June 4, 2025 • 22 mins
Every parent wants their child to succeed in school—but keeping up with their progress, supporting their learning, and knowing when to step in can feel overwhelming.
Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. returns to the podcast with smart, practical advice to help you feel more confident and prepared to support your child’s academic journey. Whether your child is just starting kindergarten or heading into high school, this conversation offers valuable insight you can use right now.
Drawing upon his experience as a teacher, principal, education leader, and parent, John shares tips on understanding your child’s learning style, how to partner with teachers (even the challenging ones!) to make sure your child’s academic needs are getting met, and how to encourage critical thinking in a world full of conflicting messages. Carol and John talk about why parents these days need to pay attention to curriculum changes, book bans, and misinformation—and how to take action when needed.
If you want to know how to truly show up for your child’s education, this episode is packed with the clarity and encouragement you’ve been looking for.
Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
Former U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. returns to the podcast with smart, practical advice to help you feel more confident and prepared to support your child’s academic journey. Whether your child is just starting kindergarten or heading into high school, this conversation offers valuable insight you can use right now.
Drawing upon his experience as a teacher, principal, education leader, and parent, John shares tips on understanding your child’s learning style, how to partner with teachers (even the challenging ones!) to make sure your child’s academic needs are getting met, and how to encourage critical thinking in a world full of conflicting messages. Carol and John talk about why parents these days need to pay attention to curriculum changes, book bans, and misinformation—and how to take action when needed.
If you want to know how to truly show up for your child’s education, this episode is packed with the clarity and encouragement you’ve been looking for.
Follow Ground Control Parenting:
📱 Instagram, TikTok & Facebook: @GroundControlParenting
💼 LinkedIn: Carol Sutton Lewis
🌐 Website: GroundControlParenting.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to Ground Control Parenting, a blog and
now a podcast creative of parents raising black and brown children.
I'm the creator and your host, Carol Sutton Lewis. In
this podcast series, I talk with some really interesting people
about the job and the joy of parenting.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
One of the most important parts of our jobs as parents,
right after making sure our kids are healthy and safe,
is to help them get the best education possible. So
today I am so happy to welcome back a very
special guest who knows so much about the state of
education in our country, John B.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
King Junior.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
John served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the tenth
U S Secretary of Education, and he's currently the Chancellor
of the State University of New York. He's been a
high school teacher, a middle school principal, and a co
founder of Roxbury Prep, a very successful charter school in Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
He helped launch.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
The Uncommon Charter School Network operation in New York City.
He was the first African American and Puerto Rican to
serve as New York State Education Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
He's been a.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
College professor, and he was the president and CEO of
the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization. So
he's got a deep well of experience to draw from
and he knows a lot about how to educate our children.
And now he is also an author. His book Teacher
Right Teacher, The People Who Change Our Lives has just
been published. Teacher by Teacher is a celebration of teachers
(01:23):
and John's stories of how they saved his life. John's
a graduate of Harvard College, Yale Law School, and Teachers
College at Columbia University. He and his wife, Melissa Steel King,
who's an education researcher and former elementary school teacher, have
two daughters and they live in Brooklyn, New York. Welcome
back to Ground Control Parenting.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
John, thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
In our last conversation a few weeks ago, we talked
about how some very special teachers and mentors deeply impacted
your life. And now your journey has brought you and
now us all some very valuable life and parenting lessons.
I'm so happy to have you back again this week
as an author and educational expert to talk us about
the ways that parents can support our children's academic development.
(02:04):
And we need this now more than ever, so let's
get started. You'll have to indulge me for a minute,
But as everyone who read your new book, Teacher to
Teacher will learn, you have had so many different and
valuable experiences in education. You have attended public and private schools,
local and boarding schools. You've been a teacher and administrator
in middle school, high school, and college. You co founded
(02:26):
a successful charter school. And I'm not even mentioning all
the state wide and national education experience. There are so
many choices, and as parents try to figure out how
their children can learn and thrive, it can be bewildering.
So for all the parents out there who are just
starting out on the educational journey for their kids, two
connected questions. First, how can they best learn about their
(02:48):
children's learning styles, which is important as they figure out
school choice. And then once they have some understanding, how
they get smart about the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Mm.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You know, I think you really have to spend time
with your child exploring learning, right, whether it's taking them
to a museum or playing a math game, it's really
(03:21):
getting to know your child as a learner, and then
spending time in the potential school settings that you're thinking about.
