Jay Dehaan didn’t grow up wanting to be a teacher. In fact, he hated school. He left education with no qualifications, spent five years in a wheelchair as a child due to Perthes disease, and was told by Citizens Advice that his family would be better off if he signed on.

But somehow, against the odds, Jay found his way into the classroom.

In this episode, Jay shares his early life with brutal honesty. We talk about growing up in chaos, being excluded by the very system he would later work in, and the life-changing moment his partner Sarah enrolled him on a college course without asking.

This is a story of trauma, tenacity, and the long, winding road into teaching. Jay is real, warm, and unfiltered. We loved this conversation, and we know you will too.

With thanks to our episode sponsors (Click to visit their websites):

Conexus Tuition 

Little Voices

Mark Rickard - Author: Teach, Survive, Repeat 

The Empowerful Club

Buy Us a Coffee ☕️

Loving the Pit Pony Podcast? We’d be so grateful for your support! We’ve set up a Buy Me a Coffee page where you can make a small donation to help keep the podcast running.

https://buymeacoffee.com/thepitponyclub

Voice Message Us: https://www.speakpipe.com/pitponypodcast

Contribute to our 'Silenced by Support' Campaign - complete the questionnaire, read the report, sign up to the mailing list.

If you've been affected by any of the issues raised in our podcast there are organisations who can help:

• Education Support
• The Samaritans
• Mind
• Andy's Man Club

Join Us:

• Subscribe to the Pit Pony Podcast
• Sign up to our mailing list here: http://eepurl.com/i1L5ck

Thanks for listening 🙏

Edited with finesse by our Podcast Super Producer, Mike Roberts of Making Digital R...