Can you help me give a sh*t?

High school teacher Diane Manser started a journal a few years ago, trying to navigate the emotional work of being a teacher. At the request of other teachers, she turned that into the book I Didn't Sign Up For This. She joins today's conversation to share the key insight sh had as a teacher that allowed her to change how she navigates the hard emotional labor of teaching (& parenting): being in charge is not the same as being in control. She and Becca chat about how there's a lot of overlap between what motivates young people to learn and what motivates teachers to keep showing up for a tough job.Check out teachingisemotional.com and her instagram, facebook, and tiktok pages for more.

In contrast with last week's episode, this week we delve into the flip side of the college question with Kadeem Leslie. He was a straight A student in college, went on to get a Master's degree, and then became an entrepreneur and investor -- and began to wonder at the exact return on investment (ROI) of college degrees. He shares his somewhat controversial but thoughtful take on how parents and students could work together to evaluate whether college or a more entrepreneurial, non-college pathway might be the best fit for a teenager interested in figuring out how they're going to earn money in adulthood. Listen in on today's episode to learn tips for evaluating exactly what the ROI is on that degree you're considering, how to run some simple experiments to see if an alternate pathway (like being a youtuber or trader) is right for you, and more. You can find Kadeem on instagram at iamkade_ and on youtube as well. And here are links to the two resources he mentioned in the episode: https://siteselection.com/cc/workforce/2022/education-level-is-only-one-part-of-the-lifetime-earnings-picture.cfm and https://freopp.org/oppblog/we-calculated-return-on-investment-for-30-000-bachelors-degrees-find-yours/Please don't forget to review and subscribe--and let us know whether you'd like more episodes like this one, or to have us hit on other topics instead. We want to hear from you!

Often, students and families don't start thinking about college readiness until their junior year of high school. Or, on the flip side, some families have been thinking about it since elementary school, carefully selecting every move that might lead to that perfect college application. Either way, former guidance counselor Briana Rahmani noticed that there's something many families overlook: the importance of exploration. Listen to today's episode to understand the important role exploration without too much pressure plays in college readiness. And learn even more valuable tips and resources at Briana's website, thecollegeinme.com and @thecollegeinme on IG and facebook.

Today's episode is a very candid (and explicit--there are a lot of curse words in this one) conversation with recovering addict Rory Londer about how connection allowed him to come back from drug use that had him living unhoused and stealing to get his next high. He shares his full story in his book, Should've Been Dead, but in today's episode he shares the parts of his story that are most relevant for parents and educators working with young people. Rory speaks about the young people he has connected with and helped since getting clean and coming to speak at schools and ALCs, and why checking yourself for authenticity and expectations can make a massive difference in helping at-risk teens. You can learn more about Rory and his story at shouldvebeendead.com. You can also find him at rorylonderspeaker on Facebook.

In this episode, we discuss a question many parents and educators share: how do I handle it when the teen in front of me is just absolutely losing their you-know-what in front of me? We've all been there: the teen or pre-teen in front of us is realy upset, crying or yelling, and we're wondering "well now what do I do?" Shahin has faced this experience directly herself as a parent, and coached many parents on how to approach it as a mindfulness teacher, and she shares tips today on how to navigate those emotionally fraught moments without regrets. Stay tuned for a particular tip she gives in the latter third of the episode on what to do with the 90 seconds it takes for an emotion to move through your body--it's one I (Becca) hadn't heard before, even though I've practiced meditation for decades, and I've tried it since recording this conversation and really found it helpful.You can find out more about Shahin and the resources she references in this episode at mindful-changes.com, where you can also find her links to her socials and to free resources.

In this episode, teacher Kelly Tag, who has taught across the K-12 spectrum in a variety of school environments, joins us to talk about why middle school can be an especially tricky time for motivation -- for both students and teachers! Becca and Kelly wrangle through their different opinions in what the best motivators are for this age group (grades, test scores, love of learning?), and Kelly shares stories from her range of classroom experiences. You can find out more about Kelly on her YouTube channel Teacher Kelly Tag where she talks about all things education.

In today's episode, Becca interviews Leslie Kuny, long-time dance educator, about the question she's heard many parents and young people ask: do I have to pick between STEM and the arts? They get into some slightly spicy opinions (there's one curse word used today, hence the explicit rating this time!) on whether abandoning arts extracurriculars when students hit the heavier academic load of high school is worth it, and why so many students feel like that's what they have to do. You can learn more about Leslie by checking her out on instagram @lesliekuny or at lesliekuny.com (though she describes instagram as the "more fun" place to find her). Listen, rate, review, and don't forget to submit questions you'd like us to cover in future episodes at www.canyouhelpmegivea.com

In today's episode, Becca interviews Heather Criswell, serial entrepreneur, mom, and experienced educator about how to have more meaningful conversations -- and how to handle the difficult conversations that sometimes arise, especially for the parents and educators of pre-teens and teens. Heather discusses the importance of regulating yourself before you try to have a conversation, how to do that, and how to identify and put out the energy that help kids and adults have the kinds of conversations you are looking to have. You can find out more about Heather at heathercriswell.com, where you can also find her books, conversation games, and other resources.

In today's episode, Becca, Jess, and Liz delve into the C (meaningful choices) of the ABCDs of motivation to explore what those look like in middle and high school, why they can feel risky to parents, and why they're essential to preparing young people to be effective in college and general adulting. Becca and Liz share some personal stories of times they've struggled with this and what criteria they use to distinguish between choices parents need to restrict and ones they don't need to be so controlled about.