How to advocate for the schools our children deserve
How comfortable do you feel speaking up about something your child’s school needs?
Have you noticed that some parents seem to feel more comfortable speaking up than others?
Have you ever noticed that sometimes rules and policies in school don’t seem to be applied evenly to all students, while squeaky wheels who raise issues that concern them and their children tend to get addressed?
If you have, and you’d like to understand more about what you’re seeing and know what to do about it, then this episode is for you.
My guest for this episode is Allyson Criner Brown, an award-winning equity practitioner, trainer, and scholar who has worked at the intersections of pre-K-12 education, family, and community engagement, environmental justice, and local government.
I also have a co-interviewer joining me, parent Cassie Gardener Manjikian, who asked for this episode after she noticed that the everyday actions she was seeing in her school weren’t matching up with the school’s (and district’s) own goals and plans.
In the episode, we answer questions like:
- What are the valuable ways that parents contribute to their children’s learning, even if they never volunteer in the classroom?
- What kinds of social challenges happen in schools, and how do these affect our kids?
- How can I advocate for changes if the Principal doesn’t seem interested?
- What kinds of tools can we use with teachers and parents if people are on board with doing things differently but just don’t know what to do or how to do it?
- If I’m the kind of parent who is never going to join the PTA, what role can I play?
We all have an important role to play in creating the schools our children deserve - this episode will help you to find yours.
Books mentioned in this episode (affiliate links)
Ready to Support Your Child's Natural Learning
Whether this episode has you considering unschooling, reinforced your commitment to traditional schooling, or left you somewhere in between, one thing is clear: every child deserves to have their natural curiosity and love of learning nurtured.
Just like Laura discovered, learning happens everywhere - in everyday conversations, through helping with household tasks, during visits to museums, and in those spontaneous moments when your child asks "why?".
The challenge for parents isn't choosing the "right" educational path, but knowing how to support meaningful learning wherever your child is.
The
Learning Membership gives you the tools to nurture your child's development whether they're in traditional school, homeschooled, or unschooled.
You'll discover how to:
- Turn everyday moments into rich learning opportunities (just like Laura does with her daughter)
- Support your child's interests and curiosity without becoming the "teacher" parent
- Create a home environment that enhances rather than competes with whatever educational approach...