You know, there's really no substitute for visiting and talking
with the people at the school about what their values
are right, because at some level you ultimately want to
make sure that their values align with yours. And of
(03:45):
course you want to look at the data. That's really important.
And I worry that sometimes, particularly parents who have less
social capital, who are facing more economic challenges, aren't as
savvy about the data.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And when you say, look at the data, what data
should they be looking for?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
So you know, in the earlier grades, you want to
know is this a place where students are at least
learning reading a math to level that's going to allow
them to be competitive. And I don't mean competitive with
their peers, I mean competitive with the world in our
current in our current economy. And you know, we just
(04:29):
had the National Assessment results come out, the NAPE scores,
and they showed that we have one third of our
eighth graders who are at the below basic level in reading.
And that's terrifying. You are below basic in reading in
eighth grade? What are your chances of being successful in
(04:50):
high school and in post secondary education. So but a
lot of those parents are getting report cards that say
a's and b and they don't necessarily know that there's
that gap. So I think it's really important to look
hard at the reading of math. It's important to look
at the high school level. Are there AP classes, are
(05:12):
there International baccaloriate classes? Are there opportunities for dual enrollment?
Are there opportunities for students to have the kinds of
academic experiences that will set them up for success when
they go on to college or other post secondary educational experiences.
It's important to think about, you know, what do you
want the makeup of the school to be. For my
(05:35):
wife and me, it was really important that our kids
attend schools that were diverse, and so that was a
question we asked about racial diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and so
you really want to dig in. This is a big
choice that you're making, whether it's you know, for your
(05:56):
kidnegartener or for your ninth grader, or when you're goes
off to college.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, that was helpful.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So once you've made the choice and your child is
in the school, and I'm really thinking the lower grades
at this point, what kind of relationship should parents seek
to build with teachers? I mean both in and outside
the classroom. I mean I often suggest beginning the school
year with meeting a teacher and talking about your child
and your joint goals for your child's success. But you've
(06:28):
been on both sides of this now you've been a
teacher and the parent. What do you see as the
most successful kind of things that one can do to
build a successful relationship.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
You know, a couple of things. I love your point
about that sort of starting out talking about shared goals,
I'd say a couple things along the way. One to
be present, which is not to be hovering, but to
be present, you know, go on the class field trip,
organize the classroom celebration, the pizza party, or what have you.
(07:06):
If there's a chance to come in and do a
career day, do that. If there are plays or sporting
events at the school, be a part of those. Take
the opportunity to chat up the teacher, build a relationship
and a rapport, but also sends a signal to your
child about how you value the place where they're spending
(07:28):
a lot of their time. And you also get insights.
You get insights about the school, You get insights about
your kids' friends. You insights maybe about opportunities that you
want to encourage your child to take advantage of. Another
thing I'd say that is important along the way is
if there's something that your child is struggling with or
(07:51):
that you're worried about, communicate with the teacher. Don't wait
and don't miss the opportunity you need to help the
educators understand your child's needs and challenges. And I think sometimes,
and this can be cultural too, sometimes folks are reluctant.
(08:13):
So I feel like, well, the educators are the experts.
