Notes from the Backpack: A PTA Podcas‪t‬ National PTA

Hemos hablado mucho sobre cómo la pandemia ha afectado a nuestros hijos de edad escolar, pero en este episodio, queríamos aprender del impacto que la pandemia ha tenido en nuestros niños más pequeños. Hablamos con Adrián Pedroza y Zully Rodríguez de Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors, quienes nos dieron una idea de los desafíos que están enfrentando las familias durante estos tiempos, especialmente las familias que tienen niños de 0 a 5 años de edad.

You may not be aware, but every school has LGBTQ youth and families. Is your PTA using inclusive language and offering affirming programs and activities? We sat down with two guests from the Human Rights Campaign Ellen Kahn, senior director of programs and partnerships, and Jodie Patterson, board chair of the HRC Foundation, to learn how to become better allies to the LGBTQ community.

When you think of parent teacher partnerships, conferences and report cards might come to mind, but what if we made family engagement more fun? Colleen Ryan, 2019 Toyota Family Engagement Teacher of the Year shares her innovative approach to building partnerships with families. She offers advice for parents and teachers on how to work together to help kids get what they need to thrive.

Raising a teenager can be difficult—even under normal circumstances—and COVID-19 has added new challenges. We talked to Dr. Lisa Damour, adolescent psychologist, and high school student Isaac Hurtado, co-host of the hit podcast, Teenager Therapy, to get tips on everything from remote learning and social media use to anxiety and depression.

Parents dread getting a call from their child’s principal’s office. But maybe It’s time to shift our mindset and think of principals as partners who support our children’s development. We talked with Dr. Tayarisha Batchelor, principal of the Rawson STEAM school about how families and parent leaders can collaborate with their principal. She shares how she has supported families in her communities during the pandemic and how she helps her staff engage in meaningful family engagement practices.

Do you want to talk to your kids about race and racism, but not sure where to start? We spoke to Melissa Giraud and Andrew Grant-Thomas, founders of EmbraceRace, to learn how to approach these conversations with young children. Using their professional expertise, and their own parenting experiences, Melissa and Andrew also share advice on raising advocates for racial justice.