Building and shaping confidence and resilience in students in order to develop lifelong learners is vital in every classroom. 

In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Lulu Sanderson-Green who is currently a Stage Leader and Classroom Teacher.  Prior to being in the classroom, Lulu worked in inclusion support for an early childhood not-for-profit organisation where her role was assisting educators to build inclusive practice for children in one of the targeted priority groups.

Lulu and I discuss: 

• How to build trusting relationships
• The impact of teacher guilt 
• The power of making mistakes
• How to show empathy through actions 
• And much more!

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

His aim on a daily basis is to build students' academic abilities as well as their wellbeing abilities in order to better equip them for future life, simply, by being in their corner.

In this episode I have the pleasure of chatting with Hugh Scott who has been an educator for over 15 years. He knows what it takes to make students thrive, how to build healthy relationships, how to guide students to improve their self awareness and how to build resilience and confidence to help them navigate social situations.

Hugh and I discuss: 

• How to build strong connections with students 
• What it means to be 'in their corner' and the power of it
• The significance of Term 4 as an educator 
• And much more!

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

Lauren has had the unique experience of teaching a variety of age groups and has a field of experience in the area of music and performing arts.

In this episode I have the pleasure of chatting with Lauren Kelleher. Her educational philosophy stems from a progressive and hands-on approach to learning that develops the whole child through self-exploration, curiosity and wonderment. Throughout all of Lauren’s teaching experiences, she believes that at the core of her educational philosophy is a growth mindset, where every child can come to learn with a belief in themselves and the comfort of being vulnerable when exploring all aspects of education.

Lauren and I discuss: 

• The importance of setting intentions 
• Strategies from the CARE program (Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education)
• Connection with students across different ages 
• The benefits and challenges of teacher expat lives when it comes to wellbeing
• And much more!

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

CARE Program: http//www.careforeducation.org

As a pedagogical director of Learning Scoop, Johanna has focused on training foreign teachers, students and education experts about Finnish education. Her mission is to share ideas and best practices with experts from around the world.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Johanna Järvinen-Taubert. For the last 20 years, she has trained teachers from early childhood education, basic education, high school and higher education in Finnish in-service teacher training courses. This has given her a comprehensive insight about the Finnish education system as a whole. 

Johanna and I discuss: 

• The structure of a Finnish school day 
• The science behind the foundations of Finish education
• Teacher education and pedagogical leadership development behind Learning Scoop 
• The child-centred inspirational learning process of Forest Education
• And much more!

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

Website: http://www.learningscoop.fi
LinkedIn: Johanna Järvinen-Taubert
Email: [email protected]

For 36 years, Zoë Neill Readhead has been running the internationally known Summerhill School in Suffolk, founded exactly a hundred years ago by her father, the pioneering Scotsman A. S. Neill. Over the years, Summerhill has had to accept the way the world views the school as not always positive or supportive of its underlying values and principles.

In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Zoë Red head, the Principal at Summerhill School, Suffolk in the United Kingdom. Summerhill is unlike any conventional school, providing a space where children can grow in a ‘free-range’ environment. The school was created to fit the child rather than forcing pupils to do what parents and educators thought might be best for them. Zoe describes it as a real place, not a utopia.

 Zoe and I discuss: 

• What a typical day looks like at Summerhill 
• The core values of Summerhill
• How wellbeing is catered for and managed
• What a successful graduate looks like when they leave Summerhill 
• And much more!

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

Twitter: Zoe Summerhill
Website: https://www.summerhillschool.co.uk/

Lilli is most passionate about the systems within which we live and how we can make them more conducive to health and connection, rather than disease and loneliness. She has lived and travelled in lots of different countries and very much enjoys learning through experience.
  
In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Lilli Morgan, an educator with 3 different degrees, who has incredible career and life experiences under her belt. Since 2013, Lilli has held various positions within the education sector and allied services. She has a degree in International Studies, Public Health and Education. Lilli is currently living in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, the heart of Australia, teaching at St Philip's College.  
 
Lilli and I discuss: 

• How her role as Education Project Manager at Smiling Mind change the way she viewed education.
• The difficulty of trying to find the line of relational safety as a teacher and how much can you/should you share with students.
• In philosophy, what is at the core of teaching wellbeing to students and what is the practical application of these philosophical teachings.
• The practice of questioning constructs within a classroom to support student development and wellbeing. 
• And much more! 

