Not Your Average PD

Going phone-free at school sounds like a policy decision. But as Chris McKenna of Protect Young Eyes explains, the policy may be the easy part.

Chris and Jessica unpack what school leaders need to think about beyond the rules: parent and staff buy-in, communicating the “why,” connecting technology decisions to a larger mission, and taking practical next steps toward a more distraction-free learning environment.

In This Episode

• Why the policy may be the easy part

• How to build parent and staff buy-in

• Why phone-free efforts need a clear, repeatable “why”

• How school tech use fits into the bigger picture

• Practical first steps toward a more distraction-free school

About Chris McKenna

Chris McKenna is the founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization that helps families, schools, and churches create safer digital spaces through in-person education, free parent guides, and coaching.

Chris is an author and leading digital safety advocate, advising legislators and emerging tech companies. He was featured in the Childhood 2.0 documentary, while leading a team that educates parents and schools worldwide on digital safety.

Book: https://www.techreadyfamily.com/

Website: https://protectyoungeyes.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/protectyoungeyes/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-mckenna-75962211/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/protectyoungeyes

📚 Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Protect Young Eyes: https://protectyoungeyes.com/

Smartphone Free Childhood: https://smartphonefreechildhood.us/

The Anxious Generation: https://www.anxiousgeneration.com/

Team Up & Go Phone Free: https://www.bravebrains.com/powerful-printables

💡 About BraveBrains

BraveBrains helps educators and school leaders rethink behavior through practical, brain-based tools that make school work better for both students and adults.

Learn more: BraveBrains.com

Follow BraveBrains: @bravebrainsofficial on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube

Want more practical ideas for behavior, culture, and the modern classroom? Subscribe to Not Your Average PD so you don’t miss the next episode.

🎁 A Thank-You for Listening 

Get 25% off your order at the BraveBrains shop when you enter discount code LEADER25 at checkout!

Shop: https://bravebrains.com/shop/

A teacher stands at the front of the room asking, "Why aren't you listening to me?"

How to help a teacher who’s struggling with classroom management build real presence

In this episode of Not Your Average PD, host Jessica Sinarski talks with Claire English, creator of The Unteachables Academy. Claire has mentored teachers in that exact moment, and she's watched leaders talk about them in a really poor way. Her view is that those teachers aren't bad at the job. As Claire puts it, presence is "strategic, and it can be taught."

Jessica explains why it matters: non-verbals hit our brain much more quickly than our words. Claire walks through the mistakes that keep a class from settling, like shifting your weight, repeating yourself, and teaching over the noise. For leaders, Jessica's reframe is simple: "You might be not showing up in the way that I want you to, but that doesn't mean that's everything that's true about you." Real change doesn't come from one staff meeting. It comes from getting in, seeing it done, debriefing, and trying again. In Jessica's words, "that's how we learn."

🎁 A Thank-You for Listening 

Get 25% off your order at the BraveBrains shop when you enter discount code LEADER25 at checkout!

Shop: https://bravebrains.com/shop/

Offer valid through November 30, 2026.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Why classroom presence is a skill, not a personality trait

• Small nonverbal shifts that can make classroom management easier

• How high expectations and meaningful support go hand in hand

• Practical ways school leaders can help struggling teachers build their skills

ABOUT CLAIRE ENGLISH

Claire English is an Australian secondary teacher, senior leader, and author of It's Never Just About the Behaviour: A Holistic Approach to Classroom Behaviour Management. After years spent turning chaotic classrooms into places kids could actually learn, she founded The Unteachables Academy, where she now supports teachers worldwide with practical, ready-to-use classroom resources, training, community, and her podcast, The Unteachables Podcast.

Learn more at https://www.the-unteachables.com and find Claire’s book It's Never Just About the Behaviour.

ABOUT BRAVEBRAINS

BraveBrains helps educators and school leaders rethink behavior through practical, brain-based tools that make school work better for both students and adults.

Learn more: https://bravebrains.com/ 

Follow BraveBrains: @bravebrainsofficial on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube

Want more practical ideas for behavior, culture, and the modern classroom? Subscribe to Not Your Average PD so you don’t miss the next episode.

A teacher wants the student out. A counselor wants support. A parent wants answers.

The question is: How do we get staff on the same page about student behavior when everyone sees the problem differently?

In this first episode of Not Your Average PD, host Jessica Sinarski shares what happened when a large district in the Midwest brought everyone together to figure out why big investments in trauma-informed practices were not paying off. Bus drivers, teachers, principals, and superintendents were in the room. A teacher said, "I just don't know how I'm supposed to fit one more thing into my day." A principal sitting next to her said, "I know teachers are struggling, but when do we get to put the focus back on the students?" Every person in that room cared about students, and it was still easy to start picking sides.

Jessica shares an idea she keeps coming back to: stress is a sign that something we care about is at stake. When stress runs high, our brains slide into protection mode and we start to see each other as the threat. She tells a story from home about a power struggle with her tween son over a device, and how it shifted from her against him to the two of them against the problem. As Jessica says, "It's not me versus you, it's us versus the problem."

In This Episode

• Why people who care about the same students can end up on opposite sides

• How stress and protection mode affect difficult conversations

• What changes when we get curious about the concerns underneath someone's behavior

• Two questions that help us move from conflict toward collaborative problem-solving

🧠 Two Questions for Hard Conversations

The next time you find yourself at odds with a colleague, parent, or student, try asking:

1. What is their brain trying to protect?

2. What's the problem we can get on the same side of?

You don't have to agree on everything to start working together.

📚 Free Resource: A Teacher's Guide to Proprioception

Sometimes movement and sensory input are part of helping students regulate and learn. Find this free guide in the BraveBrains Powerful Printables library.

Explore Powerful Printables

💡 About BraveBrains

BraveBrains helps educators and school leaders rethink behavior through practical, brain-based tools that make school work better for both students and adults.

Learn more: BraveBrains.com

Follow BraveBrains: @bravebrainsofficial on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube

Want more practical ideas for behavior, culture, and the modern classroom? Subscribe to Not Your Average PD so you don’t miss the next episode.

🎁 A Thank-You for Listening 

Get 25% off your order at the BraveBrains shop when you enter discount code LEADER25 at checkout!

Shop: https://bravebrains.com/shop/

Not Your Average PD bridges brain science and real life to help school leaders and educators navigate challenging behavior. Hosted by Jessica Sinarski, founder of BraveBrains, each episode delivers fresh perspectives and one practical move you can try this week.From challenging student behavior to staff disagreements and school culture, we're tackling the messy parts of education with curiosity, compassion, and a little humor. Expect honest conversations, thoughtful guests, and practical ideas that help us move beyond shame and blame to build stronger school communities.Great PD doesn't just teach us. It changes us.🎙️ Subscribe to Not Your Average PD with BraveBrains for fresh perspectives on student behavior, school leadership, and the science behind why we do what we do.Learn more: https://bravebrains.com/