Our 109th interview is with, Paul Ainsworth, former Headteacher and current School Improvement Director at Infinity academy’s Trust in Boston, Lincolnshire.

In this podcast, listen to Paul and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Paul’s younger self and his desire to go to university

One day’s work experience in a school lighting the teaching fire

Following leadership pathways and how Paul supports headteachers

Headteacher highs, and particularly the low points

Paul self-publishing his new book ‘No Silver Bullets, Day in Day out School Improvement’

Managing Mental Health and maintaining barriers

What Paul wants to see changed in education

How school leaders can support their staff during the pandemic

Crowd-sourcing supportive suggestions from teachers and,

Kindness and relationships being the key to a thriving school community.

"There is a danger with homeschooling for teachers to be permanently on-call, providing constant feedback. Instead, we should clarify when teachers will and will not respond."

You can connect with Paul on Twitter and discover more about his books on Amazon.

Thanks for listening.

How can all schools improve their uniform policies to be more inclusive?

Our 108th interview is in celebration of World Afro Day, with Tashara Parker - ABC Dallas news anchor, Yolanda Brown - award-winning saxophonist and French ballerina, Tais Vinolo.

Listen to the podcast (57 minutes)

https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Podcast-108.-World-Afro-Day.mp3

Remember, the podcast is available on iTunes!

In this podcast, listen to Tashara, Yolanda and Tais and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

* What World Afro Day means to each guest, and how it can be used to fuel change

* Personal stories of how Tashara, Yolanda, and Tais felt about their hair when they were younger

* Representation of textured hair in the workplace and what has been socially acceptable

* What hair inclusion does and doesn’t look like within schools

* Practical tips for teachers to embrace the Big Hair Assembly and hair difference and,

* The importance for all teachers to educate themselves on their student's hair experiences.

Connect with Tashara, YolanDa and Tais on Instagram and watch our conversation below.

Watch the vlog?

https://youtu.be/OjuQf78to44

[Tweet "Schools must debunk myths and stereotypes about hairstyles and ensure their uniform policies do not discriminate against pupils."]

Our 107th interview is with Clare Keating Roberts, teacher, an academic and soon-to-be EdD graduate from Cambridge University.

In this podcast, listen to Clare and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Clare's research on educational leadership in multi-academy trusts

Balancing being a school leader and a researcher

How Clare has experienced COVID as a mother and teacher

Increased sense of community amongst kids at schools

Top tips for new teachers and senior leaders working during lockdown

First steps to take when thinking of doing a doctorate and,

How Clare selected her research method.

Clare finishes with why she "wants teachers to know that they are doing a good job and that this work is appreciated."

You can connect with Clare on Twitter.

Why should teachers listen to pupils opinions about learning?

Our 106th interview is with Stephanie Hill, associate assistant principal at Passmores Academy in Essex. Stephanie is also a 3rd-year EdD student at Cambridge University.

In this podcast, listen to Stephanie and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Her memories of schooling in Australia

All subjects being valued equally

EBacc adoption during COVID

Managing time as a school leader and researcher

How research can make a practical difference in teaching

Student leadership in professional learning 

Student agency school models and student leadership teams

Workload challenges during COVID and,

Skills students have had to develop as a result of remote schooling.

Research models can help engage students and teachers in learning alongside each other; this can only be a good thing if we want to improve teaching and learning.

Learn more about Stephanie's research on ORCID and watch our conversation on YouTube.

How can we do things differently across English education?

Dr James Mannion asked me to feature on his Rethinking Education podcast, featuring in-depth conversations with people about how we might tweak the education system towards a more sustainable way of life.

You probably won't find any other conversation about anything to do with TeacherToolkit, anywhere else online, than in the following podcast. It's long, it's deep and there are some book prizes to be won if you listen carefully!

This is shared here on the @TeacherToolkit podcast so that you can learn more about me and my decision making! I hope you enjoy the listen...

