By Monte Fest
1265 Followers

About In the Middle of It with Amy Kelly, The Ish Girl

Are you a middle school teacher or parent who longs to connect with your teens on a deeper level? Yearns to be there for them in their life-is-too-big moments? Wants to share life lessons with them without sounding like an afterschool special?Then you're in the right place! Join The Ish Girl (aka Amy Kelly) as she shares fresh ideas, strategies, and resources for connecting with teens.From body image to bullying, academic pressure to addiction, Amy will give you the tools to broach a variety of hot topics, and lay a foundation of trust and communication with your teens.

160 Episodes

Best Of: Empathy That Outweighs Fear - A Book Talk On A Very Large Expanse Of Sea By Tahereh Mafi
Fri, 10 Jun 2022


The Power Of Stories We Read As Kids With Kristine Hall
Fri, 27 May 2022


Why Banning Books Harms Our Kids - A Call To Action With Kellye Abernathy And Emily Roberson
Fri, 06 May 2022


Stories Saved Our Lives - With Kellye Abernathy And Emily Roberson
Fri, 22 Apr 2022


Book Talk – The Aquamarine Surfboard With Kellye Abernathy
Fri, 01 Apr 2022


Feeling All The Feelings - Helping Our Teens Regulate Their Own Emotions With Erica Wright
Fri, 18 Mar 2022


Feeling All The Feels – Regulating Our Own Emotions To Help Our Teens With Erica Wright
Fri, 11 Mar 2022


The Story Of Repair – 4 Steps For After Arguing With Our Teens
Thu, 03 Mar 2022


The Story Of Repair – 3 Steps For When You’re In The Heat Of An Argument With Your Teen
Thu, 17 Feb 2022


Fighting Fairly And Our Teens - 6 Questions To Ask About Arguing
Thu, 10 Feb 2022


Best Of: The Mental Health Of Gen Z – A Book Talk About When We Collided By Emery Lord
Sat, 29 Jan 2022


Art Journaling - How To Help Your Teens Capture Their Own Stories And Share Them With You
Sun, 16 Jan 2022


Art Journaling – How Creativity Can Change Your Middle Schooler’s Life
Sat, 08 Jan 2022


Questioning The Outcome? How To Cope With Doubt As A Middle School Parent Or Teacher
Sun, 19 Dec 2021


Our Middle Schoolers Don't OWE US Respect
Sat, 11 Dec 2021


5 Keys For Talking To Your Middle Schoolers About School Shootings
Sat, 04 Dec 2021


The Roadmap To Independence For Our Middle Schoolers
Sat, 27 Nov 2021


10 Reasons To Give Middle Schoolers More Choices On The Road To Independence
Fri, 19 Nov 2021


The Best Way To Help Middle Schoolers Learn Independence? Managing Yourself First. Here's Why Questions Are The Way To Do It.
Sat, 13 Nov 2021


The Road To Independence - 3 Keys To Determine Freedoms And Boundaries For Your Middle Schoolers
Fri, 05 Nov 2021


Best Of - Teens NEED Our Stories
Fri, 29 Oct 2021


Best Of - Want To Be An Intentional Parent? Here’s What You Need To Know
Fri, 22 Oct 2021


Best Of: Frustrated With Your Teens? How Reframing Can Give You Your Calm Back
Sat, 16 Oct 2021


Best Of: 8 Ways To Break A Negative Cycle With Your Teens
Fri, 01 Oct 2021


Getting Down To Business - Partnering With Your Teen In Real Life With Oie Dobier
Fri, 24 Sep 2021


Ready To Explore Your Purpose? Why Middle School Is The Best Time To Start The Journey
Sun, 19 Sep 2021


4 Life Skills Every Middle Schooler Needs - And How Exploring Their Future Can Build Them With Tamara S. Raymond
Fri, 10 Sep 2021


Should Middle Schoolers Jump Into Careering? Why You Want To Start Exploring With Them NOW With Tamara S. Raymond
Fri, 03 Sep 2021


Ready For The Transition To Middle School? (I'm Talking To YOU, Parents!)
Fri, 27 Aug 2021


Best Of: Ready For Middle School? Letting Them Fail
Fri, 20 Aug 2021


Ready For Middle School? 3 Anxiety-Busters For Your Kids
Fri, 13 Aug 2021


Ready For Middle School? Set Your Child Up For Independence And Success
Sat, 07 Aug 2021


