Episode 178: Helping Our Children Have A Successful School Year with Lisa Chase

No need to whine, it's Whiny Palooza! Have some wine and join us on the Whiny Palooza Podcast with Rebecca Green.

Welcome to the Whiny Palooza Podcast. I'm your host, Rebecca Green. I'm a wife, mother of 3, and licensed clinical social worker. I also have 3 fur babies at home too. My passion has always been to help children and their families. I always dreamed of being a wife and a mother. Parents are always learning through their struggles failures and successes and joys. I am no stranger to this wild ride of parenting, and I know behind every great parent lies a team of supportive friends and family. I want to be part of your support system. I want you to know that you are not alone. We are in this parenting world together. Join me every week for insightful discussions with experts on parenting and marriage, as well as other parents who have found the secret to successes in parenthood. You'll learn tips and tricks to make life with your family better than ever. I hope you will follow along with me while we dive into what it takes to achieve a happy family.

Hello everyone, this is Rebecca Green for the Winey Palooza podcast, and I am over the moon excited today because I have Lisa Chase with us today. Lisa, thank you so much for doing this with me today.

My pleasure.

Lisa is an amazing teacher. I'm going to introduce her officially. Um, she has been teaching for 30— you taught for 33 years, but you're really still teaching. I hate to tell you, we still see her at school, so she hasn't gone away, and I don't want her to go away. She has served as a team leader and advisor to her school's community service club and talent show, as well as a cheerleading coach, which I didn't know.

Oh, oh yes.

She loves her family, students, cooking, and the Buffalo Bills. Tell me about the cheerleading coach. Where were you a cheerleading coach?

Goodness. Well, you know, I cheer— I cheered in college and I cheered for the Bills. Yes, yes. So, um, I, I taught— I coached cheerleading at Williamsville North for several years. I know, I know this.

And not at South, huh?

No, because I was coaching at high middle school when I started. So, yep, I was coaching at North. So yeah, I know, but my blood is blue now.

I love learning new things about you. I'm sure I'll learn more.

I—

two of my children had the pleasure of being in Lisa's classes, and she's just amazing. And I had a request. I had a couple of requests. To talk to a teacher about helping kids have a successful school year. So I asked Lisa and she graciously accepted. So let's jump into questions.

Yay!

So tell us first, what inspired you to become a teacher?

Um, truth be told, I actually loved literature. I love to read, I love to write, and, um, I decided, you know, I'm going to be a teacher. Why not? And the funny thing is, I had my first teaching, you know, I had to observe the class. And this man was wonderful. He's like, oh, just jump in when you want, you know, go ahead and, you know, get your feet wet. I sat in the back of the room scared to death. I didn't make a— me, quiet. I'm not even kidding. I was terrified. It was like a middle school. So he came up to me like real sheepish at the end. He goes, oh, he goes, you know, not everyone, you know, the teaching might not be for you. Not everyone, you know. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm horrible. But it was the most bizarre thing. I think he thought I was horrible. Oh no. And I probably was. Yeah. Yeah. But then I did my student teaching placement and it was like magic. I was like, oh my gosh, I want to do this. I actually do like living, breathing little people. So it all worked out.

Witnessed your magic in the classroom. Definitely magical. And I'm going to laugh for a second. You know, Max is like the 99 student. And do you remember giving him like an 88 and me panicking and like emailing you and being like, what's going on?

Did you? Oh my gosh, I don't remember. I've done a couple of those and I love that. And by the way, your children are amazing. And I just can't say enough about them. They're just— I hardly know your baby, and I'm disappointed about that. But no, I don't remember that. Oh my.

But you know what? My very, very smart son worked super hard for you because he knew he had to.

Oh, and he is very bright. Very bright. That's okay.

So that was okay, but just something funny I wanted to share with you.

You didn't try to switch him out of my class or anything?

No, no, I was like, "Kara, she gave him an A!" No, no, he earned an A. I was— and then Mr. Gamero was like, "This is your first child in middle school, isn't it?" And I was like, "Yes, it is." So what do you like best about teaching?