I'm just going to leave it to them. But actually,
you're seeing things as a parent that you can contribute
and that will help the educators not only support your child,
but support all of the students.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, no, that's really true.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I guess parents don't really think about how much information
they have about their child that can be help the
teacher understand what's going on in the classroom. So I understand,
and I often talk about ways to build relationships with teachers,
But the presumption in this is that the teacher is
a good teacher, which most are. How you parents, How
(08:54):
do you suggest parents deal with teachers who either are
just not that don't seem to get their child child,
or for whatever reason, aren't engaging that year in the class,
Like what do you do with a teacher that's not
up to snuff.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
You know, look, you have to be vigilant, and that
may mean repeated conversations with a teacher. That may at
some point mean talking with the principal or other administrator
about the challenges. You know, a friend who was just
telling me a story. She moved to New York City
from Jamaica as a kid, and there were certain set
of assumptions at the school about what it meant that
(09:32):
she was moving from a school in Jamaica, and they
placed her in the sort of the remedial section in
eighth grade eight four and then she but actually she
was a very strong student, and so she never brought
homework home because she finished a work before she even
came home. And to her, that was fine. She was
(09:56):
happy to just read and so forth. But her mom,
who was not very educated but knew something was wrong
and would ask, where's the homework? How come there's not
more work? And she told the story of how she
came home with a report card all a pluses and
her mom said, I am going up to that school tomorrow,
(10:18):
and she was confused because she felt like, well, I
got all a pluses what's the problem. And her mom
went up to the school and said, my daughter is
not challenged. She is not being pushed to learn, and
I need her to be and she could be doing
much more. And so she ended up being transferred from
the eight to four class to the top class in
(10:39):
the ninth grade to the nine to one class. And
this is years ago, but here in New York City
there's an exam for the most rigorous high schools in
the city, and she was transferred into that nine to
one class. She did well, and a few weeks later
she had to take the tests or the exam high school.
(11:03):
And if she hadn't been in that nine to one class,
she would have known to take that test. She took
that test. She ended up going to Bronze Science and
then to Cornell and she's doctor. Wow, and her whole
life was changed because her mom was not going to
let her be in a class where she wasn't challenged.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Wow. That is a great story.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
That really is because many parents would have just looked
at the report card and felt like it's all good.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Right, right, right, But her mom having that vision for
what school could be for her daughter was really important.
And I think it should be instructive for all of
us of the kind of vigilance we should have.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
We'll be right back after these messages. Welcome back to
the show. So when you have the official parent teacher conference,
I mean, we've talked about parents getting to know teachers,
but do you have any from the from the teacher
side as well as the parent's side. Do you have
any thoughts on how parents can get the most out
of that encounter? And unfortunately, sometimes it's very brief and
(12:13):
there's really not a lot of time to do any
real bigging, which is another reason why you should try
to see the teacher at other at other points.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That's right, But.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Is there do you have Is there any kind of
approach in all the schools you've been involved in, is
there some kind of approach that parents should it could
benefit from taking.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Yeah, a few things. One is if there's an opportunity
to see your child's work. I just feel like the
conversation is richer if you've gotten an artifact in front
of you both right to think about what the work
actually looks like. I think trying to get from teachers
a sense of what's my kid really excited about? What,
(12:52):
what are they doing in class that's inspiring to them,
and how can I build on that at home? Right,
So many times the conversation goes to know, where's my
kids struggling? And we should ask that too, But don't
forget to also try to get a sense of what's
inspiring them, because that's such an incredible opportunity for you
as a parent, and then feed that passion or curiosity
(13:15):
that your kid has.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
I like that a lot because if particularly if you've
been having a conversation about how your child's struggling in
something or something else, to make the teacher think about that,
it kind of.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Flips the script a little.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
It sort of orients them towards the positive aspects, and
it can it will help the conversation be more beneficial
for billth That's good, absolutely, Okay, So parents are thriving
in their schools or they feel that they are connected,
and so now I want to ask about the bigger
(13:47):
picture of education beyond sort of your child in their classroom.
How important is it once they've made the school choice
that they've made, how important is it for parents to
know about the educational system their child is in?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I mean, should they know.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
About the local school board or the budgets, I mean,
the political powers that can influence I mean, is that
important for parents to focus on?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know, I don't know that you need to be
obsessive about it, but you need to pay attention because
there are real consequences. You know, most decisions in schools
are made at the local level. Ninety percent of the
resources in schools come from the local and state level.
So paying attention to you know, what's the school board
(14:31):
working on, What policies are they about to put in place?
How are resources getting distributed to our school? Does our
school have all the things that it needs. Do we
have the school counselors we need? Do we have the
extracurriculars that provide lots of opportunities for kids? Do we
have those advanced courses at the high school level, those coming.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Down the pike that could endanger what our kids have?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Yes? Yes, and in this moment, yeah, We've also got
to be vigilant about are we reading diverse authors in
this class? And that's for all parents, not just parents
of color. I think as for white parents too. They
should want for their child to experience diverse authors and
perspectives in English class. All parents should want for their
(15:21):
kid to learn the truth about our history, the good
parts and the hard parts. And you know, in a
moment where in some schools they are literally taking the
books out of the library that deal with slavery or
civil rights. We've got to stay vigilant that our kids
are getting an education that is honest and prepares them
(15:43):
to be citizens of a diverse society.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
It's that is the thing that is the most confounding
to me today as we watch what's happening in the administration,
is that we live in a diverse society, America melting pot.
