Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport

Karen Brisport
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Dear Parents and Educators, This podcast was created for you. This podcast delivers practical, research-based tips to help you confidently support middle schoolers academically, emotionally, and socially. Each episode breaks down what really works during the often challenging middle school years, translating research and real-world experience into clear, doable strategies. From navigating academic pressure and motivation to supporting emotional well-being, friendships, and self-confidence, you’ll gain tools you can use right away. Whether you’re in the classroom or at home, this podcast helps.

  1. 3H AGO

    The Letter No Parent Wants to Open

    You know the envelope I’m talking about. The one that sits on the counter a little too long. The one that changes the tone of the evening without anyone saying it did. Maybe you’ve opened it already. Maybe you haven’t. Either way… you can feel it. There’s something about school news that doesn’t just affect a child. It moves through the whole house. Through dinner conversations. Through quiet car rides. Through the way a student suddenly avoids eye contact. And if you’re a parent or an educator, you probably feel it in your own chest too. That mix of concern and responsibility. That subtle question: How did we get here? This week’s episode sits inside that moment. Not to fix it. Not to analyze it. Just to gently hold the emotional weight of it. Because sometimes what families need first isn’t a solution. It’s steadiness. If this moment feels familiar, you can listen here →

    8 min

  2. 5D AGO

    Is It Defiance… Or Something Deeper

    It can look like indifference. Or attitude. Or not caring. But sometimes it’s something else entirely. Middle school is tender in ways we forget. Pride sits right at the surface. So does fear. And when a child feels exposed, academically, socially, emotionally, it doesn’t always come out as tears. Sometimes it comes out as silence. If you’re a parent, you’ve probably watched your child retreat in ways you can’t quite explain.If you’re an educator, you’ve probably felt that quiet resistance in your classroom and wondered what you’re missing. This week’s episode sits in that space.The in-between space.The place where dignity and learning collide. We talk about what might really be happening in those moments, and why how we respond matters more than we realize. If this feels familiar, I think you’ll want to listen.

    9 min

  3. FEB 9

    When Best Friend Moves Away & School Doesn’t Feel the Same

    There’s a moment I keep thinking about. A student who’s technically “fine.” Still showing up. Still sitting in their seat. But something’s gone quiet. If you’ve ever noticed that shift in a child, in a classroom, at home you’re not imagining it. When a best friend moves away, adults often register it as change. Kids experience it as loss. And not the dramatic kind. The quiet, disorienting kind that doesn’t come with words yet. You might see it as drifting attention. Or shorter answers. Or a kid who’s present in body but somewhere else entirely. As parents and educators, we tend to ask ourselves the same unspoken questions: Is this just a phase? Am I supposed to do something? What if I say the wrong thing? This week’s podcast sits inside that space. The in-between. The place where nothing looks “wrong,” but something doesn’t feel right either. Not to fix it. Not to explain it away. Just to notice it together. Join me on this podcast to continue the conversation.

    9 min

  4. FEB 1

    Cyberbullying: When Belonging Turns Quietly Painful

    There’s a particular moment I keep thinking about lately. The kind that doesn’t raise alarms. A child who’s always been “fine” … Suddenly isn’t. Nothing big happens on the surface. No loud conflict. No obvious story. Just a little less light in their eyes. A little more silence than usual. And if you’re a parent or an educator. You know that feeling in your body when something’s off, even if you can’t name it yet. We tend to question ourselves in those moments. Am I reading too much into this? Is this just a phase? But there’s a specific kind of hurt that lives in the space between belonging and rejection. It’s quiet. It’s confusing. And it often hides behind smiles and good behavior. That’s what this week’s episode sits with. Not to explain it away. Not to rush toward fixing. Just to slow down and notice what it feels like when connection becomes something that wounds instead of holds. If you’ve ever seen a child pull inward and wondered what you were missing. This conversation is for you. Join me on this podcast to continue the conversation. With care, Karen