You know, I actually love just the children themselves. I really just, it's silly, but I just love kids. They make me laugh. Sometimes they make me cry and pull my hair out, but there's never a dull moment. Never a dull moment. And you get to see the gains and the rewards. You get to see the growth and development and the changes and I'm also, you know, I, I love— I'm a people person, and I always believe you get what you give. So I'm a very lovey kind of person, as you know, and I think that when I'm with children, I can be that person for them. And you know, when I get some feedback, that also make, you know, would make my day. But I just truly love little, little people and big people. I'm a people person.

Oh my gosh, let's, let's do some advice for parents.

Sure.

What advice do you have for parents to help their kids be successful in school? Let's start it out right at the beginning of the school year.

Start it right out. Um, I definitely think the whole organization piece is huge, and you know, I know you, you're very good at that, but I think even just having everything in its place And making immediately— I don't know what age group, you know, I would suggest as early as you can, make the child accountable. Okay, let's set up this area. Where are we going to keep your books? Where are we going to charge your Chromebook? I know you're nodding because you have great kids that do that, but I can't tell you how many kids I see that, you know, well, we forgot to pack that, or my mom didn't put it in my, you know, in my in my school bag. And I think it's so important from the get-go to give them a little bit of responsibility, and that organization piece I think is huge in the beginning of the year. And putting a name to a face I think is great. You know, maybe not emailing the parent the first day, but, you know, try to make sure that, you know, you say, hey, you know, this is, you know, I'm Rebecca Green, I'm Max Green's mom, and, you know, if you need anything, let me know. But I think I can't underscore the importance of getting the kids to start taking that ownership. It's huge.

Yeah, I'm very guilty in that area. You just don't know.

Okay, well, that's why we're doing this podcast.

Yeah, you're helping me too. You're helping me too. I actually, um, I actually am the mom who has shown up a few times with the Chromebook at school, and I now have a Post-it note where we leave that says Chromebook because it's the most commonly forgotten item in my house.

Right, right. And it's, it's okay to rescue, you know. I always gave my own children one rescue, you know, but then there's natural consequences. And, um, I think the earlier you implement a system and, you know, okay, they had a bad day, that's different, but if we keep rescuing, then You know, I think that just kind of goes downhill from there.

Well, that goes into my next question. What mistakes do you see parents making?

Um, I have honestly been blessed with some great parents. I think mistakes, maybe not, you know, intentional mistakes, but, you know, just making assumptions. Oh, you said your homework's done. Oh, okay. And you know which kid you can, or maybe all of your kids, you know, I don't, my kids, you know, I would check in the beginning here and there, arm's length, is your homework done? And once we began a routine and I knew I could trust that they did it, then that was good. So I think just making sure that if there's homework, oh, just curious, oh, you already did your math homework, show me your math homework. You know, you don't have to be accusatory, but, oh, I want to see what you're learning, that kind of thing.

I like that.

Yeah, I think that's, that's really important. And I think working with your teacher, you know, if there is an issue, I think it's really important that the child, at least like if it's a minor issue, you know, have the child advocate for him or herself. But I think if there is an issue and it's a genuine issue and Some parents, I think, go automatically to the principal. I always advocate start with me, you know, I'm your frontline. I'm going to work with you. I'm a mom, I'm a teacher, I'm here for you. So I think just that communication piece and maybe just taking a deep breath. A lot of times children's— children will get into a fight or something with another child and I'll immediately get an email from the parent, my daughter came homeless. So I, I always say just kind of refrain from the email, take a deep breath, and talk to your child. And, um, so I don't know if it's mistakes, but I just think, you know, trusting your child but also knowing that they're children and getting them kind of independent without hovering, I think, is really the fine line.

No, it's really good advice. I actually had a friend tell me last year that she checked checking their kids' grades every week and sometimes every day. And you know, we can go, you know, we can go online and I wasn't doing that. So I said to my kids, I, you know, I went home and I said, you know, my friend is checking her kids' grades like all the time. Am I supposed to be doing that? And they're both like, absolutely not. We are on top of it, mom. So I went on and I was like, okay, they're telling me they're on top of it, but I'm going to check. Everything was okay. I was like, okay, I can take a deep breath, but like, first they have to prove that we don't have to check.