We definitely people still want to come here. We're land
of immigrants. There is there is very little homogeneity in
our country, and yet this push away from talking about
(16:12):
working with diversity, it just sort of it is. It
is confounding. But that's the topic for another podcast. But
but you know, I generally advise parents not to panic
about most school related things because first of all, it
doesn't do any good. I mean, it's not it and
and secondly, not only does it, it's.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Not even necessary most of the time.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And even if it is, panic gets in the way
of trying to figure out what you could do.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But are there.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Any issues that parents should be very concerned about now.
I mean, the elephant in the room is this attempt
to dismantle the Department of Education and this sort of
absurdly universal focus on eliminating focus on diversity and inclusion.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Do parents need to be focused on this?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And if they are, how can they be more focused
on the state and local level. You said that the
vast majority of education funding is still at the state level,
but would this suggest that parents need to be more
focused on funding in the state and local level. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Look, you've got to pay close attention to how decisions
are getting made about your kids' schools, and I think
when there's an opportunity to influence those decisions, take it right.
So if there's an opportunity to help someone who's running
for school board or running for the state legislature, do it.
(17:46):
Particularly if there's an opportunity to have them focus on
the things that you know matter for your kids and
for your community. It's worth being engaged in that way.
If the school board is talking about what the curriculums
should look like, that's a meeting you might want to
(18:07):
go to, or at least write a letter to say,
you know, I think it's really important that we continue
to teach Tony Morrison in our high school right, And
if we don't participate, then we lose our opportunity to
shape the outcome. And you know, people are busy, there's
(18:29):
a lot of choices about how they could spend their time,
but schools are so foundational to the health of our
communities in society. To me, if you're going to be
civically engaged, the most important place to do that is
around how we support our own people.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Absolutely, I absolutely agree, and I think so many of
us that have been educated prior to now have taken
for granted the ability to learn from a diverse series
of sources to be able to find the truth even
if we didn't get taught something in a classroom, to
know enough to look elsewhere. And I worry that this
focus on disinformation and on removing information will affect the
(19:12):
next generation's ability to just stay vigilant. So I think
to the extent that parents can be focused on curriculum
and to your point about what's being taken out, it
is it's also a great opportunity to show your children
what integrity looks like.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yes, Yes, and civic engagement. And also, I think you
have to think about how do you supplement your kid's
experience so that they are prepared to navigate this world
of disinformation. You know, how do you how do you
help your kid develop good habits around saying, hm, how
(19:46):
do I know this source is reliable? Or asking let
me let me read two or three things about this
issue before I form my opinion, or recognizing that you know,
the TikTok video is giving you some of the story
but not all of the story. Those are good habits
to cultivate in kids who are going to navigate this
(20:09):
world where there's so much information but not necessarily always discernment.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Absolutely so well said, so John, I'm going to wrap
it up here. There's so many things that we've talked
about in this conversation that are that could have their
own independent podcast conversations. But I do appreciate your perspective
of You've been in so many different rooms in the
(20:37):
education space, and so it's really helpful to hear your
perspective on what.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
We should be doing now.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
So thank you again. It's been a great conversation. And
the book is called Teacher by Teacher. It is out
now and parents who are interested in educating our nation's
children in hearing really inspirational stories, please pick up your
copy today. And so this was part two of our
conversation with John and if you haven't heard part one yet,
(21:03):
be sure to catch that hear more about John's book,
his journey, and as well his answers to the GCP
Lightning Round. Thanks again, John, it was great to have
you here.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Thanks so much. This was a delightful conversation and thank
you for doing this podcast. It's such a wonderful resource
for parents.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Well, thank you, John, And coming from someone who is
so much in the education space, you are, I am
truly honored by that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I hope everyone listening enjoy today's conversation are Part two
with John King. If you haven't heard part one, where
we talk about his new book, Teacher to Teacher, be
sure to listen to that one next. If you like
what you've heard and you want to hear more, don't
forget to subscribe, rate and review where you find your podcasts,
and please tell your friends. For more parenting info and advice,
check out the ground Control Parenting blog at groundcontrol parenting
(21:53):
dot com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram
and TikTok At Ground Control Parenting. Until the next time,
Take care air and thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
M
Hello, and welcome to Ground Control Parenting, a blog and
now a podcast creative of parents raising black and brown children.
