Welcome back to Part Two of my S5E24 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Melanie Meehan and Maggie Beattie Roberts, where we explore how understanding the brain's role can inform "how to write" instruction. This discussion makes practical connections between neuroscience and effective teaching strategies, ensuring educators can apply cognitive science principles to foster better writers. This is all about actionable education insights for every classroom.

And this isn't just theory. Maggie and Melanie break down the minute moves that unlock possibilities, the progression charts that guide your next teaching step, and how explaining brain science to students transforms their relationship with writing.

Discover why you can do transformative work in just a few minutes, how to make writing equitable for all learners, and what to do with that writer slumped over their desk, gripping a pencil in their fist. Most importantly: Writing is thinking. At this critical juncture, with AI offering to do that cognitive work for our students, we cannot let go of teaching this essential skill.

What You'll Learn:
✅ How to navigate a research-heavy book when you're overwhelmed
✅ The "minute moves" that create a big impact in just minutes
✅ Why explaining brain science to students changes everything
✅ How one seventh grader went from writing-averse to engaged
✅ Making writing accessible and equitable for all learners
✅ Practical strategies for any curriculum or writing program

💫Check out Part One

📚 Pre-order Foundational Skills for Writing now—releases February 24th!🎯 Start with the chapter that speaks to YOUR most puzzling writer.

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: Making Research Practical
1:00 - Welcome Back: From Theory to Practice
2:00 - Addressing the "This Sounds Dense" Concern
4:00 - How to Navigate the Book's Architecture
6:00 - Using Foundational Skills with Any Curriculum
7:00 - The Bigger Vision: Equity and Access
9:00 - Speaking Brain Language with Students
10:00 - The Seventh Grader Who Became a Braver Writer
13:00 - Minute Moves: Big Impact in Small Time
15:00 - Writing is Thinking: The AI Imperative
16:00 - Final Thoughts and Pre-Order Information
17:00 - Next Week: Dr. Courtney Bishop on Neurodivergence
18:00 - Closing and Subscribe

Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.

🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!

Next Week: Next week, Dr. Courtney Bishop takes us deeper into the brain with her journey as a neurodivergent mom and educator. She'll reveal why traditional behavior management fails our kids and how her conscious coaching framework helps adults pause, shift their narratives, and create genuine connection—because here's the truth: children can't reach their learning brain until we regulate our own.

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Maggie Beattie Roberts highlights brain-based, whole-child teaching at its most practical. It's exactly the kind of insight that transforms how teachers approach lesson planning, student engagement, and instructional strategies for learners who seem "stuck."

What if the reason your students struggle with writing has nothing to do with effort — and everything to do with how their brain is wired? In this clip, we break down the three core executive functions that make or break a student's writing experience: working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control.

Think of executive functions like the stagehands of a Broadway production. Nobody sees them — but without them, the whole show falls apart. When we understand and support these behind-the-scenes cognitive processes, we give students the neurological foundation they need to actually *do* the work a writing curriculum demands.

🧠 In this video, you'll learn:
➡️What executive functions are and why they matter for writing
➡️The 3 categories every educator needs to know: working memory, cognitive flexibility & inhibitory control
➡️Why low engagement or avoidance in writing may be an executive function issue — not a behavior issue
➡️How supporting executive functions builds student success from the ground up
➡️What this means for inclusive teaching, instructional coaching, and classroom practice

Whether you're a classroom teacher, instructional coach, school counselor, or school leader, understanding executive functions is one of the most powerful tools you can add to your practice.

👇 Drop a comment: Which executive function do you see students struggle with most in your classroom?

🚀📚 Watch Part One & Part Two of our ⁨@schoolutionspodcast S5E24 interview.

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: Why Students Struggle with Writing
0:08 - The Three Categories of Executive Functions
0:20 - The Stagehand Analogy: Executive Functions Explained
0:38 - What Happens When Executive Functions Break Down
0:52 - Supporting Executive Functions to Build Writing Skills
1:05 - Engaging the Cognitive Motors for Writing Success

📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!