What To Read Next With Your Teen - 12  New YA Releases For Summer 2021
Sat, 31 Jul 2021


Best Of: Open-Ended Questions Are Magical - How To Ditch Lecturing Your Teens
Fri, 23 Jul 2021


Recognizing The Effects Of The Pandemic On Our Teens
Fri, 16 Jul 2021


Back To Normal? Not So Fast
Sun, 11 Jul 2021


Journaling - The First Step In Helping Your Teens Grow Their Social-Emotional Skills
Fri, 02 Jul 2021


Social Emotional Learning - How It Can Help Our Teens Reintegrate After COVID With Carolyn Gardner
Fri, 25 Jun 2021


Grief And Loss In The Pandemic – How To Help Teens Navigate
Fri, 11 Jun 2021


Pandemic Isolation - Showing Up For Our Teens When We've Got Nothing Left
Fri, 04 Jun 2021


Book Talk - Take Me Home Tonight By Morgan Matson
Fri, 28 May 2021


Anger Inside And Out - Leaning In When You're Mad At Your Teens
Fri, 14 May 2021


Does Being Hard On Yourself Affect Your Teens? Why Taming That Negative Self-Talk Is Important
Fri, 07 May 2021


That Does It! 3 Keys For Moving Past Frustration With Your Teens So You Can Connect
Fri, 30 Apr 2021


What To Read With Your Teen Next
Mon, 19 Apr 2021


Book Vs. Movie - Moxie
Tue, 13 Apr 2021


BONUS: 3 Unexpected Lesson From An Unplanned Sabbatical
Sun, 04 Apr 2021


Missing The Big Picture? How To Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing
Thu, 28 Jan 2021


Paralyzed By Overwhelm? Here's Why You Need A North Star
Thu, 21 Jan 2021


Dread The Drudgery? How To Move Beyond Your Tasks To Make An Impact
Thu, 14 Jan 2021


Struggle With Being A People Pleaser? The Power Of "NO"
Fri, 18 Dec 2020


The Impact Of The Grownups We Remember - The Legacy Of Great Teachers
Sat, 12 Dec 2020


The Grownups We Remember - The Far-Reaching Impact Of Great Teachers
Fri, 04 Dec 2020


Struggling With Parent Communication In Your Classroom? 5 Proactive Strategies
Fri, 27 Nov 2020


Want More Engagement In Your Classroom? The One Thing That Will Make A Difference
Fri, 20 Nov 2020


Chaos In Your Classroom? Why Systems And Procedures Are Your Best Friend
Fri, 13 Nov 2020


Stress In Your Classroom? How To Navigate Negative Teen Behavior
Fri, 06 Nov 2020


Connection In Your Classroom: 5 Must-Have Ingredients
Fri, 30 Oct 2020


Are You On The Team? 6 Ways To Show Up For Your Teens
Fri, 23 Oct 2020


The Messy Middle Of It
Fri, 16 Oct 2020


Beginning And Ending And Everything In The Middle Of It
Fri, 09 Oct 2020


Practicing Mindfulness With Our Teens - Zoom Busters Part 4
Fri, 02 Oct 2020


Teen Stress And Anxiety - Zoom Busters Part 3
Fri, 25 Sep 2020


Mind-Body Awareness - Zoom Busters Part 2
Sat, 19 Sep 2020


Sit Up Straight! Zoom Busters Part 1
Sat, 12 Sep 2020


SONDER: What It Is And Why You (and Your Teen) Need It
Fri, 04 Sep 2020


BE Right Or GET IT Right? 3 Mindset Strategies
Fri, 28 Aug 2020


The 4 Keys To Creating A Captivating Classroom
Fri, 21 Aug 2020


Teaching From The Inside Out
Fri, 14 Aug 2020


Creating An Ecosystem – 4 Strategies For A Positive Classroom
Fri, 07 Aug 2020


3 Keys To Find Your Footing And Start The School Year Strong
Fri, 31 Jul 2020


Your Classroom In The Time Of COVID - Prepping For An Unusual School Year
Fri, 24 Jul 2020


What To Read Next With Your Teen: 25 Books For Summer 2020
Fri, 17 Jul 2020


Maximum Impact - 5 Keys For Parenting Your Teens With Intention
Sat, 11 Jul 2020


Let Your Teens Fail – 5 Strategies To Stop Rescuing Them
Fri, 03 Jul 2020


Open-Ended Questions Are Magical: How To Ditch Lecturing Your Teens
Fri, 26 Jun 2020