I'm the creator and your host, Carol Sutton Lewis. In
this podcast series, I talk with some really interesting people
about the job and the joy of parenting.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:20):
One of the most important parts of our jobs as parents,
right after making sure our kids are healthy and safe,
is to help them get the best education possible. So
today I am so happy to welcome back a very
special guest who knows so much about the state of
education in our country, John B.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
King Junior.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
John served in President Barack Obama's cabinet as the tenth
U S Secretary of Education, and he's currently the Chancellor
of the State University of New York. He's been a
high school teacher, a middle school principal, and a co
founder of Roxbury Prep, a very successful charter school in Boston.
Speaker 2 (00:52):
He helped launch.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
The Uncommon Charter School Network operation in New York City.
He was the first African American and Puerto Rican to
serve as New York State Education Commissioner.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
He's been a.
Speaker 1 (01:01):
College professor, and he was the president and CEO of
the Education Trust, a national education civil rights organization. So
he's got a deep well of experience to draw from
and he knows a lot about how to educate our children.
And now he is also an author. His book Teacher
Right Teacher, The People Who Change Our Lives has just
been published. Teacher by Teacher is a celebration of teachers
(01:23):
and John's stories of how they saved his life. John's
a graduate of Harvard College, Yale Law School, and Teachers
College at Columbia University. He and his wife, Melissa Steel King,
who's an education researcher and former elementary school teacher, have
two daughters and they live in Brooklyn, New York. Welcome
back to Ground Control Parenting.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
John, thanks so much.
Speaker 1 (01:43):
In our last conversation a few weeks ago, we talked
about how some very special teachers and mentors deeply impacted
your life. And now your journey has brought you and
now us all some very valuable life and parenting lessons.
I'm so happy to have you back again this week
as an author and educational expert to talk us about
the ways that parents can support our children's academic development.
(02:04):
And we need this now more than ever, so let's
get started. You'll have to indulge me for a minute,
But as everyone who read your new book, Teacher to
Teacher will learn, you have had so many different and
valuable experiences in education. You have attended public and private schools,
local and boarding schools. You've been a teacher and administrator
in middle school, high school, and college. You co founded
(02:26):
a successful charter school. And I'm not even mentioning all
the state wide and national education experience. There are so
many choices, and as parents try to figure out how
their children can learn and thrive, it can be bewildering.
So for all the parents out there who are just
starting out on the educational journey for their kids, two
connected questions. First, how can they best learn about their
(02:48):
children's learning styles, which is important as they figure out
school choice. And then once they have some understanding, how
they get smart about the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Mm.
Speaker 3 (02:58):
You know, I think you really have to spend time
with your child exploring learning, right, whether it's taking them
to a museum or playing a math game, it's really
(03:21):
getting to know your child as a learner, and then
spending time in the potential school settings that you're thinking about.
You know, there's really no substitute for visiting and talking
with the people at the school about what their values
are right, because at some level you ultimately want to
make sure that their values align with yours. And of
(03:45):
course you want to look at the data. That's really important.
And I worry that sometimes, particularly parents who have less
social capital, who are facing more economic challenges, aren't as
savvy about the data.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
And when you say, look at the data, what data
should they be looking for?
Speaker 3 (04:06):
So you know, in the earlier grades, you want to
know is this a place where students are at least
learning reading a math to level that's going to allow
them to be competitive. And I don't mean competitive with
their peers, I mean competitive with the world in our
current in our current economy. And you know, we just
(04:29):
had the National Assessment results come out, the NAPE scores,
and they showed that we have one third of our
eighth graders who are at the below basic level in reading.