#ExecutiveFunctions #WorkingMemory #CognitiveFlexibility #InhibitoryControl #WritingInstruction #BrainBasedLearning #StudentEngagement #StudentSuccess #WholeChild #ProKidMindset #InclusiveTeaching #EffectiveTeaching #InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching #ClassroomBelonging #EquityInEducation #InspiringStudents #ThrivingStudents #EmpoweredEducators #SchoolCulture #ActiveLearning #TeachingTips #InnovativeTeaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #InstructionalLeadership #SchoolImprovement #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #schoolutions #schoolutionsteachingstrategies #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Melanie Meehan shares a practical strategy for teaching spelling that focuses on understanding the brain's role in the process. Learn how to teach spelling by incorporating brain diagrams, a method successfully used with a seventh grader who struggled with writing. Melanie's teaching tips aim to improve student comprehension and confidence in their education journey.

What happens when a struggling 7th-grade writer finally understands why spelling is hard and how his brain can change? Something powerful shifts when educators take time to explain the why behind learning, showing students brain diagrams, teaching spelling patterns, and giving learners the language to understand their own thinking.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, instructional coach, mentor teacher, or school leader, this moment captures the heart of inclusive, equity-driven education: meeting every student where they are and helping them understand themselves as learners.

🧠 Topics covered in this video:
➡️Using metacognition to unlock student potential
➡️Brain-based spelling instruction and morphology
➡️Supporting students with low engagement or learning struggles
➡️How teacher coaching transforms classroom practice
➡️Culturally responsive and pro-kid teaching in action

🚀📚 Watch Part One & Part Two of our ⁨⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ S5E24 interview.

📑 Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: A 7th Grader's Writing Journey
0:12 - Using the Spelling Chapter & Teaching Protocols
0:28 - Explaining the Brain Diagram to the Student
0:44 - Teaching Morphology & Spelling Patterns
0:58 - The Power of Metacognition in Spelling Instruction
1:10 - Why This Approach Was a Game Changer

📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!

#InstructionalCoaching #TeacherCoaching #EffectiveTeaching #StudentSuccess #ClassroomBelonging #MetaCognition #SpellingInstruction #Morphology #InclusiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #ProKidMindset #WholeChild #SchoolImprovement #EducationLeadership #TeachingTips #NewTeachers #MentorTeachers #EmpoweredEducators #SchoolCulture #ActiveLearning #StudentEngagement #InspiringStudents #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #BrainBasedLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #InstructionalLeadership #InnovativeTeaching #thrivingstudents #schoolutions #schoolutionsteachingstrategies #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Part One of my S5E24 ⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ ⁨conversation uncovers why underdeveloped executive functioning for kids can impact areas like working memory and response inhibition. Melanie Meehan and Maggie Beattie Roberts make foundational writing skills accessible by highlighting how understanding executive function deficits can completely change how we approach literacy education. We discuss how addressing these executive dysfunction challenges can support a child's development into a more confident writer.

Discover why writing instruction can't wait any longer in literacy conversations. In this powerful episode, Maggie and Melanie reveal the foundational skills we've been overlooking in writing instruction and how understanding executive functions transforms everything—from that first capital letter to complex compositions.

As a special education teacher turned writing coordinator and a national literacy consultant, Maggie and Melanie unpack their groundbreaking book Foundational Skills for Writing: A Brain-Based Guide to Strengthen Executive Functions, Language, and Other Cornerstones for Writing. Learn how eight regions of the brain coordinate when a child picks up a pencil, why handwriting is a gateway to literacy, and how the solar system writing model changes everything we thought we knew about teaching writing.

Some episode mentions:

• ➡️Young-Suk Grace Kim
• ➡️Steve Graham
• ➡️The Writing Clinic
• ➡️Melanie's other books
• ➡️Two Writing Teachers
• ➡️Maggie's books: DIY Literacy & Unboxing the Curriculum

Stay tuned for Part Two on Friday, where we dive into practical strategies you can use tomorrow!

