In this week’s episode of the Where Parents Talk podcast, host Lianne Castelino speaks to Shani Dowell, former educator, CEO and Founder of Possip and mom — to explore why so many parents feel unheard by their child’s school — and what to do about it. The conversation focuses on ways to improve parent-teacher communication for a better school experience.
Dowell unpacks the crucial difference between parent engagement and truly listening to parents, why fear of being labelled “difficult” keeps so many parents silent, and how to start a productive conversation with a teacher or principal without it escalating.
She also offers practical guidance on the questions parents should ask at the start of a new school year, and why positive feedback is just as important as flagging concerns.
SHANI DOWELL
Educator
Entrepreneur
Founder, Possip
Fundraiser
Mom of 2
“There has to be a better way for us to, one, make it easy for parents to share, but then two, make it accessible and digestible for administrators and teachers to listen.”
