Shows
Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 18: Happy birthday, Helen!When you have your own podcast, you can make your own rules -- and Helen decided to make a rule that when it’s your birthday, you get to celebrate by being asked a bunch of questions. So that’s exactly what we’re doing for episode 18! We kick things off with Helen sharing about her latest running endeavors. Jordan (while filled with rage) then shares an update (or lack thereof) to the apparently never-ending deck project that has spanned longer than a marching band season. Jordan also shares the latest updates for the next Can’t Look Away film scr...
2025-11-2051 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 17: What is sextortion?Helen shares some exciting professional news to start off this episode: being included in an upcoming book and leading a workshop at a writing symposium. Jordan shares about her next screening of the Can’t Look Away film and an opportunity to speak with a parent group about executive function skills. We then dive into some difficult topics, including what sextortion is, who the “Yahoo Boys” are, and how to help protect kids from this targeted, online harm. Jordan shares tips to have difficult, age-appropriate discussions about these sensitive topics with your kids and teens. One startling statistic we dicuss...
2025-11-1355 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 16: Raising ReadersJordan opens the episode with the great success of the Spooklemire Haunted House. Many attended (including Helen) and fun was had by all. Helen and Jordan then dive into their earliest childhood memories with reading and some of their favorite books. Helen discusses a literacy narrative assignment she often gives to students to reflect on their journeys with reading, and she notes how they often identify a moment in early elementary school their early love of reading changed into resentment . Helen shares six strategies to foster a love of literacy, and we talk about what strategies we do already...
2025-11-0656 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 15: The Journey to EducationIn an effort to understand how we got here (here being our careers in education), we reflect back on all of the various job and volunteer experiences we have had along our journeys towards education. First, Jordan and Helen share about their latest Halloween activities as well as an accidental soup-in-the-pantry incident. Jordan then dives into listing off the many jobs she has had since high school, which involved working with animals, kids, teen moms, and retail; she was even a tattoo artist (don’t worry, they weren’t permanent!). Helen also shares her work history that included umpiring soft...
2025-10-301h 04Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 14: Artificially EducatedMillennial Mom disclaimer: Jordan used AI to come up with this episode’s title. And coincidentally enough, we are talking about AI in our jobs for this episode! Jordan and Helen start off sharing their recent Halloween activities, and Helen finally reveals her fun, coordinated family costume. Helen shares her thoughts after viewing the Can’t Look Away documentary as Jordan prepares to do her second community screening. Helen then dives into a conversation on how AI is being utilized in education and how she connects with students through language, arts, and culture. She reflects on her teaching philosophy and...
2025-10-2445 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 13: Can't Look AwayHelen starts out the episode blowing our minds (or at least Jordan’s) by sharing about the wild world of ultramarathoning. Jordan shares about her first experience with the community screening of the documentary, Can’t Look Away, and wrestling with feelings of disappointment, appreciation, frustration, and pride. But despite the low turnout for the first screening, a second screening has already been scheduled for this month. The documentary is an intense look into the devastating impact that social media is having on young people and why reform is needed. We talk about the current flaws with safety features prom...
2025-10-161h 01Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 12: Internet--A Place of Connection or Isolation?The internet used to be a place that you physically went to, and now it’s accessible 24/7, often located in your very own pocket. Jordan starts out the episode by sharing an update on her first scheduled film screening of Can’t Look Away, and Helen cracks us all up with a joke. NSYNC fans will appreciate this episode because Jordan takes us back to her days sending out a weekly email newsletter on AOL. We reflect on our own early internet experiences and screen names, which leads to Helen sharing a memory of being left out by some of h...
2025-10-091h 01Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 11: I’ve got rhythm, you’ve got rhythm, we’ve all got an algorithm.In episode 11, we dive into the world of algorithms to try our best to understand them. Jordan shares an update on her documentary viewing event that is scheduled for October 6th. Helen and Jordan both share their how they use WhatsApp for communication. We go over the rules of the latest recess craze sweeping Morton aka gaga ball, and Helen tells us how she made a trip back to the apple orchard. We then define what an algorithm actually is and how we all use algorithms in our daily lives. Much of our discussion surrounding algorithms focuses on the...
2025-10-021h 00Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 10: It’s our TENTH episode! Time for some reflect-ten.In our tenth episode, it’s time for us to reflect on our goals, accomplishments, concerns, and future plans for this podcast. We start off by diving into the wild world of the multitude of Facebook groups in our town and their eccentricities. Helen gives her hot tip of spreading peanut butter with a spoon - NOT a knife - and we then give a brief preview to our upcoming Halloween plans. We each share how this podcast has helped boost our confidence with talking about topics and issues that are important to us with others. Jordan shares a ne...