Chapters
0:00 - Introduction: The Hidden Challenge in Writing Instruction
1:00 - Meet Maggie Roberts and Melanie Meehan
2:00 - Foundational Skills for Writing: The Book Overview
3:00 - Research That Changed Everything
5:00 - The Origin Story: A Conference Napkin Conversation
7:00 - The Solar System Writing Model Explained
10:00 - Brain at Work: Understanding the Writing Brain
13:00 - Executive Functions: The Stage Hands of Writing
16:00 - Handwriting as a Gateway to Literacy
19:00 - The Writing Clinic: Supporting All Writers
20:00 - Lightning Round: Myths, Truths, and Strategies
24:00 - Coming Up in Part Two

Join our community of educators committed to cultivating student success, inspired teaching, and creating inclusive classrooms with a pro-kid mindset focused on the whole child.

🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Don't forget to🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators!

#schoolutions #forevergettingbetter #WritingInstruction #LiteracyDevelopment #FoundationalSkills

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Welcome back to Part Two of my S5E23 @schoolutionspodcast conversation with Stacey Shubitz. We discuss the importance of looking beyond just IEP goals and accommodations in special education. Stacey emphasizes considering child development and the need for downtime, joy, and culturally relevant books. Caregivers can use these parenting tips to provide emotional support and foster inclusive education for children with disabilities outside of school hours.

Stacey reveals the surprising advice a speech pathologist gave her: "Take care of your marriage," tucked between recommendations for two-word sentences was perhaps the most important guidance she'd receive. She shares what happens when caregivers don't take care of themselves (shorter fuses, emotional overwhelm, everything feeling like a catastrophe) and the permission we all need to hear: it's okay to skip therapy homework sometimes.

This isn't about surviving—it's about thriving. About curating joy intentionally. About finding children's books that help siblings develop empathy. About protecting your relationships while advocating for your child.

Key Topics Covered:
- The 130 hours: structuring life beyond school walls
- Permission to take "speech therapy vacations" and why downtime matters
- Curating joy vs. relentless therapy schedules
- Children's books as windows, mirrors, and doors for disability understanding
- Supporting siblings through literature and conversation
- Caregiver self-care isn't optional—it's essential
- Nurturing couple relationships while parenting children with disabilities
- What happens when we don't take care of ourselves
- Creating safe spaces for family dialogue about disability
- The whole child approach to family life

💫Check out Part One if you missed it on Monday!

🔗 Get Stacey's book: Make the School System Work for Your Child With Disabilities at (PROMO CODE EMJAN1533 for 15% off (expires 2/21/26)

Chapters
0:00 Introduction: The 130 Hours Nobody Talks About
1:00 Beyond IEPs: Life Outside School Walls
2:00 Welcome Back: Part 2 with Stacey Shubitz
3:00 Why Include Life Beyond School?
4:00 Permission to Take Speech Therapy Vacations
5:00 Curating Joy Intentionally
5:30 The Importance of Downtime and Rest
6:00 When Your Child Says "I Can't Practice Today"
7:00 Vision Therapy Without Homework: A Game Changer
8:00 Modeling Healthy Rest Habits
8:30 Connection Through Reading Together
9:00 Children's Books That Nurture Empathy
10:00 Windows, Mirrors, and Doors in Disability Literature
11:00 Books for Siblings: Building Understanding
12:00 Creating Safe Spaces for Family Dialogue
13:00 What Happens When Caregivers Don't Self-Care
14:00 The Marriage Advice That Changed Everything
15:00 Finding Your Anchor: Partners and Support Systems
16:00 Vulnerability, Mentorship, and Gratitude
17:00 Resources and Book Recommendations
18:00 Promo Code for Stacey's Book
18:30 Next Week: Foundational Writing Skills Research
19:00 Closing: You're Doing Better Than You Think

Next Week: Melanie Meehan and Maggie Beattie Roberts are joining me to reveal groundbreaking research behind their new book on foundational writing skills. We're unpacking how understanding the brain's role in writing—from handwriting to executive function—can transform how we teach every child to become a confident, capabl

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Discover a powerful perspective shift on educational evaluations that eliminates stigma and empowers families. In this transformative reel clip, Stacey Shubitz shares how one parent reframed the evaluation process as "finding the key to unlock the brain" – a beautiful metaphor that changes everything about how we approach student struggles and student success.

