The Parent-Teacher Project

In this episode, we welcome Katrina Alvir, an experienced teacher and expert in character education. With years of experience in classical education, Katrina shares valuable insights on how parents and educators can inspire children in developing virtues and forming good habits. She discusses the power of real-life role models, consistent example and practical ways to integrate character education into daily life.

Discussion Points:

• Integrating Virtues into the Curriculum – How to weave character education seamlessly into daily lessons.
• Creating a Classroom Culture of Virtue – Practical ways to encourage responsibility, respect, and kindness.
• The Importance of Acknowledging Mistakes – How apologising to students fosters humility, trust, and teaches them the value of taking responsibility.
• Being a Constant Example – The impact of a teacher's words and actions in shaping students' character and the importance of striving for personal growth.
• Being Truly Present – The power of showing up and giving hope

Join the Conversation

How do you incorporate character education in your classroom? We'd love to hear your insights and experiences—share your thoughts with us and join the discussion on how teachers can shape students' character through everyday moments in the classroom.

You can:

Follow us on Instagram @theparentteacherproject

Find out more about the Pared Foundation: visit our website

Discover our schools by visiting: pared.edu.au/openday

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don't miss out on any of our future episodes

In this episode, host Isabelle Thomas sits down with Dr Andy Mullins, an experienced educator and author, to discuss how parents can help their children develop strong character, resilience, and a solid work ethic. Drawing from his years working with families and schools like Redfield and Wollemi College in Sydney, Dr Mullins shares key insights on raising children who are both diligent in their studies and generous in their service to others. He also explores the importance of parental unity, leading by example, and staying connected with children as they grow.

Key Points:

• The balance between high expectations and deep affection in parenting

• Why hard work alone isn't enough, but essential for character formation

• How to teach children that success isn't just about personal goals, but about service

• The shift from parental guidance to self-governance as children grow

• The role of one-on-one time in building trust and emotional connection

• Practical strategies for staying close to children despite external influences

Join the Conversation

How do you encourage resilience and strong character in your children? What strategies have helped you balance expectations and affection in parenting? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

Book reference:

Fathering from the Fast Lane, Bruce Robinson.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Fathering-Fast-Lane-Practical-Ideas/dp/1876451211

You can:

Follow us on Instagram @theparentteacherproject

Find out more about the Pared Foundation: visit our website

Discover our schools by visiting: pared.edu.au/openday

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don't miss out on any of our future episodes

In this episode, we explore the role of teachers in building a culture of collaboration with parents. Mary Broadsmith shares her insights and practical tips on fostering open communication, building trust, and engaging parents as active partners in their child's learning journey. Mary also emphasizes the importance of virtue education and the responsibility teachers have to model professionalism and character for their students.

Key Topics:

Creating a Collaborative Culture with Parents

• Benefits of inviting parents into the classroom

• Strategies for open communication and trust-building

Effective Communication Techniques

• Building rapport with parents during meetings

• Handling difficult conversations and emails with professionalism

The Role of Virtue Education

• Integrating virtues into the classroom environment

• Encouraging students to make positive choices and take responsibility

Join the Conversation:

Follow us on Instagram @theparentteacherproject

Find out more about the Pared Foundation: visit our website

Discover our schools by visiting: pared.edu.au/openday

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don't miss out on any of our future episodes

In this episode we welcome Mary Broadsmith, Principal of Harkaway Hills College in Melbourne, to discuss the role of parent engagement in schools. As the primary educators of their children, parents have a significant impact on their child's education. Mary discusses how research consistently shows that active parental involvement boosts student flourishing and achievement, strengthens student-family bonds and even staff well-being.

Key Topics:

• The Research-Backed Impact of Parent Engagement: Mary discusses how studies show that students with actively involved parents tend to perform better academically and overall, highlighting the long-term benefits of parent participation in their children's education.

• Strengthening the Parent-Teacher Partnership: She explores practical ways to foster open, effective communication between parents and teachers, creating a collaborative environment that supports student success and teacher wellbeing.

• Boosting School Morale and Community Spirit: Mary explains how strong parent engagement not only benefits students but also improves staff morale and creates a more cohesive, supportive school community.

You can:

Follow us on Instagram @theparentteacherproject

Find out more about the Pared Foundation: visit our website

Discover our schools by visiting: pared.edu.au/openday

Remember to hit SUBSCRIBE/FOLLOW so you don't miss out on any of our future episodes

In this episode, we welcome Anthony O'Shea, the Year 3 teacher at Lysterfield Lake College. Anthony is a father of 4 and has many years of experience in Primary education. In this podcast episode, he speaks about the benefits of learning to read and write at a young age, and how to encourage children to love reading and writing.

In this episode, we welcome Kate Mathai. Kate is a mother with 6 children and 1 grandson. Kate has extensive experience in counselling and presenting various programs for high school students, married couples and young parents.

She speaks about topics like the importance of adapting your parenting approach over time as your family evolves, how to resolve disputes between your children, and how every interaction with your kids is a teaching opportunity.

Meet Mr Stefen Drevikovsky. Stefen is the Head of Middle School at Redfield College and has been teaching at Redfield for 15 years.

Stefen has a special aptitude for teaching languages, especially Spanish. In this episode, Stefen talks about the reasons and benefits of children learning a new language in school and provides tips on how to perfect a second language.

Recommended resources:

- https://nswschoollang.schools.nsw.gov.au/

- https://sclanguages.schools.nsw.gov.au/

Oscar Trimboli is a renowned expert on the art of listening, and creator of the Apple award-winning podcast 'Deep Listening - Impact beyond words.' Oscar has interviewed over 100 of the world's most diverse workplace listeners, including air traffic controllers, deaf and foreign language interpreters, hostage negotiators and spies. Over 14,000 people have contributed to Oscar's research about what gets in the way when it comes to listening. ⁠

In this episode, Oscar explains why listening is a skill that our children must learn. ⁠He also draws upon his extensive research and experience to help parents understand the importance of being role models for listening to their children. Finally, he also goes on to explain practical ways for parents to implement the science of listening.

Recommended resources

• Listening quiz - https://www.oscartrimboli.com/listeningquiz/
• Oscar's website - https://www.oscartrimboli.com/
• Oscar's podcast: Deep Listening - Impact beyond words - Oscar Trimboli - https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/deep-listening-impact-beyond-words-oscar-trimboli/id1274379362

Fatherhood is a lifelong journey with its own up and downs, but the importance of a loving father's presence, especially for his daughters, can never be underestimated.⁠ In this week's episode, we hear the lived experience and advice of five fathers, who are all raising daughters of their own, on how to raise confident daughters in today's world.

This episode includes excerpts from a live presentation featuring five dads: Greg Bookallil, Gavin Boneham, Nadim El-Rahi, Jacob Kwak and Paul Stoodley, who addressed a group of parents at Tangara School for Girls in Sydney in May 2022.

You Don't Want to Miss:

• How fathers can build a strong connection with their daughters
• How to team up with your spouse when raising children
• Guests share their top parenting advice

Recommended Resources:

• Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know by Meg Meeker, M.D.
• Family Enrichment Australia