No Silly Questions- An Education Podcast for Parents

In the ever more competitive race to secure the best possible future, today’s students face unprecedented pressure to succeed. Our guest today- award-winning reporter Jennifer. B Wallace-  investigates the deep roots of toxic achievement culture in her book “Never Enough”- and finds out what we must do to fight back. If you find your schedule jam-packed with activities and extracurriculars, your w...

Our guest today was one of Time Magazine's most influential people in 2022- so maybe you’ve heard of her? Or perhaps, the name sounds familiar because you were recommended her first book “Expecting Better” over and over again when you were pregnant? We’re excited to bring Emily Oster to No Silly Questions today. Applying her training in economics to issues of parenting- her signature style- E...

Today’s question is truly “not so silly.” In fact, it’s one of the most serious questions we’ve ever asked and answered on this podcast- “what is happening with antisemitism on college campuses?” Schools are meant to provide an education and a safe space for students to exchange ideas, and expand and challenge their thinking. You’re supposed to learn how to think, not what to think. At least that’...

Welcome to a special episode of No Silly Questions: Educators Unplugged. Today we’re thrilled to be joined by two well-known guests who are both experienced literacy educators and who use their social media platforms to help parents and teachers support children in building their literacy skills. 

Welcome to an episode of NSQ Parents Unplugged- where we hear from parents and professionals about their experiences with school and the educational choices they're making for their families.  Today, we’re thrilled to be joined by three esteemed guests who all work in the news media space for a discussion about how we expose our kids to current events and how we teach information literacy ski...

Welcome to an episode of NSQ Parents Unplugged- where we hear from parents and professionals about their experiences with school and the educational choices they're making for their families. Today we are joined by a panel of “Parents in The Arts” - parents who work in both the visual and performing arts. In this discussion, we hear how our panelists think about fostering creativity in their...

Welcome to an episode of NSQ Parents Unplugged- where we hear from parents and professionals about their experiences with school and the educational choices they're making for their families.  Today, we’re going to  be putting on our own oxygen masks, so to speak- and shifting focus from the kids back to the grownups. Because we know that our ability to care for our kids and care for ourselve...

For any parent, the decision of who will care for their child is an intimate one, and a conversation we began last episode with author Erica Komisar. There are different childcare paths to explore, and today, we’ll be diving into the world of daycare, and how Vivi founder Ben Newton is on a mission to reimagine its potential.  More on Ben Newton: Ben Newton is a leader in the education industry, w...

Our guest today, Erica Komisar certainly thinks so. She believes that mothers in particular should spend significant time being present with their children in the first three years of life - quitting their jobs if necessary. To say that this topic is complex is an understatement, and it may lead to strong feelings on both sides of the conversation. As we value the opportunity to engage with expert...

In season one we spoke with the toddler whisperer Tovah Klein  all about how to navigate tantrums, and today, we’re bringing you the teen whisperer - Dr. Lisa Damour - who has catapulted into the parenting scene to help us understand the emotional lives of teenagers and what those of us with littles - like you and I danielle - have in store! More about Dr. Lisa Damour: Dr. Lisa Damour is the autho...

Finding great toys that are engaging and fun for your children is a win win for all. One such game in our family is Rush Hour, and you may have seen me on the floors of restaurants, airports and certainly our apartment scavenging for the mini toy cars and trucks so my kids can move on to the next challenge. So you can imagine our delight to speak with our guest who heads the company that makes thi...

As our guest Lauren Melissa explains- the world is full of neurodiversity- just as it is full of biodiversity. And yet, the extent of many parents’ education on autism are from social media reels like “four early signs that my child has autism.”  We have a better source for you today, and that’s because Lauren Melissa speaks from her personal experience as an autistic person. Whether you are a par...

Our guest today is clear in his view: popular trends in modern parenting are wreaking havoc on our children. In fact, when we asked Dr. Leonard Sax “what gives him hope for the future?”- which you regular No Silly Question listeners will know we ask every guest at the close of the episode- he surprised us as the first guest to answer “he doesn't have hope” because he is not in fact optimistic...