Absolutely. And I love that, you know, and I think that that is, oh, you know, the checking the grades. Oh my gosh. You know, my son has a 50 or 65 and it might only be the second week of school. You don't have enough grades in, but I think that's great advice too though. Check, you know, or have your child, hey, let's, you know, at the maybe second week of school to start, hey, let's show me how to get on to WITS or show me how to check your grades. Let's do that together. Let's see how you're doing. You know, have that in without stalking. My daughter—

I'm like, I'm not stalking. Am I supposed to be stalking?

My daughter called me a stalker, a grade stalker once. And I'm like, and I really didn't all the time, but I'm like, okay, well I was because you weren't doing well in the one class. You don't want to be a stalker, but you want to— and again, you want to give them, when they're old enough, you know, let's look together. I'm going to check your grades every couple of weeks unless there's something you need to tell me. Um, yeah, don't be a stalker, but—

Oh, that's really good. I like that. I'm going to remember that. Okay, what about what do you see parents doing right? Let's reinforce that.

Yes, absolutely. Um, I think, um, I just see the incredible, like, just to care about what your kid's doing. I think that's just, you know, not even just school-wise, social-emotionally. Although this is, it's the one caveat I remember. I once had a parent, her daughter, they would, she would pick her daughter up every day and the daughter would, you know, how was school? Terrible. And the mom started feeding into, you know, every day it was terrible, but I come to find out she was just kind of being like, you know, what'd you do in school today? Nothing. Well, you didn't do nothing. But, um, you know, what are parents doing right? I think supporting their children, making them feel secure. There's a lot that goes on, but, you know, getting them in the right mindset to go to school, getting their supplies if they can, you know, if they can, um, and communicating. And Be positive and giving kudos is really, I think, a great thing for parents to do too.

For a teacher, yeah, it's, it's the beginning of school and, you know, as a mom, we're so busy. We're making dinner, we're running around, you know, it's just, it's crazy time this week. And, um, Lily will come up to me and be like, can I tell you about my day? Can I tell you about art class? And I'm like, I'm like, okay, put your— put what you're doing down and look at her and let her tell you. She's so excited.

And it's hard to do. It's hard, the balls, the juggling the balls in the air.

You know, it's not easy.

No, I don't even know how I did that when my two girls were young. I don't know.

I, I, all my work is part-time. I said to Seth, um, I never want to work full-time.

But you are. Being a mom is a full-time job. It's true, really is. If you're doing it right, it's a full-time job. So some of us have— you have a part-time and a full-time job, so don't ever sell yourself short in that.

That's a, that's a good point.

I—

very good.

Yes, it is. Absolutely. I used to hear when I was home sometimes in the summer, you know, oh, you're off in the summer. I was like, okay, when is school starting?

That's what my neighbor said. He's like, I can't wait to go back to school. This is hard.

It's hard work. It's hard work.

Definitely. So 33 years of teaching. I'm just checking to make sure I'm right. What are the biggest lessons from your years of teaching?

I just think, and this could, this could work for children too. I always, and I said this in my retirement speech, some of the toughest kids are the ones that we need love the most. I know, and I always, I could just cry thinking about a couple of them. And those are, I would say that to my children, you know, some of the toughest kids, the kids that don't seem that they're nice or they seem kind of like they're, you know, not friendly. I said, those are the kids that we love the most. And I think that was one of my biggest takeaways. And I also learned that I could teach kids anything, you know, I wanted, but unless I truly made a connection with them, there was no way that they were going to buy into anything, or they would do it grudgingly. So making connections, and it doesn't mean that I, you know, every kid I know everything about, but I always tried to know one or two things about every kid and always, you know, and maybe a few more about the the quiet kids or those kids that I knew were tough. I think that was really important to me, and I learned that one of my first couple of years teaching with some great mentor teachers that I had.