And that's terrifying. You are below basic in reading in
eighth grade? What are your chances of being successful in
(04:50):
high school and in post secondary education. So but a
lot of those parents are getting report cards that say
a's and b and they don't necessarily know that there's
that gap. So I think it's really important to look
hard at the reading of math. It's important to look
at the high school level. Are there AP classes, are
(05:12):
there International baccaloriate classes? Are there opportunities for dual enrollment?
Are there opportunities for students to have the kinds of
academic experiences that will set them up for success when
they go on to college or other post secondary educational experiences.
It's important to think about, you know, what do you
want the makeup of the school to be. For my
(05:35):
wife and me, it was really important that our kids
attend schools that were diverse, and so that was a
question we asked about racial diversity, socioeconomic diversity, and so
you really want to dig in. This is a big
choice that you're making, whether it's you know, for your
(05:56):
kidnegartener or for your ninth grader, or when you're goes
off to college.
Speaker 2 (06:03):
Yeah, that was helpful.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So once you've made the choice and your child is
in the school, and I'm really thinking the lower grades
at this point, what kind of relationship should parents seek
to build with teachers? I mean both in and outside
the classroom. I mean I often suggest beginning the school
year with meeting a teacher and talking about your child
and your joint goals for your child's success. But you've
(06:28):
been on both sides of this now you've been a
teacher and the parent. What do you see as the
most successful kind of things that one can do to
build a successful relationship.
Speaker 3 (06:39):
You know, a couple of things. I love your point
about that sort of starting out talking about shared goals,
I'd say a couple things along the way. One to
be present, which is not to be hovering, but to
be present, you know, go on the class field trip,
organize the classroom celebration, the pizza party, or what have you.
(07:06):
If there's a chance to come in and do a
career day, do that. If there are plays or sporting
events at the school, be a part of those. Take
the opportunity to chat up the teacher, build a relationship
and a rapport, but also sends a signal to your
child about how you value the place where they're spending
(07:28):
a lot of their time. And you also get insights.
You get insights about the school, You get insights about
your kids' friends. You insights maybe about opportunities that you
want to encourage your child to take advantage of. Another
thing I'd say that is important along the way is
if there's something that your child is struggling with or
(07:51):
that you're worried about, communicate with the teacher. Don't wait
and don't miss the opportunity you need to help the
educators understand your child's needs and challenges. And I think sometimes,
and this can be cultural too, sometimes folks are reluctant.
(08:13):
So I feel like, well, the educators are the experts.
I'm just going to leave it to them. But actually,
you're seeing things as a parent that you can contribute
and that will help the educators not only support your child,
but support all of the students.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Yeah, no, that's really true.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
I guess parents don't really think about how much information
they have about their child that can be help the
teacher understand what's going on in the classroom. So I understand,
and I often talk about ways to build relationships with teachers,
But the presumption in this is that the teacher is
a good teacher, which most are. How you parents, How
(08:54):
do you suggest parents deal with teachers who either are
just not that don't seem to get their child child,
or for whatever reason, aren't engaging that year in the class,
Like what do you do with a teacher that's not
up to snuff.
Speaker 3 (09:09):
You know, look, you have to be vigilant, and that
may mean repeated conversations with a teacher. That may at
some point mean talking with the principal or other administrator
about the challenges. You know, a friend who was just
telling me a story. She moved to New York City
from Jamaica as a kid, and there were certain set
of assumptions at the school about what it meant that
(09:32):
she was moving from a school in Jamaica, and they
placed her in the sort of the remedial section in
eighth grade eight four and then she but actually she
was a very strong student, and so she never brought
homework home because she finished a work before she even
came home. And to her, that was fine. She was
(09:56):
happy to just read and so forth. But her mom,
who was not very educated but knew something was wrong
and would ask, where's the homework? How come there's not
more work? And she told the story of how she
came home with a report card all a pluses and
her mom said, I am going up to that school tomorrow,
(10:18):
and she was confused because she felt like, well, I
got all a pluses what's the problem. And her mom
went up to the school and said, my daughter is
not challenged. She is not being pushed to learn, and
I need her to be and she could be doing
much more. And so she ended up being transferred from
the eight to four class to the top class in
(10:39):
the ninth grade to the nine to one class. And
this is years ago, but here in New York City
there's an exam for the most rigorous high schools in
the city, and she was transferred into that nine to
one class. She did well, and a few weeks later
she had to take the tests or the exam high school.