Want To Make A Difference In The World? Start With Your Teens
Fri, 19 Jun 2020


My Biggest Regrets With My Teens
Fri, 12 Jun 2020


How Can You Help Your Teens Walk Through The World Right Now?
Fri, 05 Jun 2020


Teaching And Parenting Teens: It's Not About Managing Them - It's About Managing YOU
Fri, 29 May 2020


Developmentally Appropriate - 5 Ways To Show Up As The Grown Up
Fri, 22 May 2020


The Art Of Parent-Teacher Communication
Fri, 15 May 2020


What Will Parent-Teacher Communication Look Like In A Post-Quarantine World?
Sat, 09 May 2020


Quarantine Crazy? 7 Strategies To Cope
Fri, 01 May 2020


Are You A Teacher Or A Mentor? There's A Difference
Fri, 24 Apr 2020


Learning Styles - What's Yours?
Fri, 17 Apr 2020


Teachers Save The World
Sat, 11 Apr 2020


Looking For Something New To Read Or Watch?
Sun, 05 Apr 2020


Healthy Boundaries And Social Distancing? Not The Same Thing
Fri, 27 Mar 2020


YA Books In Classrooms
Fri, 20 Mar 2020


Coronavirus And Your Teens
Fri, 13 Mar 2020


Book Talk - Lifestyles Of Gods And Monsters By Emily Roberson
Fri, 06 Mar 2020


What To Read Next In Your Middle School Classroom – And Why It’s So Important
Sat, 29 Feb 2020


To My Teens: I Can't Love You Any More, From: Your Teacher
Fri, 21 Feb 2020


Solving Problems Or Creating Opportunities? 5 Strategies For Those On The Front Lines With Teens
Fri, 07 Feb 2020


What To Read Next With Your Teens: 25+ Suggestions From My Own TBR Stack
Mon, 11 Nov 2019


You Belong With Me: 6 Ways To Make Teens Feel Part Of Something Bigger Than Themselves
Sat, 02 Nov 2019


Arguments With Teens? How To Know What Matters - And What Doesn't
Fri, 25 Oct 2019


Connection Questions - What To Ask Your Teens To Inspire Good Thinking
Fri, 18 Oct 2019


Live Love To Give Love – 8 Keys To Inspire And Encourage Your Teens
Fri, 11 Oct 2019


Middle School Teachers MUST Connect With Their Students – Here Are 5 Reasons Why
Fri, 04 Oct 2019


7 Secrets Middle School Teachers Wish Parents Knew
Fri, 20 Sep 2019


5 Secrets Every Parent Wants Middle School Teachers To Know
Fri, 13 Sep 2019


Struggling With The Thought Model? 6 Pitfalls To Avoid
Fri, 30 Aug 2019


Self-Coaching - Simple Steps To Change Your Life (and Your Teens' Too!)
Mon, 26 Aug 2019


First-Year Teaching In Middle School - A Conversation With Melissa Castillo - Part 2
Fri, 16 Aug 2019


First-Year Teaching In Middle School - A Conversation With Melissa Castillo - Part 1
Sat, 10 Aug 2019


There's Something About Sweetie
Fri, 02 Aug 2019


The Ish Girl Summer Book Club 2019
Mon, 22 Jul 2019


Difficult Teen? Strategies To Break Through Bad Attitudes
Fri, 21 Jun 2019


Parenting Teens - My 3 Best Takeaways
Sat, 08 Jun 2019


The Dish On Author Ally Carter - It's All About Gumption And Gravitas
Fri, 24 May 2019


The Dish On Author Ally Carter - It's All About Gumption And Gravitas
Fri, 24 May 2019


5 Ways To  Remind Yourself  You Don't Suck  At Parenting -  No Matter What  Your Teen Says
Fri, 10 May 2019


Girls' Trip - How 3 Generations Connect Over Books
Fri, 26 Apr 2019


Move Over Helicopters, There’s A New Snowplow In Town
Fri, 29 Mar 2019


The Dish On Miranda Kenneally (Author Extraordinaire)
Thu, 07 Mar 2019


Building Trust Or Breaking It? 9 Questions For You And Your Teen
Thu, 28 Feb 2019