It is, it is true in every field. I tell my husband this. So when, you know, when I was doing therapy, my teachers taught me that I wouldn't get anywhere with my clients unless I made the connection. So it's in every— I think it's in every single field of work.

It is. And I don't think that not, you know, sometimes I think even in the corporate world, it's like, you're just used to these results, these numbers and the data. And it's just adults. Yes. They need it as well. That making that connection is just, it's huge.

I listened to his meeting. Oh, he was home and he ran a group meeting with his staff. And I was like cringing, and he got off his meeting and I was like, we need to talk.

Well, he's so funny. I hope he— humor, that's my other— that's like, oh, you said humor is good. Always. But, um, so what do you— would have done? What course— that— did you give him pointers?

I did, because I was like, you know, you had like It's always about, you know, and teachers' experiences too. We have so much to get done that we focus too much on what needs to get done and not enough about the personal piece. You know what I mean? Like we have to be personable.

You're absolutely right. But the funny thing is I listen to my husband's Zoom meetings and he's not necessarily running them. But he hates that. There's, there's always going to be that kid is just like, leave me alone. I don't care if you care about me.

And I know I'm sure if Seth was in your class, he would be like, can we get to the work?

Stop talking about the bills.

What are we learning today?

Exactly.

Oh my gosh. So what are some of the biggest issues that you saw coming up? Most frequently with the kids?

I would say, you know, a lot of anxiety over things that I had never seen before. Friends, and I think it's, you know, I'm gonna say this, the social media and the phones. We've got to have a way to live with them, but I know a lot of that was a lot of the issue with, you know, some of the friendships. Um, and I think, um, just, uh, kids I think are sometimes alone a little bit more even though they're in a very busy house. I mean, I check my phone a lot. I, I don't know, I think— I don't want to say the family unit because my girls— my, my, my ex and I are more divorced, but I just think that kids are very busy. They're going from activity to activity to activity, and there's not a lot of downtime. So I see that as an issue too. And I think some kids need a little bit more time. You know, some of our favorite activities in school were when we said Chromebooks away, we're playing games. Oh, it's just talking to each other because I don't— I worry about that piece. You know, since—

Yes, it takes us to my next question about social skills. Yeah, so the teenagers in particular, I mean all the kids, they've lost social skills. I mean, COVID really did a number on these kids.

I agree.

So how about some tips to help them regain their social skills?

That's, uh, throw the phones out. Throw the phones out! I mean, I did see this even before COVID just again, the technology. So I would say, you know, literally limit the screen time and take the phones at night. And I'm speaking more to older children, but I, my, Mr. Calandra, he used to have his kids charge their phones in his bedroom. At night because— and the Chromebooks, because even if you think, oh, they're sleeping, I see some very tired kids who are telling me, I was on my phone at 1 o'clock last night. So that right there. So social skills, I don't know. I think you have to encourage more, like, you know, the board games and the family. And again, I'm not saying family traditional, but, you know, have some friends over, gonna have game night so they can talk to each other and navigate some of those. And another thing is teaching your children how to deal with a conflict instead of texting somebody or a parent stepping in, really teaching them how to solve the conflict. I remember one time my daughter had had a fight with one of her friends and she was in the wrong and I told her that. I said, you need to apologize. And she said, well, I'll text her. I said, no, I said, no, this is a face-to-face, you know, so maybe role-playing how to say sorry to somebody when you're wrong, or how to say hello to a new friend. So maybe role-playing. I don't know if that sounds silly, but no, no.

I realized my, my little one trying to introduce herself to a new friend, and I was like, come on, Lily, you know how to introduce yourself. Like, come on, my name is Lily. What's your name?

Well, I don't know, but maybe we, you know, there's nerves involved there and maybe they don't, you know. Like I said, in the— I— there are many classes where these kids, and it's not against my colleagues, but they're on computers and they're doing things independently. And I know there's a lot of partner work still, but there's still a lot of work on the computer. And I think that we really, as parents and guardians, have to start front-loading those social skills and not making assumptions. Because we did a lot of group work in school, you know, but then you said, like you said, COVID hit and just— so really practicing those skills and, you know, I don't know, have a role-playing session. I know for older kids, I mean, it's, you know, how to— I remember my daughter had to call and she was not feeling well and she's asked if she could still talk, could you call in sick for me. No, I can't. I know you're— but teaching them to, you know, they have to do some things themselves and need to learn how to do it.

