On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Richard Bishop, Director of Alumni and Community Relations at Trinity Grammar School, to unpack his journey from corporate accountant to one of the most committed figures in boys education I know.

Richard shares how a conversation in thongs changed the entire direction of his life, and why 26 years later he's still all in on the same school he once attended as a boy.

We explore what really matters in boys education and school community:

• why boys schools don't create the problem society is labelling them for, and what they actually teach: character, nuance, compassion, and a biblical foundation for what it means to be a good man
• the power of embedding yourself in the full life of a school, not just the classroom
• why a service mentality is one of the most important things you can build into a young man before he leaves school
• the mental health crisis hitting this generation and the role social media is quietly playing in it
• what it looks like to watch the seeds you planted as a teacher grow into something real years later

We also get into the strength of community built on Christian tradition, mentoring old boys into the generation that comes after them, and the random moments in lifts in New York and at Sydney Opera House bars that remind you why you never really leave this profession behind.

A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: anyone can stand in front of a class and deliver a curriculum, but if you build the relationship first, you'll teach it a whole lot better.

This is a warm, honest, and deeply personal conversation for teachers, school leaders, parents, and anyone who believes the long game in education is always worth playing.

You can find Richard:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-bishop-2572b156/

https://alumni.trinity.nsw.edu.au

https://www.trinity.nsw.edu.au/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

 If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

 Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Glenn Solomons, founder of Cheeky Learning and education consultant, about his journey from architecture student to classroom teacher, and eventually to one of the most interesting questions in professional learning: what actually changes when people walk back into school on Monday?

Glenn shares how a creative background in art and design gave him a tolerance for failure that most leadership roles don't teach you, and how a single Monday afternoon PD session sparked an obsession that eventually took him out of the classroom and into his own consulting business.

We explore what really matters when you're trying to make professional learning stick:

• why most PD is still an information dump and what to do instead

• the implementation gap: the distance between what you learn at a workshop and what you actually do when you get back to your desk

• acknowledging the collective genius in the room and why 200 years of teaching experience shouldn't be ignored

• what it actually takes to go from teacher to consultant, and why having something genuinely different to say is the only thing that matters

• being comfortable with failure, whether you're mixing paint colours wrong, teaching HTML to a class who knows more than you, or trying to find your first consulting client

We also get into the education buzzword problem, why design and art teachers have been doing critical and creative thinking for decades before it had a name, and the real reason most professional development doesn't change anything.

A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important, whether it's a student in your classroom or a teacher in your workshop, the best learning happens when you acknowledge what people already know and build from there.

This is a rich, honest conversation for classroom teachers, school leaders, and anyone thinking about how to make professional learning actually work.

#education #professionallearning #leadership #PD #educationconsulting #teacherdevelopment #edtech #thetattooedteacher #podcast

You can find Glenn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-solomons-5a3373128/

cheekylearning.com.au

cheekymousedesign.com.au

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Selena Dhondea-Tenakov, Coordinator of Uni Prep Schools at Edith Cowan University and Sessional Academic in initial teacher education, about what it really takes to bridge the gap between high school and university for the students the system has most often left behind.

She currently runs a program across 45 Western Australian high schools that gives marginalised and first-in-family among other students a genuine pathway into university before they even finish Year 12.

We explore what really matters when education meets equity:

why students who struggle to sit a three-hour exam are often the ones who thrive most at university, and how Uni Prep Schools is proving it

the practical stuff no one teaches before university; how to write an essay, how to read a journal article, where to park on day one, how much money you actually need in your first semester

how Selena's team built the AI Thinkery, a set of 10 activities that pull back the curtain on artificial intelligence so students can engage with it critically rather than just use it

the change fatigue hitting educators right now, and why we never properly reflected on what COVID online learning actually taught us

why inviting parents into middle school for longer might be one of the most important things we're not doing

We also discuss how to help early career teachers survive, the wisdom of going regional, what boys really need in a classroom, and a tattoo story that goes all the way back to indentured labourers in Mauritius.

A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important, a hand up looks different for every student, and the job of education is to figure out what that looks like before it's too late.

This is a rich, honest, and personal conversation for teachers, school leaders, university educators, and anyone who believes the door to learning should stay open for longer.