(11:03):
And if she hadn't been in that nine to one class,
she would have known to take that test. She took
that test. She ended up going to Bronze Science and
then to Cornell and she's doctor. Wow, and her whole
life was changed because her mom was not going to
let her be in a class where she wasn't challenged.
Speaker 2 (11:25):
Wow. That is a great story.
Speaker 1 (11:27):
That really is because many parents would have just looked
at the report card and felt like it's all good.
Speaker 3 (11:34):
Right, right, right, But her mom having that vision for
what school could be for her daughter was really important.
And I think it should be instructive for all of
us of the kind of vigilance we should have.
Speaker 1 (11:50):
We'll be right back after these messages. Welcome back to
the show. So when you have the official parent teacher conference,
I mean, we've talked about parents getting to know teachers,
but do you have any from the from the teacher
side as well as the parent's side. Do you have
any thoughts on how parents can get the most out
of that encounter? And unfortunately, sometimes it's very brief and
(12:13):
there's really not a lot of time to do any
real bigging, which is another reason why you should try
to see the teacher at other at other points.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
That's right, But.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
Is there do you have Is there any kind of
approach in all the schools you've been involved in, is
there some kind of approach that parents should it could
benefit from taking.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Yeah, a few things. One is if there's an opportunity
to see your child's work. I just feel like the
conversation is richer if you've gotten an artifact in front
of you both right to think about what the work
actually looks like. I think trying to get from teachers
a sense of what's my kid really excited about? What,
(12:52):
what are they doing in class that's inspiring to them,
and how can I build on that at home? Right,
So many times the conversation goes to know, where's my
kids struggling? And we should ask that too, But don't
forget to also try to get a sense of what's
inspiring them, because that's such an incredible opportunity for you
as a parent, and then feed that passion or curiosity
(13:15):
that your kid has.
Speaker 1 (13:16):
I like that a lot because if particularly if you've
been having a conversation about how your child's struggling in
something or something else, to make the teacher think about that,
it kind of.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
Flips the script a little.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
It sort of orients them towards the positive aspects, and
it can it will help the conversation be more beneficial
for billth That's good, absolutely, Okay, So parents are thriving
in their schools or they feel that they are connected,
and so now I want to ask about the bigger
(13:47):
picture of education beyond sort of your child in their classroom.
How important is it once they've made the school choice
that they've made, how important is it for parents to
know about the educational system their child is in?
Speaker 2 (13:59):
I mean, should they know.
Speaker 1 (14:00):
About the local school board or the budgets, I mean,
the political powers that can influence I mean, is that
important for parents to focus on?
Speaker 3 (14:08):
You know, I don't know that you need to be
obsessive about it, but you need to pay attention because
there are real consequences. You know, most decisions in schools
are made at the local level. Ninety percent of the
resources in schools come from the local and state level.
So paying attention to you know, what's the school board
(14:31):
working on, What policies are they about to put in place?
How are resources getting distributed to our school? Does our
school have all the things that it needs. Do we
have the school counselors we need? Do we have the
extracurriculars that provide lots of opportunities for kids? Do we
have those advanced courses at the high school level, those coming.
Speaker 2 (14:54):
Down the pike that could endanger what our kids have?
Speaker 3 (14:57):
Yes? Yes, and in this moment, yeah, We've also got
to be vigilant about are we reading diverse authors in
this class? And that's for all parents, not just parents
of color. I think as for white parents too. They
should want for their child to experience diverse authors and
perspectives in English class. All parents should want for their
(15:21):
kid to learn the truth about our history, the good
parts and the hard parts. And you know, in a
moment where in some schools they are literally taking the
books out of the library that deal with slavery or
civil rights. We've got to stay vigilant that our kids
are getting an education that is honest and prepares them
(15:43):
to be citizens of a diverse society.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
It's that is the thing that is the most confounding
to me today as we watch what's happening in the administration,
is that we live in a diverse society, America melting pot.
We definitely people still want to come here. We're land
of immigrants. There is there is very little homogeneity in
our country, and yet this push away from talking about
(16:12):
working with diversity, it just sort of it is. It
is confounding. But that's the topic for another podcast. But
but you know, I generally advise parents not to panic
about most school related things because first of all, it
doesn't do any good. I mean, it's not it and
and secondly, not only does it, it's.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Not even necessary most of the time.