I know. I keep telling Max that I'm growing up with him, like, as a parent. Like, we, we have to change as a parent, and it's, it's not easy.

No, no, it's not. Especially as they gain more independence, you want to have that Hey, I'm here for you, but then there's so much that they have to navigate on their own with us behind them to pick them up if they need it.

Yes, exactly.

I know.

So you might say nothing to this question. If you could go back and change anything in your teaching career, what would you change?

Oh gosh, I don't know. I loved my career and I just, I honestly, yeah, I wouldn't change You wouldn't change anything, and that's—

that's— I thought you might say that.

No, I wouldn't. I mean, if anything, you know, there's kids that, you know, especially when I first started, you know, it's like, oh, I wish I— I worry about that kid, and I wish I could have been a little bit, you know, I don't know, I want to save— I wanted to save everybody, and, you know, you just can't always do that.

I know, I know.

No regrets. And I think that's what I you know, whatever my children— and both of them are gainfully employed as adults— but they— for me, it's to love what you do. And I, I've lived that, so it's so important, you know.

That's awesome.

Yeah, it is.

Okay, so, so one more. If you were superintendent tomorrow, what would you, what would you do?

Okay, well, snow day, everyone would love me. Yes, start off with a snow day, but it's not snowing. This is Jane's truth. You know, I— that's a really good question. You know, I'm a substitute out here in Honey I Falls sometimes, and it's such a small district, so I can see where, you know, being in a large district, there would be so many different challenges. What would I change? I don't know. I think I would probably not put a computer device in everyone's hand, but then, or leave it, leave it at school. I don't know.

I know I personally love when there's any teaching going on at school that doesn't involve electronics. Me personally, other parents might disagree, but I'm like, if there's not a movie or a computer or a phone, I am happy.

Yeah. And you know what the other thing is? I mean, it just, we also have to learn their language though. So like, is that just me being old school? Because the technology isn't going away. So how do you—

It's such a, I think it's a balance. Don't you think? It's just, it's a balance.

I do think. And the other thing I would do is I see I see the emphasis in certain districts on certain programs, and I just wish that we could lower the classroom ratio. I mean, having— I remember my one year that I had, I had 31 children in my social studies class. So if I were a superintendent, I would lower the teacher-to-student ratio. And if I were a parent, I'd be like, get those classes underneath 25. It makes a huge difference.

Well, when I showed up for conferences, Ashley was in the room with us, and I was like, oh, I didn't know. Like, I love when there's someone else in the room. Yes, I love when it's not just on one person, you know.

Exactly. And that helps, you know, but it's still usually if there's two teachers, that teacher really is probably helping, um, you know, maybe kids with special needs, but I think that's definitely— class sizes are huge. Yeah.

31 is crazy.

Oh my gosh. I got kids like, you know, all over. I'm like, okay. I had adults and I had a couple of adults in the room and the adults would be talking to their child to whom they were assigned and they stopped talking. That was the teacher aide. I was like, I didn't mean you. I thought you were a kid. Oh yeah, who's talking?

Oh my God, what, what do you think you learned from your colleagues?

Oh gosh, you know, I tend to be— my colleagues helped make up for the, um, you know, what I didn't have. I am definitely a forest for the trees thinker, and I appreciated like a Kelly Gangi who was very linear and would see, well, no, we can't do that, but So I appreciate my colleagues that also made me see what I didn't see, that they supported my enthusiasm and my crazy ideas. And I appreciated how some of them could connect with kids that maybe I didn't have a strong connection with, you know, because I, you know, no matter who you are, you're not for everyone. Sometimes you just need that teacher that is yours. Teaching style, even though we try to teach a different teaching style. So I had incredible colleagues that really truly functioned as a team. That's awesome. I was very blessed, and I can honestly say that, um, and I've worked on a lot of teams in many different, um, settings. And, uh, you know, my— our district hires some great people, and as a whole, even this district I'm teaching in right now, I'm like, my gosh, these people work really hard. So it really makes me feel that for the majority of teachers in this profession that you really do, they really do love kids and care.