#education #equity #firstinfamily #universitypreparation #AIineducation #teacherlife #highereducation #thetattooedteacher #podcast

You can find Selena:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/selena-tenakov-7b640916a/

https://www.ecu.edu.au/centres/access-and-equity/academic-pathway-programs/ecu-uniprep-schools/overview

https://www.acses.edu.au/publication/nesting-enabling-programs-in-senior-schooling/

National Association of Enabling Educators Australia https://enablingeducators.org/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Vindhya Barwa, Head of Reputation & Influence at Colony Group and Sessional Academic at UQ teaching Gaming Cultures, about what happens when marketing, storytelling, and education merge and why the games your students are playing are more layered than you realise.

Vindhya shares how she found her way into the world of PR campaigns for Netflix, Maccas and Prime Video and why she never wanted to fully leave the classroom behind.

We explore what really matters when education meets culture:

why gaming cultures is one of the most diverse elective courses at UQ, and what an accounting student and an environmental science student can teach each other about video games

how procedural rhetoric works, the idea that every game is quietly trying to persuade you of something

what brands keep getting wrong when they try to reach gaming audiences, and why you have to actually be a gamer to get it right

parasocial relationships, the line between entertaining and exploiting, and why balance is Vindhya's philosophy both in the classroom and with clients

what international students actually bring into Australian universities and why mistaking language for intelligence is one of our biggest blind spots

We also cover AI in education, teachers as content creators, how indie developers can pitch to big brands without getting taken advantage of, and the board game that Vindhya reckons should be in every classroom to teach sales skills.

A thread throughout the episode is simple but important: whether it's a brand talking to gamers, a teacher trying to hook a class, or a student finding their voice, authenticity is everything and people can always tell when it's missing.

This is a rich, wide-ranging conversation for educators, marketers, and anyone who's ever wondered what gaming culture can teach us about the real world.

You can find Vindhya:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vindhyabarwal/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Holly Wedd, Head Teacher of Mathematics in Coffs Harbour, to unpack how she's gone from never wanting to set foot in a school again to becoming the 2026 Premier's Teaching Scholarship recipient, a 2025 Schools Plus Teaching Fellow, and the holder of a growing list of awards in just eight years of teaching.

Holly shares how a maths teacher why she is trying to change the way people feel about maths — from a subject you "get through" to one that's as creative and engaging as any other.

We explore what really matters in the maths classroom:

• connecting content to real-world application, not just the syllabus

• the shift from "getting the right answer" to explaining your reasoning

• the balance between rote learning and spaced retrieval practice

• building a classroom that's genuinely safe to fail in

We also discuss AI in education, including the research on cognitive offloading and what happens to a student's thinking when AI does it for them, and how Holly uses AI tools to differentiate lessons for a full range of abilities in minutes instead of hours — without a single student feeling singled out.

A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: AI can save you time, but it can't read a room, manage a classroom, or replace the relationship you build with your students.

This is a thoughtful, energetic, and deeply practical conversation for maths teachers, school leaders, and anyone curious about where AI actually fits in a real classroom.

You can find Holly:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-wedd-ohs/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

 If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

 Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattooed Teacher Podcast, I chat with Jon Burnett Head of Teaching and Learning Systems and Improvement, to unpack his journey from music graduate to educational leader.

Jon shares how stepping into the unknown and often the deep end shaped his career, and why saying “yes” to new challenges helped him grow both as a teacher and a leader. 

We explore what really matters in teaching:

• building strong relationships with students

• learning through experience (not just theory)

• the importance of mentorship for new teachers

• and why you never truly “arrive” in this profession 

We also discuss AI in education, looking at how schools can use it in a practical way—saving time, reducing workload, and giving teachers more space to focus on what matters most: people. 

A key thread throughout the episode is simple but important: Education is human first—everything else comes second.

This is a rich, honest, and deeply practical conversation for classroom teachers, school leaders, and anyone wrestling with what education should look like when AI is already in the room.