What is the role you play in your child’s learning at school? Have you ever thought to ask your child’s teacher what their approach to reading is? What program do they use? If it’s backed by science and research? These are the questions that we’ve been thinking about since we were captivated by our guest Emily Hanford’s now viral podcast, “Sold A Story.” More on Emily Hanford: Emily Hanford is a s...

What is the role you play in your child’s learning at school? Have you ever thought to ask your child’s teacher what their approach to reading is? What program do they use? If it’s backed by science and research? These are the questions that we’ve been thinking about since we were captivated by our guest Emily Hanford’s now viral podcast, “Sold A Story.” More on Emily Hanford: Emily Hanford is a s...

Come "Unplug" with us all month long!  Over the next few weeks, instead of our expert episodes, you'll notice a new series- "Parents Unplugged with NSQ." We've had the opportunity to chat with some really interesting and dynamic moms and dads to bring a new perspective to the topics we cover on our podcast. On this week’s panel, we speak with  a panel of “Moms with Li...

Come "Unplug" with us all month long!  Over the next few weeks, instead of our expert episodes, you'll notice a new series- "Parents Unplugged with NSQ." We've had the opportunity to chat with some really interesting and dynamic moms and dads to bring a new perspective to the topics we cover on our podcast.  On this week’s panel, we speak with  founders of popular pla...

Come "Unplug" with us all month long!  Over the next few weeks, instead of our expert episodes, you'll notice a new series- "Parents Unplugged with NSQ." We've had the opportunity to chat with some really interesting and dynamic moms and dads to bring a new perspective to the topics we cover on our podcast.  On this week’s panel, we speak with a group of moms in the f...

The future of higher education has arrived - and transformation in this space is coming sooner than you think. For many of you listening, like us, there was a very straightforward path from high school that led to a four year liberal arts degree. That will not be true for our kids. This episode with futurist Abby Brody will require you to hold on to your hats as you learn, alongside us, just how q...

In a culture that focuses so much on the product and the outcome, our guest today highlights the value of process - not just in art - but in life. Meri Cherry is an art educator who catapulted into the homes of parents during the pandemic, and brought a refreshing approach to arts and crafts at home - just as she had done in prior school settings and in her popular LA art studio. You don’t have to...

Over the course of a 13 year journey through the school system, it is natural that parents will experience a conflict or two that they have to confront with their child’s teacher or administrator. But what if the nature of the conflict is larger than and requires a parent to seek legal counsel? On today’s episode, we speak with Regina Skyer, founder and manager of Skyer Law, New York’s premier spe...

504’s, IEPs, neuropsychological evaluations - what the heck do these numbers, letters, and big words mean? Our guest today knows that parents aren’t given a handbook, and so today’s episode is all about breaking it down and helping you navigate support for your child’s learning needs. More on Dr. Nicole Katz: Dr. Nicole Katz is a pediatric neuropsychologist, New York State licensed psychologist, a...

Or are they “Technology’s Child?” These are the titles of our guest this week, Professor Katie Davis’ two books.  In this episode, we talk all about “ digital media’s role in the ages and stages of growing up.” How do children engage with technology at each stage of development? Are there good apps and bad apps? Youtube vs. Netflix? Does technology have an impact on creativity? Katie Davis gives u...

The call that no parent ever wants to receive: “There’s been a school shooting and we need you to come to the building.” Our guest today, Nicole Hockley received that call from her sons’ elementary school, Sandy Hook, in 2012. This infamous school shooting resulted in a heartbreaking tragedy, one that changed Nicole’s life and also set her on a path to making incredible gains in school and gun vio...

We experience our schools at a local, community level- but nonetheless they are supported and organized in our nation’s capital by the Department of Education. Today, we have a real treat to get a glimpse inside this office from a senior advisor to the Secretary of Education and learn about their top priorities. More on Nick Simmons: Nick Simmons serves as Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Educat...