Those Who Can't

In this episode we chat with Stuart Coppin about his experience working in girls' education. We explore the merits of single-sex educational settings for girls and grapple with the issue of single-sex vs co-education. Are girls and boys so different? We might not have all the answers, but we'll see what we can do.

In this episode we speak with our very first in-studio guest, Stuart Coppin. Stuart is a passionate educator and school leader with experience in a range of contexts, most recently in girls' education. We "grill our guest" and ask Stuart about his career development and the tips he has to offer to educators and aspiring educators.

In this episode we talk through the concept of diversity and inclusion. What does an inclusive classroom look like and how can we foster a sense of belonging, connectedness and individual authenticity? With a particular focus on being neuro-affirming, we offer some tips to help you foster an inclusive environment in your class.

In this episode we offer a few tips for staying on top of your own wellbeing. We tackle the issue of holding reasonable workplace boundaries and talk about some aspects of wellbeing that are within our control. We also wrestle with the prickly question of how to pronounce the word "schedule". Spoiler alert - Kate knows the correct answer and Matt just guesses.

In this episode we explore some of the fantastic experiences available outside of the classroom, including learning opportunities for teachers and students. Teaching isn't just about reading, writing and 'rithmatic. There's plenty of great learning opportunities to be had in the areas of co-curricular, service learning and professional development.

In this episode we'll talk about the issue of whether or not you need a mentor to help you to develop your teaching career. Is it necessary to have a mentor? At what stages in your career can a mentor help you develop? Is mentoring totally overrated or can having a mentor add value as you grow your career as a teacher? We might not have all the answers here, but we'll see what we can do.

In this episode we give you a few tips for building and maintaining productive relationships with your students' parents. Parents are their children's first teachers and they play an important role in schools. Learn about helicopters and snow-ploughs and take your approach to working with parents to the next level.

In this episode we talk through how you can bounce back after you teach a s*** lesson. Sometimes things don't go to plan, despite how well prepared we are for class. There's lots of reasons that a lesson can miss the mark or go off the rails so it's important to have a plan to get things moving in the right direction again.

Let's get practical! In this episode we give our top tips for improving the behaviour management in the classroom. From understanding what's happening in the child's brain to setting clear expectations, we reckon these tips might take your behaviour management over the top.

In this episode we reflect on what makes for a good staffroom culture. What does a good staffroom look and feel like? Where does workplace toxicity come from? We'll talk through some of the workplace cultures we've experience and consider how you can contribute to lifting the vibe in your staffroom. At the end of the day, it's all about the vibe.

Is it really true that those who can't, teach? What does the expression mean and where did it come from? Is it just something that people say to put us down or is there something to it? In this episode we consider how the teaching profession is perceived by others.

One of the great joys of teaching is getting to work with students with diverse personalities, backgrounds and behaviours. This is also one of the biggest challenges. In this episode we talk about the "worst" kid in your class and how you can reframe your perspective on the naughty kids and change the dialogue about student behaviour.

In this episode we'll explore the reasons to join the noble profession of teaching. We talk about some of the reasons we became teachers and why, after all these years, we'd do it again!