If your child is experiencing low engagement, classroom behavior challenges, or attention in class difficulties, this video offers hope and clarity. Educational evaluations aren't about labels – they're about understanding the whole child and creating pathways to thriving students through culturally responsive teaching, inclusive classrooms, and effective teaching strategies.

Perfect for teachers, education coaches, school administrators, parents, homeschoolers, teacher mentors, instructional leaders, and school counselors seeking to build a pro-kid mindset and strengthen the home-school connection.

What You'll Learn:
• How to eliminate evaluation stigma for families and students
• A powerful way to explain evaluations that empowers children
• Why seeking help through evaluation supports student engagement and student motivation
• Building equity in education through understanding and support
• Strengthening parent communication and family partnerships
• Creating inclusive teaching environments that celebrate every learner

This approach supports classroom belonging, student participation, and education transformation by shifting from shame to solution-focused support. Whether you're involved in instructional coaching, teacher support, professional development, or parent involvement, this message reinforces that evaluations create easier pathways for learning and living.

For: New teachers, mentor teachers, instructional leaders, school leadership teams, and caregivers seeking innovative teaching strategies and caregiver support.

Building school culture that prioritizes the whole child, teacher impact, and inspired teaching starts with changing the conversation around support and evaluation.

🚀📚 Watch Part One (https://youtu.be/VP81-Crxvwc) & Part Two (https://youtu.be/xen2OnJjiRM) of our ⁨@schoolutionspodcast S5E23 interview.

Chapters:
0:00 - Introduction: A Parent's Powerful Perspective
0:15 - The "Key to Unlock the Brain" Metaphor
0:35 - Breaking Down the Evaluation Stigma
0:50 - Evaluation as Help, Not a Label
1:10 - Making School and Home Easier for Children
1:25 - Final Thoughts: Empowering Families Through Understanding

📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

Don't forget to 🔔SUBSCRIBE for more teaching tips, and 💬SHARE with fellow educators! https://www.youtube.com/@schoolutionspodcast/

#EducationalEvaluation #StudentSuccess #ProKidMindset #InclusiveEducation #ParentSupport #TeacherSupport #WholeChild #EquityInEducation #ThrivingStudents #SchoolCulture #InstructionalCoaching #FamilyPartnerships #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #EmpoweredEducators #EducationTransformation #TeacherImpact #StudentEngagement #InclusiveClassrooms #AntiBiasTeaching #professionaldevelopment #schoolutions #schoolutionsteachingstrategies #schoolutionspodcast #forevergettingbetter

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Part One of my S5E23 @schoolutionspodcast conversation, literacy specialist and parent Stacey Shubitz shares her dual perspective on navigating special education. If you've ever felt lost in IEP meetings or unsure how to advocate for your child, this episode is your roadmap.

Stacey, author of Make the School System Work for Your Child With Disabilities, reveals why leading with your child's strengths—not deficits—changes everything. She breaks down the difference between IEPs and 504 plans, shares the exact phrases to use when schools push back on accommodations, and explains why evaluations are actually keys to unlocking easier learning paths for your child.

Whether you're a teacher wanting to better support families, a parent feeling overwhelmed by the system, or an administrator seeking to improve parent communication and family partnerships, you'll walk away with practical strategies you can use tomorrow.

Key Topics Covered:
- Special education vs. general education: understanding the difference
- IEPs vs. 504 plans explained clearly
- Leading with strengths in the evaluation process
- Effective teaching strategies for inclusive classrooms
- Parent involvement and home-school connection best practices
- Professional development for supporting students with disabilities
- Culturally responsive teaching and equity in education
- Student engagement and classroom belonging for all learners
- Teacher support and instructional coaching insights
- Self-care for caregivers navigating the special education system

Get in touch with Stacey:

• Blog
• Podcast
• Substack
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

🔗 Get Stacey's book: PROMO CODE EMJAN1533 for 15% off ***promotion expires February 21, 2026