2025-09-251h 00Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 9: What’s that smell? The pumpkins.After a very busy pumpkin-filled week, aka the Morton Pumpkin Festival, aka P-fest, we have our most meticulously planned episode ever...jk. We planned nothing! For our non-Morton listeners, P-fest is a multi-day autumnal extravaganza, and we share our experiences from this year and years past. We talk about our childhood memories of listening to the radio and our experiences with winning (and not winning) radio contests. Jordan shares her awareness of smartphone use in adults out in the world, especially in those moments of waiting. We then dive into the diverse world of grocery store options and what...
2025-09-1857 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 8: What even is AI?In episode 8 we are talking about all things AI...well, at least some things AI. We start with a fun podcast update: we have new theme music written by none other than Brian Spicklemire! Jordan talks about her latest interview about the Wait Until 8th movement on the Morton school district podcast, CareU, and Helen shares her exciting adventure in an amateur pumpkin baking competition. And then we just start to scratch the surface of the many topics surrounding the presence of AI in our lives. Helen references Janelle Shane’s You Look Like a Thing and I Love Yo...
2025-09-1155 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 7: We’ve got mail and setting an “away message” IRL.In episode 7 we’re responding to not one but two listener emails! For the first email, we address the reasoning behind the desire to review educational apps due to potential safety and privacy concerns. Our second listener email came from a local business owner who shared their thoughts and concerns based on our episode 5 discussion on attention & focus; this listener shared how when hiring employees, critical thinking and communication skills are greatly lacking from new college graduates. We also talk about ways to bring back the classic “away message” in our day-to-day lives. We address how the internet used to be...
2025-09-041h 01Millennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 6: Explore more!We open with an exciting announcement: we have an email address! Contact us with all of your questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, and more at MillennialMomThoughts.Podcast@gmail.com. Helen shares an update on her syllabus for her course at Illinois State University. Jordan gives a life update about how it feels to have a first day of school as a parent of a kindergartener. And then we take our sixth episode on a slightly different path by sharing our top 10 favorite local spots in central Illinois to visit. And because there are far more than 10 great spots to check...
2025-08-2854 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 5: Attention & focus & distractions...oh my!We open the episode with a funny listener story (which also proves we have a listener!) and then Jordan shares the exciting news that she will soon be interviewed for the Morton 709 school district podcast, CareU, to share more about the Wait Until 8th initiative. Helen talks about when she is her most focused self as well as how her focus and attention have changed since becoming a mom. We define the term “attention fragmentation” using a quote from author Nicholas Carr. Helen shares some of her intentions for student device use in her upcoming courses at Illinois State and...
2025-08-2150 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 4: Wait Until 8thIt is back-to-school time, and our fourth episode is all about the Wait Until 8th pledge. We open by discussing Jordan’s recent experience being interviewed by Ben VandenBerg for his Morton MUSE & News podcast, which shares stories of Morton community members. We discuss what the Wait Until 8th pledge is (and what it is not) and share the reasons why this movement matters, then consider ways to engage the community: using the library as space to bring the public together, joining and sharing the movement through the PTO, and also simply having organic conversations. Jordan shares some goals fo...
2025-08-1450 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 3: All things screens!In our third episode, we are talking all things screens! We start by discussing a recent New York Times article, “Real Risk to Youth Mental Health Is ‘Addictive Use,’ Not Screen Time Alone, Study Finds.” We reminisce about memories of screen use at home and in school. We discuss our mixed feelings about school districts being 1:1 with devices for all students, recognizing the complexities of the topic. Helen brings up the idea that K-12 education needs to include more technology literacy so that students understand more about the devices they are using. We end the episode by previewing the main foc...
2025-08-0745 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 2: Childhood then vs. nowIn our second episode, we are talking about some of the main points from the book that kicked off this whole podcasting journey, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt, and how childhood has shifted from play-based to phone-based. We share our first experiences with cell phones and childhood memories of play, which includes Jordan’s underground rap career and Helen’s first major playground injury. We also dive into how we see the shift towards screens affecting our students’ creativity and risk taking. We end by discussing our thoughts on whether or not students should be allowed to use person...
2025-07-3141 minMillennial Mom ThoughtsEPISODE 1: Meet Helen and JordanIn our first episode, we share why we decided to start a podcast together and what we each hope to accomplish. We start the episode with a dramatic text message exchange reenactment about how this podcast came to be, then we share the story of how we met. We talk about who we are as parents and our professional backgrounds as educators. Jordan discusses the impact of reading The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt and how it has motivated her to take action. Together as millennial moms, we plan to share many thoughts related to technology in education and...
2025-07-2428 min