Happy Birthday To The Podcast! 15 Best Takeaways From Our First Year
Wed, 20 Feb 2019


Book Talk - A Very Large Expanse Of Sea By Tahereh Mafi
Wed, 13 Feb 2019


Fight, Flight, Or Freeze: From FREAKING OUT To Keeping CALM In Tough Moments With Teens
Tue, 29 Jan 2019


Successful Parenting 101? There Is No Such Thing
Tue, 22 Jan 2019


11 Essential Tips For Strong Parent-Teacher Relationships
Mon, 14 Jan 2019


32 Gifts For Teens Who Love Books
Wed, 19 Dec 2018


Book Vs. Movie - Dumplin' By Julie Murphy
Mon, 10 Dec 2018


What's Developmentally Appropriate For Teens? Part 2 - Responding Rather Than Reacting In The Moment
Fri, 30 Nov 2018


What’s Developmentally Appropriate For Teens? Flipping Your Frustration And Fear To Calm And Confidence
Sat, 10 Nov 2018


Book Vs. Movie - The Hate U Give
Fri, 02 Nov 2018


Letters To My Teenager
Sun, 21 Oct 2018


Book Talk - The Rule Of One By Ashley Saunders And Leslie Saunders
Fri, 12 Oct 2018


Correction Before Connection – Shift Your Mindset To Meet Your Teens Where They Are
Sat, 06 Oct 2018


Reach Out: Embracing Community When Life Gets Messy
Fri, 28 Sep 2018


Book Talk - Impostors By Scott Westerfeld
Fri, 14 Sep 2018


It Takes A Village - Building A Parenting Community
Fri, 07 Sep 2018


The Benefits Of Self-Care – Taking Care Of You, So You Can Connect With Your Teen
Fri, 31 Aug 2018


The Power Of Stories: 6 Steps For Getting Your Teen To Listen – And Ask For More!
Fri, 17 Aug 2018


Children Of Blood And Bone By Tomi Adeyemi
Fri, 10 Aug 2018


Teen Stress: 18 Dos And Don'ts As You Gear Up For The School Year
Sat, 04 Aug 2018


The CNP Summer Lit Club: Moxie By Jennifer Mathieu
Fri, 20 Jul 2018


On The Roller Coaster Of Parenting Teens? This One's For You!
Fri, 13 Jul 2018


Begin With The End In Mind: Preparing Your Teen For Adulting
Fri, 06 Jul 2018


The CNP Summer Lit Club: What To Say Next By Julie Buxbaum
Fri, 29 Jun 2018


7 Things To Know Before Watching 13 Reasons Why
Fri, 22 Jun 2018


Teens And Mental Health: A Look At When We Collided By Emery Lord
Fri, 15 Jun 2018


Stay Under Your Own Umbrella! Modeling Healthy Boundaries For Your Teen
Thu, 31 May 2018


Rock The House! And Other Summer Plans With Your Teen (Not The Fun Kind)
Fri, 25 May 2018


Snap Out Of It! How To Break The Negative Cycle In Your Parent-Teen Relationship
Fri, 18 May 2018


How To Field Your Teen's Hard Questions Like A Pro
Fri, 11 May 2018


The Impact Of We Are Okay By Nina LaCour
Sat, 05 May 2018


How To Rock A Teen Book Festival: 7 Survival Tips
Fri, 27 Apr 2018


Critical Inner Voice? Here's How To Fix It (and Your Teen's Too!) Part 2
Fri, 20 Apr 2018


Critical Inner Voice? Here's How To Fix It (and Your Teen's Too) Part 1
Fri, 13 Apr 2018


The Price Of Right: 6 Strategies To Avoid Stupid Arguments With Your Teen
Fri, 06 Apr 2018


Book Vs. Movie - Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Fri, 30 Mar 2018


Confessions From An ISH Mom: 5 Tips To Survive Your Teen's Phases
Fri, 23 Mar 2018


Do You Really Know Your Teen? 5 Lifehacks To Keep Up (without Whiplash!)
Thu, 15 Mar 2018


Book Vs. Movie - A Wrinkle In Time
Wed, 07 Mar 2018


The Subtle Art Of (Not) Telling Your Teen What To Read
Fri, 02 Mar 2018


Book Talk - The Thousandth Floor
Fri, 23 Feb 2018


Skeptical About Reading Young Adult Books?
Fri, 16 Feb 2018


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