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PODCAST

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport

Dear Parents and Educators, This podcast was created for you. This podcast delivers practical, research-based tips to help you confidently support middle schoolers academically, emotionally, and socially. Each episode breaks down what really works during the often challenging middle school years, translating research and real-world experience into clear, doable strategies. From navigating academic pressure and motivation to supporting emotional well-being, friendships, and self-confidence, you’ll

kids & family education for kids

All Episodes

00:05:23

When Students Say “I Don’t Care”

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/04/05

Sometimes the words “I don’t care” are not about indifference at all.In this episode, we look at a familiar middle school moment: a student loses access to something important, and suddenly stops engaging. What sounds like defiance may actually be disappointment, embarrassment, or a quiet attempt to protect dignity in front of peers.Through one classroom story, this episode explores how calm adult responses can help students recover motivation after a setback, and why understanding what students are

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00:05:39

When Behavior Moves Too Fast

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/03/29

Sometimes the student who reacts the fastest isn’t refusing to listen, they’re responding before their emotions have time to settle.In this episode "When Behavior Moves Too Fast ", we explore what impulsive behavior is often communicating beneath the surface, and how small shifts in adult language can help tweens feel safer, more included, and better able to respond in the classroom.If you support students who move quickly from feeling to action, this episode offers practical perspective

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00:08:58

When They Stop Listening

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/03/01

There’s a moment when you feel it happen.The room changes.Not loudly. Not all at once. Just enough that you know… something has shifted.Maybe it’s a classroom. Maybe it’s your kitchen table. Maybe it’s the back seat of your car on a regular Tuesday afternoon.A child’s energy moves somewhere you didn’t expect. And suddenly, you’re no longer sure if they’re with you.It’s a strange feeling. A quiet kind of loss.Not loss of control, exactly.More like loss of connection.And what makes it harder is how

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00:07:49

The Letter No Parent Wants to Open

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/02/22

You know the envelope I’m talking about.The one that sits on the counter a little too long.The one that changes the tone of the evening without anyone saying it did.Maybe you’ve opened it already.Maybe you haven’t.Either way… you can feel it.There’s something about school news that doesn’t just affect a child.It moves through the whole house.Through dinner conversations.Through quiet car rides.Through the way a student suddenly avoids eye contact.And if you’re a parent or an educator, you probably

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00:09:29

Is It Defiance… Or Something Deeper

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/02/17

It can look like indifference. Or attitude. Or not caring.But sometimes it’s something else entirely.Middle school is tender in ways we forget. Pride sits right at the surface. So does fear. And when a child feels exposed, academically, socially, emotionally, it doesn’t always come out as tears. Sometimes it comes out as silence.If you’re a parent, you’ve probably watched your child retreat in ways you can’t quite explain.If you’re an educator, you’ve probably felt that quiet resistance in your

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00:09:11

When Best Friend Moves Away & School Doesn’t Feel the...

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/02/09

There’s a moment I keep thinking about.A student who’s technically “fine.”Still showing up. Still sitting in their seat.But something’s gone quiet.If you’ve ever noticed that shift in a child, in a classroom, at home you’re not imagining it.When a best friend moves away, adults often register it as change.Kids experience it as loss.And not the dramatic kind. The quiet, disorienting kind that doesn’t come with words yet.You might see it as drifting attention.Or shorter answers.Or a kid who’s present

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00:08:39

Cyberbullying: When Belonging Turns Quietly Painful

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/02/01

There’s a particular moment I keep thinking about lately.The kind that doesn’t raise alarms.A child who’s always been “fine” …Suddenly isn’t.Nothing big happens on the surface.No loud conflict.No obvious story.Just a little less light in their eyes.A little more silence than usual.And if you’re a parent or an educator.You know that feeling in your body when something’s off, even if you can’t name it yet.We tend to question ourselves in those moments.Am I reading too much into this?Is this just a

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00:09:05

Autism & Education: When School Stops Feeling Safe

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/01/25

There’s a look kids get when something has gone sideways at school.Not dramatic.Just… different.You can feel it before they say anything.Sometimes they don’t say anything at all.Lately, I’ve been sitting with how quickly school can shift from “fine” to overwhelming, how one moment can tip everything, especially in those middle school years when bodies, brains, and expectations are all changing at once.If you’re a parent, you might recognize that tight feeling in your chest when your child says they

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00:09:22

When comments start to stick

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/01/18

There’s a certain look some kids get at this age.Shoulders a little tighter.Eyes scanning before they enter a room.You notice it at the breakfast table.Or in the hallway between classes.Or during lunch duty, when a joke lands and no one laughs, but it still lingers.It’s hard to name what’s happening in those moments.Harder to know what to do with the feeling it leaves behind.And if you’re a parent or an educator, sometimes both, you might find yourself wondering if you’re overreacting.Or if you’re