Yeah, I totally agree with that. The teachers that my kids have had, oh my gosh, we have, my family has been so blessed. I mean, I can't say enough. I really can't.

Well, you have great children too, and you know, I think you And I'm not just saying this, but I think your positivity and your worldview and how you, you know, teach your own children how to be as human beings, you know, that comes across. And, you know, to their classmates, to their, their teachers, their peers, or, you know, it takes a lot of work to be a parent.

Thank you. I know I'm trying hard over here.

You are trying really, really hard. Really hard.

So it's, you know what, it's the only job I ever dreamed of, you know, the social work, the therapy, it's wonderful, but I just always wanted to be a mother.

Oh, and you are, you're amazing. And you're inspiring other people with what you're doing, you know, and it's a, it's a tough world out there. And I think people need as many strategies and coping mechanisms in their toolbox as they can get.

Oh my goodness. So many stressed out parents. And I have talked down a lot of angry parents, which I want to talk to you about. So, you know, parents improving their communication with school.

Yes.

Can you give parents a tip?

Because, well, I think it depends. Like, I think just as kids— like, I was talking with my one colleague today and she said, oh my God, I just felt like So like, ah, you know, teachers are human beings and the opening of school takes monumental, monumental steps to just open a school. And it's not just walking the door and oh, here they come. I mean, so I definitely think patience, you know, unless your child is in danger or there's a safety issue, I just think patience, you know. You know, especially a transition period, like going from an elementary to middle school, I always hear parents say, oh, there's not as much interaction. And there's, there's sometimes not, you know, but it's not— there's other ways to communicate. And I think that the important thing about middle school is that you are— this much— plug your ears— pulling away a little bit because You know, you do want your child to grow and be independent, but angry parents, if it's something that can wait, you know, if it's a safety issue, say something. But if not, deep breath and maybe come back the next day and say, is this still 911?

Yes, yes, exactly.

Talk to Rebecca Green. She'll—

oh my gosh, if you knew, I was like You're not going to get what you want if you go in there angry.

Oh, definitely not. Definitely not. And, you know, I think it's sometimes your initial, you know, people's initial impression. Well, this teacher said this and, you know, I just think, you know, just time and just kind of let the system work a little bit and let everybody get back into the swing of things.

And, you know, especially at the beginning of the school year.

Absolutely. And then, you know, I know we— I welcome if there's a concern or an email, you know, but it definitely helps if you, hey, you know, just checking in instead of, sorry, Charles.

Yes, yes. And Seth and I always kind of check each other's emails in that situation, like checking, you know, we check each other. How is our tone?

Yeah. Now, are there— are the things like what kinds of set off parents? I know sometimes like a kid's schedule, a late bus.

I mean, the, well, the buses are to be expected the first week. The first week is rough.

Yes.

And it's always, I feel like the complaints that I hear are about IEPs.

Yeah.

That's the biggest one I get is that my kid has this IEP, they need more help. And I hear frustration from parents about that.

Sure, sure. And I, I think that's a, you know, again, give it a little bit of time, um, you know, um, and my hope would be, you know, before the first major assessment or something, that the special, um, the, the case manager would have reached out. And if they didn't, again, a very nice, you know, can we meet to talk about my child's, you know, I'm very proactive and that kind of thing. But it is, there are a ton of moving parts and I can't tell you how many meetings when you have a free period, how many meetings every day almost that first, those first 2 weeks.

So I can't imagine.

I'm not even kidding, times where I was like, okay, I really need to go to the bathroom. Um, yeah, I mean, so not an excuse, not an excuse, but deep breath and patience.

Yes, excellent advice. Okay, I promise we're almost done. Two more.