    9 min

  5. JAN 25

    Autism & Education: When School Stops Feeling Safe

    There’s a look kids get when something has gone sideways at school. Not dramatic. Just… different. You can feel it before they say anything. Sometimes they don’t say anything at all. Lately, I’ve been sitting with how quickly school can shift from “fine” to overwhelming, how one moment can tip everything, especially in those middle school years when bodies, brains, and expectations are all changing at once. If you’re a parent, you might recognize that tight feeling in your chest when your child says they don’t want to go back. If you’re an educator, you might recognize the moment when a situation escalates faster than you expected, and you’re left wondering what just happened. Neither of you imagined it. And neither of you is alone in it. This week’s podcast episode lives right in that in-between space. The space where intentions collide with nervous systems. Where labels get misunderstood. Where kids are trying to survive the day, and adults are trying to do right by them, sometimes without enough time, language, or support. I didn’t record this one to give answers. I recorded it to slow us down long enough to notice what matters. If this feels close to home, I think you’ll understand why. Join me on this podcast to continue the conversation. With care, Karen

    9 min

  6. JAN 18

    When comments start to stick

    There’s a certain look some kids get at this age. Shoulders a little tighter. Eyes scanning before they enter a room. You notice it at the breakfast table. Or in the hallway between classes. Or during lunch duty, when a joke lands and no one laughs, but it still lingers. It’s hard to name what’s happening in those moments. Harder to know what to do with the feeling it leaves behind. And if you’re a parent or an educator, sometimes both, you might find yourself wondering if you’re overreacting. Or if you’re the only one seeing it. You’re not. This week’s podcast episode sits with that uneasy in-between space. The space where words said casually can carry more weight than anyone intended. The space where a child starts to question themselves long before they ever say a word out loud. It’s not a how-to conversation. It’s not a list. It’s a pause. A noticing. A shared exhale for the adults who care deeply and are trying to get this right. If you’ve been carrying that quiet concern for a while now… this one’s for you. Listen here → I’m really glad you’re here. Karen

    9 min

  7. JAN 11

    When a Rumor Walks Into the Classroom

    There’s a kind of shift that happens in schools, and at home, that’s hard to explain if you haven’t felt it yourself. Everything looks normal on the surface. The routine is the same. The plan hasn’t changed. And yet… something feels off. A student walks in quieter than usual. A child comes home holding something they can’t quite name. The room feels heavier, even though no one has said anything out loud. If you work with tweens. If you live with one. If you care for kids in that in-between space where emotions move faster than words… You’ve probably seen this. Not the full story. Just the moment where learning, connection, and safety seem to slip slightly out of alignment. This week’s podcast sits inside that space. Not to fix it. Not to analyze anyone. But to stay with the moment long enough to notice what’s really being asked of the adults in the room. It’s a conversation about what quietly competes with learning… and what it takes to respond with steadiness when emotions arrive first. If this feels familiar, you’re not alone. And you’re not imagining it. If this resonates, I invite you to listen.

    10 min

  8. JAN 4

    When Learning Feels Hard Again

    After a school break, many tweens and teens return to the classroom: Looking unmotivated, disconnected, or shut down. Homework goes missing. Work feels overwhelming. Some students freeze, avoid tasks, or ask to leave the room altogether.In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen helps parents and educators understand what’s really happening beneath these behaviors, and why they’re not signs of laziness or defiance. Drawing on her background as a school counselor, Karen explains how breaks can disrupt routines, confidence, and academic stamina, making learning feel hard again. You’ll learn how to decode common post-break behaviors, re-establish classroom routines with compassion, and support students as they rebuild focus and engagement. Karen shares practical, trauma-informed strategies for easing students back into learning, strengthening home-school partnerships, and recognizing effort in ways that restore confidence and connection. This conversation is a reminder that when adults respond with understanding instead of pressure, students feel safer, and learning can begin again.

    10 min
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About

Dear Parents and Educators, This podcast was created for you. This podcast delivers practical, research-based tips to help you confidently support middle schoolers academically, emotionally, and socially. Each episode breaks down what really works during the often challenging middle school years, translating research and real-world experience into clear, doable strategies. From navigating academic pressure and motivation to supporting emotional well-being, friendships, and self-confidence, you’ll gain tools you can use right away. Whether you’re in the classroom or at home, this podcast helps.

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