kids. In this first episode, I will read Edgar Guest's poem...

Send us a text Matt Sandoval is in the business of transforming kids’ trauma. To accomplish this, he and Free Arts, the organization he leads, employ a simple formula: art + mentors = resilience. Matt and I discuss how this equation works, as well as his tips for using art to build resilience in your home, in your classroom, or in your program. More information about Matt and Free Arts is at talkingaboutkids.com.

Send us a text Aditya Nagrath believes that math anxiety is real and that one of its chief instigators is memorization. This is why his book, Treating Mathematics Anxiety, and the system he created at Elephant Learning focus on fostering an understanding of math concepts. He believes in it so much that he guarantees that students learn one year of mathematics in three months using his system. Aditya and I discuss his approach and steps you can take to help the kids in your life overcome math ...

Send us a text Leah Ellis says that she created The Society of Child Entrepreneurs to help kids develop capacities like resilience and problem solving. The society currently offers workshops and coaching and is piloting a full curriculum with lessons on topics such as turning a passion into a plan. From what I have seen, Leah is doing great things, and the curriculum aligns with evidence-based practices and encourages individual reflection and positive peer-to-peer and child-adult interaction...

Send us a text In this mini Thanksgiving episode, I investigate what James Baldwin and the other James Baldwin have to say about the holiday. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com. Full-length Talking About Kids episodes return next week (December 1, 2025).

Send us a text Maria Gallucci is a CODA, which stands for a Child of Deaf Adults. As she chronicles in her new book, Raised in Silence: Lessons on Listening, Love, and Loud Family Dinners from a Child of Deaf Adults, being raised by two deaf parents, learning American Sign Language (ASL) as her primary language, and, while still a child, helping her parents navigate the hearing world was often challenging for Maria. However, as she and I discuss, being a CODA also increased Maria’s capacity t...

Send us a text Harvey Araton is an award-winning reporter and best-selling author whose journalism and fiction expertly explore both the best and worst of sports. Harvey’s forthcoming work, The Goal of the Game, is his first written for middle readers, and the title is both a declaration and a question. As you will hear in our discussion, Harvey’s career has afforded him unique insights into what youth sports does well, where it is being led astray, and what should be done to ensure positive ...

Send us a text Is it possible to foster in kids the skills and knowledge needed to avoid trafficking and exploitation without needlessly exposing them, even in small way, to the devasting ugliness of those worlds? My guest today, Erin Williamson, believes that it is possible. Erin is the Chief Programs & Strategy Officer at Love146, an organization that has been fighting to end child trafficking and exploitation for over two decades. As you will hear, the approach Love146 takes is evidenc...

Send us a text What happens when a public health leader writes a memoir? In Harper Bailey’s case the resulting work is as instructional as it is engaging. As you will hear in our discussion, this was intentional. Harper wanted It Was Her: A Memoir, her debut book, to inspire readers to do the “inner work so children don’t inherit unhealed wounds.” As you will also hear, that inner work is demanding and perpetual, and it might even take on different forms depending on where an individual is in...

Send us a text This is the second part of my episode on the cognitive health of deaf children. My guest is Donna Jo Napoli, Professor of Linguistics and Social Justice at Swarthmore College, author of fiction and science books, and co-director of Rise Videobooks. The first part focused on early language and cognitive development. This second part focusses on what Donna Jo and her colleagues are doing to improve the reading skills of deaf students. More information about Donna Jo, her books, t...

Send us a text More than half of all deaf students who graduate from high school have reading skills at or below fourth grade level. Research indicates that low literacy makes it difficult for individuals to obtain or maintain any employment, let alone the kind of employment that affords independence, a house, and a family. For well over a decade, Donna Jo Napoli – my guest this episode – and her colleagues have been publishing articles on why deaf students seem to have this literacy deficit....

Send us a text Recently, Lucy Foulkes, a Research Fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford, wrote an opinion piece for The Guardian newspaper titled, “Mental-health lessons in schools sound a like a great idea. The trouble is, they don’t work,” in which she asserts, “the only information we should teach en masse is where a young person should get help.” My guest today to discuss this article and get beyond its provocative title is Kevin Runions. In addit...

Send us a text Do you know where the substitute teachers for your child’s preschool come from? If you are like me, you might imagine that potential substitutes and administrators sit down and get to know each other, possibly over tea and finger sandwiches. My guest this episode, Paul Buckley, will tell you that nothing could be further from the truth. Paul explains that current staffing practices afford preschools and substitutes very little, if any, say in the match process and offer few opp...

Send us a text Piper Gibson is a Doctor of Functional Medicine; the Founder of the Tic Disorder Institute: Regenerating Health; and the author of Tic Talk: Common Misconceptions, Natural Approaches, and Real Conversations about Tic Disorders. Piper is on a mission to counter the narrative that we should ignore kids’ motor or vocal tics and hope that they grow out them. Instead, as she and I discuss, Piper argues – and has the research to back it up – that the experiences of kids with tics can...

Send us a text Family law is complicated. There are prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, custody petitions, visitation petitions, and post judgment matters, among other issues. Moreover, family law exists within an evolving society where perspectives, opportunities, and technologies are constantly changing and influencing the outcomes. This is why I was excited to have Kelly Scott on the podcast. As a seasoned attorney in a leadership role within the family law community, Kelly is a...

Send us a text David Pisarra wants to help fathers navigate their custody and divorce cases to secure more time with their kids. Like several previous Talking About Kids guests, David believes that the processes and systems can be easily biased against fathers, and David wants to help fathers overcome the obstacles. David and I discuss his perspective, his experience as a family law attorney, the dos and don’ts of family court, and Dad’s Law School, David’s online community that he designed t...

Send us a text Lee Norwood is passionate about helping families find the “perfect college fit.” As the founder of Annapolis College Consulting and a member of the CounselMore Executive Board, Lee spends a lot of her time dispelling myths about college admissions, testing, tuition, and the role of a college consultant. Lee recently launched College Sharks, which offers on-demand virtual college coaching at a fraction of the cost of hiring a college consultant by the hour. Lee and I discuss the...

Send us a text This is the final mini summer vacation episodes of Talking About Kids. In the previous five episode, I asked some past guests to recommend movies or episodes of TV shows to inspire parents, educators, and direct service providers. This final recommendation comes from me. More information is at talkingaboutkids.com.