The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast
💜☂️ The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast™ is a chart-topping parenting and education podcast hosted by Suzanne M. Swain, EdS, LMSW—a former middle school teacher, school librarian, administrator, professor of education, therapist, and educational sociologist with more than 20 years of experience working with tweens, teens, families, and schools.
Designed especially for parents, educators, and caregivers of children ages 10–15, each episode combines brain science, emotional regulation strategies, practical parenting tools, school culture insight, and real-world support for navigating the middle school years.
Topics include anxiety, autism, ADHD, executive functioning, emotional regulation, friendship challenges, screen time, social media, resilience, neurodiversity, school success, family communication, and adolescent development.
Known for its warm, research-based approach and Neurodivergent-Friendly design, the podcast helps families move beyond shame, punishment, and panic toward connection, understanding, and emotional growth.
Whether you’re raising a middle schooler, teaching one, or simply trying to better understand the adolescent brain, you’ll find practical strategies, encouragement, and a little ridiculous joy along the way.
Stop. Regulate. Listen.
Learn more at msmarypoppins.com
Special thanks to Janine Stella at http://www.StellaMix.com for Producing MSMP. 💜☂️
The Middle School Mary Poppins Podcast
S2 EP 6 - Educational Epic Fails: Insane in the Brain
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What do Abraham Lincoln, a dead bird, and the local Fire Department have in common? Believe it or not—Suzanne’s teaching career.
In this episode, kid therapist and master teacher Suzanne M. Swain spills her epic teaching fails—the kind of stories you can only laugh at in hindsight. From leading a group of 10-year-olds astray in the U.S. Capitol, to accidentally becoming part of the Ford’s Theater tour (yes, involving projectile vomiting in the most historically inappropriate place), to clocking herself out cold during state testing and triggering a full-on firefighter rescue—Suzanne proves teaching is never boring.
Between shredded-money envy at the U.S. Mint, the quirks of middle schoolers, and teachers who either scolded or cracked up at her disasters, Suzanne shows how the wildest fails can turn into the best stories.
So buckle up, laugh along, and maybe even feel a little better about your own “oops” moments—because if Suzanne can survive them, so can you.
Contact Suzanne Swain:
Email: suzanneswain@gmail.com
Facebook: Suzanne Swain
Produced By: StellaMix Podcast Production
