Author: Peyten Williams, Bowbend Consulting
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New Podcast Episode, Parenting with the End in Mind: Raising Children of Character with Chris Cleveland
In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams sits down with Chris Cleveland, President of Wesleyan School in Atlanta, to talk about what he has learned from more than three decades of working with students, parents, and families. Chris offers honest, practical wisdom for parents who want to…
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Reflection: Capitalize on the Calm Before The Roller Coaster Of “Maycember”, Newsletter 4/23/26
For many of us, the end of the school year comes like the downhill drop of a roller coaster: fast, fun, loud, a little disorienting, and full of twists and turns….Every year, May arrives with its own kind of velocity. We try to be present, keep up, enjoy it, and not let the whole thing…
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New Podcast Episode, Autonomy, Not Pressure: The Secret to Motivated Kids with Chanita Jones
What actually motivates kids? And how do we help them develop a vision for their lives—without controlling or overwhelming them? In this powerful conversation, Peyten sits down with educator and consultant Chanita Jones to explore how parents can raise children who are self-directed, confident, and motivated from within.
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Newsletter 3/19/26, When Should We Start Thinking About College? (Earlier Than You Think, but not so much about when as how)
Let me just say the quiet part out loud. If you are a parent at an independent school — paying real tuition, making real sacrifices — there is a good chance that one of the reasons you chose that school is to improve your child’s chances of getting into a “good college.” You may not…
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New Podcast Episode, Parenting Teens Through the College Process with Jay McCann: How to Build a Smart College List Without the Stress
In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, Peyten Williams sits down with college counseling expert and author Jay McCann to talk about how parents can support their teens through the college admissions process without increasing stress, pressure, or confusion. Jay shares what many parents get wrong about college admissions,…
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New Podcast Episode, Why Movement Matters: The Preschool Brain, Behavior, and School Readiness Connection with Erin Carey
In this episode of What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use, we sit down with Erin Carey, Executive Director of Trinity Presbyterian Preschool, to uncover why your child’s physical development is directly connected to their academic success, emotional regulation, and confidence. Erin explains why movement, motor development, and brain development in early childhood are…
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Newsletter 2/26/2026, What Spring Break Reveals About Your Parenting
It’s Winter/Spring Break time! I’ve heard stories of friends traveling to see family, vacationing in faraway places, staying home to rest, or finally tackling the closets and clutter. Whatever you chose to do, you were really aiming at something deeper—a value. And when the break is over, your sense of whether it was “successful” usually comes down…
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New Podcast Episode, The Parent Ecosystem: A Foundation for Your Child’s Mental Health on What Great Teachers Know That All Parents Can Use
In this episode, we’re joined by educator, author, and consultant Lori Cohen to explore a topic that is foundational to a child’s well-being: the power of a parent’s well-being. Drawing on her extensive experience as a teacher and her work with educators, Lori uses the metaphor of an “ecosystem” to help us understand schools—and how the adults (educators and families/caregivers)…