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners! 

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

Instagram: @lillialexiss
LinkedIn: Lilli Morgan

We can get confused with signs of anxiety and be lost when supporting students and families within the school community. 

In this episode, I have the pleasure of chatting with Dr Jodi Richardson about understanding anxiety and how as educators, we can best support students and families in our care. 

Dr Jodi Richardson is an Anxiety and Wellbeing Speaker, Educator and Bestselling Author. As an educational leader, she is one of Australia's leading lights in managing anxiety and amplifying wellbeing. Jodi supports parents and teachers to understand anxiety, their relationship with it and lights the way for children and students to do the same.

Jodi and I discuss: 

• Why students are more anxious than ever and signs of anxiety in the classroom.
• How to deal with catastrophic thinking and big feelings with students.  
• What the importance is of emotional intelligence.  
• Which strategies we can use to support school withdrawal and avoidance  
• And much more! 

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Listen here:

Apple - https://apple.co/3OAl10C

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3Pyuxmg

Amazon Music - https://amzn.to/3z9fmcb

Website: https://drjodirichardson.com
LinkedIn: Dr Jodi Richardson
Instagram: drjodirichardson
Email: [email protected]

"We live in such a busy world where there is so much stimuli, technology and things we are processing and I think if we can create a culture where people take pauses, then we can make better decisions not just for ourselves but for our community."

This episode with Lucy Keller deep dives into the power of mindfulness in a school community. Lucy shares her expertise having worked as a mindful educator school wide. She is extremely honest with where mindfulness is most powerful and where it is not. She discusses the analogy of planting seeds slowly, as a way of implementing change like this in a school setting.

Lucy highlights the importance of starting the mindful process by being clear on why you're implementing it and what the purpose is. Is it students knowing themselves better, individuals making more conscious decisions, showing more compassion or helping them cope with stresses in the world? We discuss which age groups mindfulness is most significant for and the different strategies and practices used across a whole school setting. Lucy shares positive ways to engage staff and parents as well as students.

Lucy explains her successes and challenges, the importance of a systemic mindful change not just individuals as well as the power of making such a practice a habit in order to see benefits and change.

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners.

Website: http://www.mindfulnessbylucy.com
Email: lucy@mindfulness
LinkedIn: Lucy Keller 
Facebook: Mindfulness by Lucy

"Montessori builds the foundations for children to be self determined in a Montessori classroom by being independent, access what they like, interact with others and their concentration is expanded because they are bale to focus on something for as long as they want to."

This episode with Isabelle Russell deep dives into the power of play in order to develop the foundations of social emotional growth. We discuss the misconceptions of Montessori, the physical and mental health support given in a Montessori setting and Isabelle shares the importance of independence from a very young age.

The power of grit is also discussed as this is a huge driver for the direction The Mushkins is taking. Isabelle shares details of the incredible program The Mushkins offers as an educational method. She explains the use of creative and explorative storytelling techniques used to teach resilience and wellbeing in early childhood education.

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Website: https://www.themushkins.com
Instagram: @themushkins
Email: [email protected]

"Fast forward, what kind of human being would you like to greet at the door? Someone who has made a lot of money who is unhappy and has poor mental health or someone who is compassionate, empathetic, resilient with a good sense of humour and good mental health?"

This two-part episode with Susanne deep dives into supporting child development through strong family connections. Rather than parents micromanaging their children, Susanne discusses the importance of being their shepherds and shares advice on how to help parents let go of socially imposed 21st century pressures.

We discuss the power of play, the correlation between success and pressure as well as the importance of providing opportunities to role model behaviours as adults. We talk about the love languages of children, the impact of screen time as well as the never ending concern of child anxiety. Susanne says we have lost the sacredness of connecting and understanding that all children require deep connectedness with parents and educators. She feels parents are crying out for help and this two-part episode shares so many incredible ideas and practical strategies for parents and educators.

Thank you for coming on this journey to create a better future for our life long learners!

Website: https://susannenorth.com.au
Instagram: @spielfamilycoaching
LinkedIn: Susanne North 
Email: [email protected]