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00:09:33

When a Rumor Walks Into the Classroom

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/01/11

There’s a kind of shift that happens in schools, and at home, that’s hard to explain if you haven’t felt it yourself.Everything looks normal on the surface.The routine is the same.The plan hasn’t changed.And yet… something feels off.A student walks in quieter than usual.A child comes home holding something they can’t quite name.The room feels heavier, even though no one has said anything out loud.If you work with tweens.If you live with one.If you care for kids in that in-between space where

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00:09:48

When Learning Feels Hard Again

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2026/01/04

After a school break, many tweens and teens return to the classroom:Looking unmotivated, disconnected, or shut down. Homework goes missing. Work feels overwhelming. Some students freeze, avoid tasks, or ask to leave the room altogether.In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen helps parents and educators understand what’s really happening beneath these behaviors, and why they’re not signs of laziness or defiance.Drawing on her background as a school counselor, Karen explains how

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00:06:58

The Bittersweet Back-to-School Transition

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/12/27

Returning to school after a break can feel unexpectedly emotional for middle schoolers and the adults who support them. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen explores why the transition back to routine is often bittersweet for tweens and teens.Karen breaks down what’s really happening beneath irritability, overwhelm, and big reactions to small problems, explaining how freedom, structure, and a developing nervous system collide at the start of a new school period. She offers

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00:06:04

Supporting Tweens and Teens Through Stressful Family...

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/12/22

Family gatherings are meant to bring people together, but for many tweens and teens, they can feel overwhelming, exhausting, and emotionally draining.In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, Karen helps parents and educators understand why family visits can be so hard on developing nervous systems, especially for middle schoolers who value authenticity and emotional safety. What looks like irritability, withdrawal, or “attitude” is often a sign of social overload, not disrespect.Karen

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00:06:45

Helping Middle Schoolers With Holiday Boredom

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/12/14

When middle schoolers are home during long breaks, boredom can quietly turn into emotional overwhelm or risky behavior. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport. Former school counselor Karen Brisport explains why boredom is not harmless for tweens and teens and what it’s really communicating beneath the surface.You’ll learn how boredom can lead to meltdowns, withdrawal, or thrill-seeking behaviors, and why these responses are often about a child’s need for control, connection, and

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00:04:48

Helping Middle Schoolers Navigate Big Family Changes

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/12/08

When a family goes through major changes for example divorce, remarriage, a new baby, or shifts in routines. Middle schoolers often feel the impact more deeply than they can express. In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, we explore how these transitions can create stress, confusion, and emotional withdrawal in tweens and teens.You’ll learn why children may retreat, act out, or seem “unbothered” even when big feelings are brewing beneath the surface, and what the adults in their lives

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00:06:48

Why Your Tone Matters More Than You Think to Middle...

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/12/01

When a middle schooler snaps, “Don’t raise your voice at me,” it can feel disrespectful, frustrating, and emotionally charged. But underneath that pushback is usually a very different message: “I’m overwhelmed,” “Your tone is stressing me out,” or “I don’t feel heard.”In this episode of Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport, we break down what tweens and teens are really communicating when they use this phrase and why it’s less about volume and more about emotional safety. Karen helps parents and

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00:06:48

What’s Really Behind Holiday Behavior Changes

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/11/24

The holidays are often filled with excitement, tradition, and anticipation, but for many middle schoolers, this season also brings hidden pressure, comparison, grief, and emotional overload. In this episode, Karen breaks down the silent stress students carry this time of year, why it often goes unnoticed by adults, and what behaviors, like distraction, withdrawal, or missing assignments, may actually be signaling.You’ll learn three simple, compassionate strategies parents and educators can use to

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00:07:55

The Secret Language of Middle Schoolers

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/11/15

Middle schoolers can feel like a mystery, bored one minute, restless the next, quiet today, overflowing tomorrow. But their behavior is never random. In this episode, Karen Brisport breaks down the real reasons tweens and teens act the way they do in the classroom and at home and how adults can decode those signals with clarity and confidence.You’ll learn why behaviors like constant pencil-sharpening, chatting across the room, or sudden bursts of energy are actually messages about engagement,

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00:07:21

When Your Child Says, “I’m Not Good at Anything”

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/11/08

When a child says, “I’m not good at anything,” it’s not a complaint, it’s a call for connection.In this heartfelt episode, former school counselor Karen Brisport breaks down how to turn moments of self-doubt into opportunities for growth, confidence, and trust.You’ll learn five powerful steps to help kids manage frustration, reframe failure, and recognize their worth, without pressure or perfection.This episode will help you:Create safe, judgment-free spaces for honest conversations. Use

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00:04:59

The Digital Balance Check

Bouncing Back with Karen Brisport ·

2025/11/03

This episode explores how screen time can quietly become the dominant influence in a child’s emotional, social, and academic world, often before adults realize it. We discuss the subtle signs that a child may be retreating into digital spaces, including shifts in attention, mood, and communication. Listeners will learn how to reset healthy boundaries without conflict by using connection-first conversations, intentional device-free routines, and modeling balanced screen habits. The goal isn’t to

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28 results

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