Ross / @TeacherToolkit

Our 104th interview is with Elizabeth Leiba, educator, LinkedIn’s Top Voice of 2020, and The EdUp Experience podcast host.

In this podcast, listen to Elizabeth and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Elizabeth’s LinkedIn work and how she became one of the top voices on the platform

Growing up in the UK and America, education background and education career

Online teaching and learning methods

Safeguarding children in their homes

Representation and diversity in the US education system

Grassroots and students efforts to promote the discussion of race in education

The EdUp Experience Podcast and,

Technology as a relationship-building tool.

"The technology is always changing; you can integrate almost anything - try and see what works with your students" (Elizabeth Leiba).

Our 103rd interview is with Vicki Davis, a teacher, host of the 10-minute Teacher Podcast, and one of Linkedin’s top education voices 2020. 

In this podcast, listen to Vicki and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Why Vicki started blogging and podcasting

Crab-bucket mentalities in schools

Movie making with students

Creating relationships with students

Workload challenges 

Vicki’s response to Covid-19 and blended learning and,

How Vicki chose her blogging name.

Vicki said: "The pressures teacher face are ubiquitous around the world. [Government] want you to teach remotely, to children who are in trauma, who belong to parents who are in trauma, in a world in trauma, and we want you to keep up with everything and run a regular academic year."

Is that true in your experience?

You can follow Vicki on Twitter at @CollCatTeacher and connect with her podcast via her blogging website: www.coolcatteacher.com

Our 104th interview is with Sinéad Mc Brearty, CEO of Education Support - the only UK charity that supports the wellbeing and mental health of education staff.

Education Support published the 2020 Teacher Wellbeing Index in November. Amongst their findings, they found a sharp increase in symptoms of poor mental health and stress levels, as well as working hours undertaken by education staff. As a result, 52% of education professionals have considered leaving the sector in the last 2 years due to pressures on their mental health and wellbeing.

In this podcast, listen to Sinéad and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss what a typical workday consists of as CEO, plus Sinéad’s ambitions at 16 years old and her career progression.

We ask about her desire to see an accountability culture change in education and unpick teacher anxiety, stress, and mental health challenges rising across education (Teacher Wellbeing Index).

As we move deeper into the discussion, we hear more about the importance of feeling appreciated and why more than half of education staff are thinking about leaving the profession and the clear message no pay rise sends to teachers!

You can connect with Sinead on Twitter and find out how Education Support can support you or a colleague.

Our 101st interview is with Kat Howard, an assistant principal at The Duston School in Northampton, England. The key question we unpick is, how can schools encourage teachers to speak up about mental health, workload and wellbeing?

In this podcast, listen to Kat and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss Kat’s book ‘Stop Talking about Wellbeing’, workload case studies and reduction techniques, plus her response to COVID-19 in a workload context.

We also unpick Kat’s previous career in recruitment and retention in a high street bank and the importance of operational expertise in schools and why Kat loves being a school leader!

We learn more about the benefits to teachers in being part of an all-through school, Kat and Claire Hill’s handbook for creating a curriculum Symbiosis: 'The Curriculum and the Classroom’ and the hallmarks of a good curriculum.

You can also watch our conversation on YouTube and connect with Kat Howard on Twitter at @SaysMiss.

Our 100th interview is with Lisa Fathers, director of teaching school and partnerships at Alliance For Learning.

In this podcast, listen to Lisa and Teacher Toolkit founder, Ross McGill discuss:

Lisa’s school years and the pressure growing up,

Her teacher training and educational career; studying English and media,

Homeschooling challenges for people in education,

Teacher’s ability to adapt in the face of COVID-19,

Digital poverty and teacher exhaustion,

The Great Manchester Mentally Healthy Schools and Colleges programme,

Learn Lisa's mental health top tips and,

Girls football super-hub and other amazing initial teacher training projects.

You can follow and connect with Lisa on Twitter, and perhaps get involved in one of her fitness classes!