Is it possible to create a bully-free school? In our 52nd interview, we hear from Tina Owen-Moore, founder of the Alliance School of Milwaukee which was the first school in the United States to be created with a core mission to address bullying - The Alliance Way - and receive national recognition. 

In this podcast with Teacher Toolkit Founder, Ross McGill, Tina reflects on her military school education and challenging adolescence, describing the change she would like to see in education and some tips to achieve it. We hear Tina explain what made her look up a university in the phone book and apply for a place and discuss how Tina got into teaching and what motivated her to start her own school! We also dip into why Tina sees her book as a ‘philosophical guidebook’ for other schools which states the importance of sharing “proposing practices” amongst schools.

Ross asks Tina what she hopes to achieve in the future and how, as a teacher, research will always play a part in that, discussing and rebuking the idea that women have to be tough in their approach to be leaders - highlighting the parallels in education for women in the UK and the US - and why a school that shows love to its students whilst still challenging them aren’t mutually exclusive.

The Alliance Way illustrates how creating a safe, inclusive, and academically challenging environment goes beyond a programming approach that targets bullying to a more holistic one in which building relationships takes centre stage. Tina's book explains the core tenets adopted by the school's staff and students, including the importance of shared power and authentic work; the role of relationships and joy in preventing harm; the need to prepare staff to support LGBTQ students and students who have experienced trauma; and systems for reporting and repairing harm when it occurs.

Tina also recently graduated and received her doctorate from Harvard’s Education Leadership Programme and you can connect with her on Twitter and Linkedin and discover her remarkable research and school story on the Harvard University website.

Thanks for listening.