No problem, I love it.

What lessons did you want your students to learn from you?

Um, my husband and I were walking the other day and I said this, just the golden rule: treat others the way you want to be treated. It's so simple, um, and just to know that you are worth it, you know, that you are important and that you matter, I think. And, um, you know, I always wanted them to learn to know that I love them and that I was here for them. I really, you know, and I think, um, I don't know, I just, I hope that they learned that they just have to be nice people. It really is so true.

I really You definitely made a huge impact on my children, as you know.

Thank you. Well, you, like I said, you, your children are great kids.

So, oh, um, what lesson, what lessons did you learn from your students?

Oh gosh, um, that it's okay to, to cry. Yep. Um, oh my gosh, when I, when I lost my dad You know, there were times where it was tough that year and I would cry and they would rush up to me and, oh my God, and hug me. And, you know, it's okay. I learned that it's okay to be human and that it's okay to be silly and be goofy. And I've learned that kids can come from some really tough circumstances and persevere through through some really tough things. So awe-inspiring, really, some of these kids and just, I don't know that it's okay to be you. You know, somebody would come in with a cat hat or, you know, you know, cool outfit that they were excited about and pink hair. And it's like, you do, as long as you're comfortable, you do what you do.

You do you, right? I always tell people, you do you.

I love it. You do you. Absolutely. Just be a good person. Just be kind.

Well, I asked you a ton of questions. Is there anything else that you think I missed to help kids be successful this year?

Okay. There is one thing. I think joining clubs is integral. And I think it's super important because especially for kids who aren't athletes, clubs are, you know, a great way to be connected. And I think more than anything— and now I'm going to put my spiel in— for some kind of service work. I think whether it be Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, student council, it— I actually had a statistic and I wish I would have thought about this, but children who are involved in community service type activities or do some kind of service, maybe you do it with your family, you do what you do in and you will something prove to be successful without.

Oh my goodness, I love that.

And I need to find that. I have to find that. But service work, again, even if it's minor, is critical. Just learning how to help somebody shovel a neighbor's driveway. Hey, look at that poor woman, her steps are, you know, have snow on it. So just, I think that's really, really important. And I think what I found is Again, it helps the child, but a lot of those kids that weren't those athletes that didn't have other things seem to connect with somebody through a club. And I thought that was really, really important. Get your kids involved in school in some way.

I couldn't agree more. I couldn't agree more. Max joined football for the first time. You're gonna see a million— you're gonna see a million football posts.

I cannot wait to see that. Now I, I have to go see their homecoming. I, I'm working the Billie's Bash, so I cannot wait. I know.

Well, so he's JV, so you won't see him till like next year. He'll be varsity. But, um, he's JV. It's his first time, and the difference in his mental health is amazing. I mean, I couldn't agree with you more.

Yeah. Because being part of a team or being part of a group, a club, and you know what, schools offer a ton of clubs.

Yeah.

So I feel like there's something for everyone, but there's clubs. And then again, there's that service piece, you know, what we do, you know, start teaching your kids young, give them chores. That's another, I'm very, very big on making sure that, I would just do an informal survey. How many of you have chores at home? And the kids that would raise their hand inevitably were like some of the stronger students. So having a responsibility is very good.

Very good advice. I knew you would have a ton of good advice for us. I was like giddy to talk to you today.

I can't wait to talk to you. You are always going to be one of my favorite people, favorite parents, and your children. Bella Ella and Max. I just, uh, precious. I, and I hope to run into your Lily too.

I know they were supposed to come up here. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna, I'm going to, I know I can't run downstairs while I'm recording, but I'm going to stop recording and go find them to say hello.

I would love it.

But I can't thank you enough for your time and your expertise.

I think you're amazing. I think you're amazing too. Thank you. It's great to be here.

This is Rebecca Green reminding everyone to spend every day laughing, learning, and loving.

Thank you for tuning in to the Winey Palooza podcast. If you like what you heard, please be sure to subscribe so you never miss an episode. While you are there, leave a review. I love to hear your feedback. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time.

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