Some Episode Mentions:
➡️Emily Ladau
➡️Own Voices Movement

Chapters
0:00 Introduction: Navigating Special Education with Confidence
1:00 Meet Stacey Shubitz: Educator and Parent Perspective
3:00 The Book That Changes Everything
4:00 Learning from Own Voices in Disability
6:00 Two Hats: Educator and Parent
7:00 Special Education vs. General Education Explained
9:00 IEPs vs. 504 Plans: The Difference That Matters
10:00 Reframing Evaluations: Unlocking Your Child's Brain
12:00 Leading with Strengths, Not Deficits
14:00 Navigating Communication Breakdowns
16:00 Your Go-To Resource Guide
17:00 Lightning Round: IEP Meeting Essentials
17:15 When to Request IEP Revisions
17:45 The One Document to Keep on Your Phone
18:15 Phrases for Advocating for Accommodations
18:45 Biggest Myth About Special Education
19:15 Self-Care for Parents: The Power of Meditation
20:00 Coming Up in Part 2: Life Beyond School

🎧 New episodes every Monday & Friday with bite-sized Wednesday reel bonus content.
📧 Connect: schoolutionspodcast@gmail.com
🎵 Music: Benjamin Wahl

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

This February, join @schoolutionspodcast as it highlights educators and researchers advancing child support.

🎯 What You'll Learn:
• How to navigate IEPs, 504s, and disability services with confidence
• The shocking research behind foundational writing skills that transforms student success
• A neurodivergent educator's journey supporting thriving students in inclusive classrooms
• The alarming trend: NYC pediatricians diagnosing kindergartners with play-deprivation-induced anxiety and depression
• A bold 6-point proposal to save early childhood education in public schools

Featured Experts:
💫Stacey Shubitz bridges the home-school connection for families navigating special education.
💫Melanie Meehan and Maggie Beattie Roberts share critical research on instructional strategies for foundational writing skills.
💫Dr. Courtney Bishop reveals her path as a neurodivergent mom and educator championing equity in education.
💫Dr. Beverly Falk and Dr. Nancy Cardwell from City College expose an education crisis and present their solution to NYC leadership.

Whether you're focused on classroom belonging, student motivation, culturally responsive teaching, or education transformation, these conversations offer effective teaching strategies for the whole child. Perfect for teachers, education coaches, school administrators, parents, homeschoolers, teacher mentors, instructional leaders, and school counselors committed to inspired teaching and empowered educators.

🔔 Subscribe for education strategies that prioritize pro-kid mindset, inclusive teaching, and student participation! https://www.youtube.com/@schoolutionspodcast/

CHAPTERS:
0:00 Introduction: February's Education Revolution
0:15 Stacey Shubitz: Bridging Home & School for IEPs and 504s
0:30 Melanie Meehan & Maggie Beattie Roberts: Foundational Writing Research
0:45 Dr. Courtney Bishop: Neurodivergent Mom & Educator's Journey
1:00 Dr. Beverly Falk & Dr. Nancy Cardwell: NYC's Play Deprivation Crisis
1:30 The 6-Point Proposal to Save Early Childhood Education
1:50 Join the Conversations This February

CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
👍 Like if you're ready for education transformation
💬 Comment: Which guest are you most excited to hear?
🔔 Subscribe for weekly teaching tips and instructional strategies
📱 Share Wednesday reels with your teaching team

Join me in creating thriving students through classroom belonging, student engagement, and inspired teaching. Let's make 2026 a year of teacher impact and school change!

#EducationPodcast #SpecialEducation #IEP #StudentEngagement #InclusiveTeaching #EquityInEducation #TeacherCoaching #ProfessionalDevelopment #SchoolLeadership #ParentInvolvement #CulturallyResponsiveTeaching #WholeChild #EarlyChildhoodEducation #PlayBasedLearning #NeurodivergentStudents #TeachingStrategies #EducationReform #TeacherSupport #InstructionalCoaching #FamilyPartnerships #ProKidMindset #EmpoweredEducators #InspiredTeaching #EducationTransformation #ThrivingStudents #ClassroomBelonging #StudentSuccess #SchoolCulture #InstructionalLeadership #HomeSchoolConnection

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.