You can find Jon:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-burnett-sunshine-coast/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

 If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

 Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattoo Teacher Podcast, I chat with Nick Steffen — EdTech innovator, design teacher, tech coach, stand-up comedian, and one of the most adventurous educators you'll ever meet. Born and raised in Kansas, Nick has built maker programmes from scratch in China, trained engineers in Ohio, and is currently coaching teachers and students in South Korea — with Munich, Germany up next.

Together, we explore hands-on learning, maker education, AI in the classroom, stand-up comedy as teacher professional development, neurodiversity in STEM, and the power of saying "Yes, And" to every student idea — asking the questions educators everywhere are wrestling with right now:

How do we teach students to think when AI can do the thinking for them? How do we build maker culture with no space, no budget, and no shop? And what happens when you stop being the expert in the room and start being the best learner in it?

This is a practical, funny, and genuinely inspiring conversation for design teachers, tech coaches, school leaders, and anyone who believes the best classroom moments happen when something doesn't go to plan.

You can find Nick:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-steffen-a02a63188/

https://www.instagram.com/nicksteffencomedy/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

 If you know a young person who needs a different kind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

 Find out if there's a BUSY School near you at ⁠busyschools.edu.qld.au⁠

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this the 60th episode of The Tattoo Teacher Podcast, I chat with Paul Miles, CEO of The BUSY Group, about the gap between traditional education and real-world outcomes and what can be done to help close it. Paul shares how BUSY schools support disengaged students through the mix of education, vocational training, and strong relationships—helping young people finish school and move into work or apprenticeships.

We cover some big questions:

• Why so many students disengage from school

• The growing importance of trades and apprenticeships

• What employers say is missing from school leavers

• Why relationships matter more than content

• How AI and changing work will shape education

Paul also challenges the idea that school is only about learning content, arguing that education needs to focus just as much on preparing young people for life and work.

You can find Paul:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdmiles/

https://busyschools.qld.edu.au/?

https://www.busyatwork.com.au/about-busy/busy-group/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Sponsored byThe BUSY School

This episode is brought to you by The BUSY School— a network of special assistance schools for Year 11 and 12 students who've disengaged from mainstream education. Small classes, real industry connections, and completely free for students.

 If you know a young person who needs a differentkind of school, The BUSY School could be exactly what they're looking for. The BUSY School is part ofThe BUSY Group — an Australian not-for-profit approaching its 50th year, operating across Australia, New Zealand and the UK.

 Find out if there's a BUSY School near youat busyschools.edu.qld.au

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattoo Teacher Podcast, Will Berry shares his journey into education and what’s helped himstay in the profession. Along the way, Will shares what keeps early‑career teachers in the profession, the importance of school culture, and why simply checking in can make a difference. We also cover leadership, community, and howeducation might need to shift as the world around it changes. Will also shares insights from running TEDxNewy and how community and new ideas are shaping the future of education.

You can find Will:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-berry/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/tedxnewy/

https://tedxnewy.com.au

https://www.instagram.com/tedxnewy/

you can find me onLinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to helpcreators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect withDesign & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's PremierTeacher PD Directory

On this episode of The Tattoo Teacher Podcast, I chat with Matt Jensen. He shares practical insights from his work in digital pedagogy and coaching, focusing on how technology can support—not replace—great teaching. The conversation also dives into AI in education—including the risks of automated “feedback loops,” the importance of using AI as a thinking partner, and practical ways it can save teachers time so they can reinvest it into relationships and learning design. Matt also shares how Kahoot has evolved beyond quizzes into more open, creative learning experiences, and finishes with a challenge for educators: share what you’re learning to strengthen professional community and reduce the isolation many teachers feel.

You can find Matt:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattjensenedu/

https://mattjensenedu.com/

you can find me on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-murdoch-%F0%9F%A4%99-68a846b1/

YouTube

https://youtube.com/@thetattooedteacher01?si=tJy1U6Huz684CtZE

Follow DJ Fruit Salad:

https://www.instagram.com/djfruitsaladofficial/

Supported by

The Design & Technologies Resource Site

An Australian platform built to help creators, educators, and podcasters increase their visibility and connect with Design & Technologies educators.

https://andacod.com.au/

TeacherPD Australia

https://teacherpd.com.au/

Australia's Premier Teacher PD Directory