Speaker 1 (16:32):
And even if it is, panic gets in the way
of trying to figure out what you could do.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But are there.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
Any issues that parents should be very concerned about now.
I mean, the elephant in the room is this attempt
to dismantle the Department of Education and this sort of
absurdly universal focus on eliminating focus on diversity and inclusion.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
Do parents need to be focused on this?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
And if they are, how can they be more focused
on the state and local level. You said that the
vast majority of education funding is still at the state level,
but would this suggest that parents need to be more
focused on funding in the state and local level. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (17:21):
Look, you've got to pay close attention to how decisions
are getting made about your kids' schools, and I think
when there's an opportunity to influence those decisions, take it right.
So if there's an opportunity to help someone who's running
for school board or running for the state legislature, do it.
(17:46):
Particularly if there's an opportunity to have them focus on
the things that you know matter for your kids and
for your community. It's worth being engaged in that way.
If the school board is talking about what the curriculums
should look like, that's a meeting you might want to
(18:07):
go to, or at least write a letter to say,
you know, I think it's really important that we continue
to teach Tony Morrison in our high school right, And
if we don't participate, then we lose our opportunity to
shape the outcome. And you know, people are busy, there's
(18:29):
a lot of choices about how they could spend their time,
but schools are so foundational to the health of our
communities in society. To me, if you're going to be
civically engaged, the most important place to do that is
around how we support our own people.
Speaker 1 (18:47):
Absolutely, I absolutely agree, and I think so many of
us that have been educated prior to now have taken
for granted the ability to learn from a diverse series
of sources to be able to find the truth even
if we didn't get taught something in a classroom, to
know enough to look elsewhere. And I worry that this
focus on disinformation and on removing information will affect the
(19:12):
next generation's ability to just stay vigilant. So I think
to the extent that parents can be focused on curriculum
and to your point about what's being taken out, it
is it's also a great opportunity to show your children
what integrity looks like.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
Yes, Yes, and civic engagement. And also, I think you
have to think about how do you supplement your kid's
experience so that they are prepared to navigate this world
of disinformation. You know, how do you how do you
help your kid develop good habits around saying, hm, how
(19:46):
do I know this source is reliable? Or asking let
me let me read two or three things about this
issue before I form my opinion, or recognizing that you know,
the TikTok video is giving you some of the story
but not all of the story. Those are good habits
to cultivate in kids who are going to navigate this
(20:09):
world where there's so much information but not necessarily always discernment.
Speaker 1 (20:16):
Absolutely so well said, so John, I'm going to wrap
it up here. There's so many things that we've talked
about in this conversation that are that could have their
own independent podcast conversations. But I do appreciate your perspective
of You've been in so many different rooms in the
(20:37):
education space, and so it's really helpful to hear your
perspective on what.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
We should be doing now.
Speaker 1 (20:43):
So thank you again. It's been a great conversation. And
the book is called Teacher by Teacher. It is out
now and parents who are interested in educating our nation's
children in hearing really inspirational stories, please pick up your
copy today. And so this was part two of our
conversation with John and if you haven't heard part one yet,
(21:03):
be sure to catch that hear more about John's book,
his journey, and as well his answers to the GCP
Lightning Round. Thanks again, John, it was great to have
you here.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Thanks so much. This was a delightful conversation and thank
you for doing this podcast. It's such a wonderful resource
for parents.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
Well, thank you, John, And coming from someone who is
so much in the education space, you are, I am
truly honored by that.
Speaker 2 (21:27):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (21:28):
Thanks.
Speaker 1 (21:30):
I hope everyone listening enjoy today's conversation are Part two
with John King. If you haven't heard part one, where
we talk about his new book, Teacher to Teacher, be
sure to listen to that one next. If you like
what you've heard and you want to hear more, don't
forget to subscribe, rate and review where you find your podcasts,
and please tell your friends. For more parenting info and advice,
check out the ground Control Parenting blog at groundcontrol parenting
(21:53):
dot com. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram
and TikTok At Ground Control Parenting. Until the next time,
Take care air and thanks for listening.
Speaker 3 (22:05):
M
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