The 180

How to Parent in a Pandemic: A Conversation with Pamela Cantor, M.D.

Wasn’t raising a child tough enough already? Now, in the coronavirus age – with schools closed and children learning at home – we suddenly have added an additional challenging role to the mix: teacher. It’s a responsibility that comes with no how-to manual, and certainly no 1-800-number to call for help.

So what should caregivers know about how to do it? How do they teach when they’re also a parent – balance between too much help and too little? And are there practical tips – lessons from science – that parents and caregivers can use to make the experience work for all parties involved?

Well, Pamela Cantor, M.D. has some. She is Founder and Senior Science Advisor of Turnaround for Children. And as you’ll hear during this episode of Turnaround's podcast, The 180, by focusing on what she calls The Three Rs: Relationships, Routines and Resilience – science can show parents ways not only to help their children learn, but also how we all can come through this period stronger and bet.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast/

Bonus #1 — Coronavirus: 6 Tips for Parents

The coronavirus is producing a lot of anxiety, stress and worry for everyone. What happens to our bodies when we are under stress? How can parents restore a sense of safety for their children in such trying times? Here are 6 tips from Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, in conversation with host Chris Riback. 

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

Bonus #2 — Coronavirus: Signs of Children Under Stress

There are signs that children are under stress that everyone can learn to recognize. But children respond to stress in different ways depending on their individual histories. Here's what to look for according to Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, in a discussion with host Chris Riback. 

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

Bonus #3 — Coronavirus: Finding a Vaccination for Stress

Life as we know it has been upended; schools, churches, theatres, stadiums and businesses closed. Children miss their teachers and their peers and their normal routines. So how are we going to create new ways for young people to be safe, safe physically to be sure, but also emotionally during such stressful times? How can children help?

Here are some ideas from Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, in conversation with host Chris Riback. 

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

 

Bonus #4 — Coronavirus: Do the Right Thing

We know we are supposed to practice social distancing and scrupulous hygiene to protect ourselves and others from coronavirus. But knowing what's right and doing the right thing are not the same, especially when it comes to children. Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, explains why, with host Chris Riback. 

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

Bonus #5 — Coronavirus: Restoring a Child's Sense of Safety

How to help children know that one day, they and we will be okay again. There are several ways, Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, tells host Chris Riback. 

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

Bonus #6 — Coronavirus: Our North Star

Everyone has a super power to help children through this crisis, says Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children’s Founder and Senior Science Advisor.

To supplement the insights and advice offered by Dr. Cantor on this episode, Turnaround has created a coronavirus pandemic resource page: https://www.turnaroundusa.org/coronavirus/

Coronavirus: Keeping Our Children and Ourselves Safe, with Dr. Pamela Cantor

In this special edition of The 180 Podcast on the coronavirus, host Chris Riback talks with Pamela Cantor, M.D., Turnaround for Children's Founder and Senior Science Advisor, about how to address the fear, stress and disruption caused by the pandemic.

A new strain of coronavirus has created a global crisis. Humans never encountered this strain until just a few months ago, so don’t have immunity or protective factors against it as with viruses that have been around a long time. There is no vaccine and no medications to treat it, yet. It is also highly contagious and can lead to death, especially among the elderly and those with underlying health conditions. The virus is already straining the capacity of governments and health care systems to confront it. Schools, businesses and borders are closed, and global financial markets are reeling.

Americans are being told to stay home in order to be safe. But to provide physical safety, means disruption of the very things that produce emotional safety, namely the human connections everyone needs to feel secure, cope with stress, manage fear, and surmount this crisis. School and college-aged students are being separated from their teachers and friends, a sudden disruption made more acute because so many students depend on their schools for food, health care, and adults they trust.

The massive change in the way Americans live, learn and work is the biggest problem for young people today and the adults surrounding and supporting them. So the engineering problem becomes how to create both physical AND emotional safety at the same time for all children. 

During this special edition of The 180, Dr. Cantor offers insights and advice on how we can help children and the people who love and care for them weather this unprecedented emergency.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast/

Jim Shelton: Education Innovation -- Improving Opportunity, Equity & Outcomes

Mention innovation in America, and what comes to mind? Silicon Valley? NASA? Tech firms? Not for Jim Shelton. He thinks: Education. In fact, he wonders: Why, as we learn more about the Science of Learning and Development, shouldn’t education – like, say, the military – have a full research & development infrastructure?

That thinking has driven Shelton – in the private sector, non-profits and government – on a singular path: Innovating our approach to learning, teaching and educating, and using that innovation to create more opportunity, greater equity, and of course, better student outcomes.

Jim served as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Education under President Obama – a role he took only after overseeing the Office of Innovation, which included managing the government’s Investing in Innovation Fund. Before joining the administration, Jim drove education innovation in various roles, including as Program Director at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. After leaving, he continued his push, serving as President of Education at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, where he remains as an advisor while pursuing additional ventures.

So what does education innovation look like – and how can it take inputs from science and elsewhere to redefine 21^st century education? Here’s our conversation with Jim Shelton.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast/ 

Na’ilah Suad Nasir: Race, Identity & Equity in Education

Race in America is a daily part of nearly every aspect of our lives including, of course, education. And that intersection where race, identity, equity and education all meet – that’s where Na'ilah Suad Nasir has dedicated her research, action, and career.

Nasir’s work centers on what she calls the "racialized and cultural nature of learning and schooling" – in other words, how to consider identity and racial inequality with the goal to advance equitable access to high-quality education. And how, as a result, school districts might rethink a “standardized” approach.

Some background: Nasir is President of the Spencer Foundation, the Chicago-based funder of education research. Previously, Nasir was a faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley and served as the university’s second Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion. She is the author of numerous publications, including “Racialized Identities: Race and Achievement for African-American Youth” and co-editor of “We Dare Say Love: Supporting Achievement in the Educational Life of Black Boys.”

We discussed her philosophy – as well as the practical steps educators – from K-12 and beyond – can apply from the science of learning and development to change the way kids learn.

For more information, go to www.turnaroundusa.org/podcast/