In this episode I talk with experienced optometrist, Sallyanne Morrison, who has been practising in Dubbo, NSW for the last 28 years. She shares her knowledge and concern about the health of kids' eyes and the implications that has on us as teachers! I found our conversation fascinating and concerning at the same time and it made me wonder what the future will hold for our kids.

Meet Kel and Morgan. We talk about AVID, a program that focuses on teaching the whole child and operates within Victoria University, Australia. AVID gives you practical teaching strategies to use within your classroom to enable successful learning by all students, regardless of their ability. It will change the way you teach!

Meet Molly Croft, a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with osteosarcoma on her 12th birthday, two years ago. In this episode we talk about what it was like, the ups and downs, and what we can learn from this beautiful, selfless girl!

Teachers are unique in many ways, but especially in the skillset we learn and develop over time. These skills such as working hard, being organised, thinking on your feet and time management are just a few. In this episode we listen to Kate who started off classroom teaching over 20 years ago, but has branched out into other areas.

In this episode I share some tips and tricks that I have picked up over my 20 odd years of teaching. Some are obvious, some are not so obvious, but all are practical! I hope you find something of interest in this episode, even if it's just for a laugh, regardless of your experience!!

Teaching and living in a rural setting is certainly very different compared to the more urban areas. You can't take a quick trip to the shops to get what you need for the Science experiment you have planned for tomorrow! In this episode we listen to Peta who has been living in a small rural town for most of her teaching career. We talk about overcoming the obstacles and challenges faced by teachers, as well as the perks of living and teaching in rural schools.

Are you a new mum and thinking about coming back to your teaching job you absolutely love? Are you worried about how you will feel, leaving your kids to be cared for by someone else while you're working? Are you wondering if you can make things work - being a mum while being a teacher? You're not alone thinking these things! In this episode, we listen to Claire, who is a mum coming back to teaching after maternity leave.

In this episode I introduce you to one of my favourite primary school teachers who taught me many years ago. Fast forward to a time when I was a first year out teacher, I got the opportunity to teach alongside my idol teacher, Mon. She has been teaching at the same small school for many years. Currently the school has 38 enrolments. We discuss the pros and cons of teaching in a small school and the characteristics which make small schools unique.

Whether you are a leader of your colleagues or a leader of your students, we are all leaders and we should be aiming to be the best leader we can be! In this episode we listen to Beau Robinson, a business leadership coach, a published author, and host of his own podcast, "Leaders not Captains". He shares with us his definition of a great leader and things we can do to improve our leadership style.

Meet Jane Diffey, an extraordinary woman, who pushed for, applied for the funding, and helped in the planning of the special needs school, Yawarra, in Dubbo, NSW. She went against all the odds and eventually her dream came to fruition. The story behind why she did all this is amazing, heart-wrenching and courageous. If you told her all this, she would be embarrassed and brush it to the side, but it is so true. This is a story that stays with you long after the conversation is finished!

In this episode I'm speaking with Danielle, a support teacher in her school. Her role, as is all support teachers, is diverse, challenging, rewarding, busy, just to name a few!! We talk about how being a support teacher is the best job you can have. You get to support children with additional needs as well as your own colleagues. You also get to see results!! The support teacher is vital in any school, so make sure you become good friends with the support teacher in your school!

In this episode we meet Mark, who has had experience in teaching both Primary and Secondary schools. Behaviour management is used in both settings, but it does vary depending on the age group. We talk about another word to replace behaviour management and that is....relationships. It is absolutely vital to build and maintain a positive relationship with the students you teach. Having that positive relationship with your students will be remembered not only with the year you have them for, but that rapport will always be remembered long after your students have finished school!

Meet Bettina Spora, an occupational therapist with a wide and varied background in the industry. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of getting those foundations right in young kids, so all their sensory systems are working as they should. Not having those right foundations can lead to so many other issues in the classroom. We talk about ways to combat these issues, red flags to look out for and why there is an increase in poor sensory system issues today. I learnt so much in this chat - I just wish I knew about all of this content much earlier on in my career!

My hat goes off to Kindergarten teachers. They are an amazing breed of teachers that are in a unique position of teaching from a clean slate. What an opportunity! What challenging times ahead! This is exactly why teaching Kindergarten is so unique. It is hard to begin with, but over time, many believe it is the most rewarding out of any other year group. If you are teaching Kindergarten this year, you're sure to get something out of this conversation I have with Jo.

Meet Ali, a high school teacher, who shares with us her experiences of teaching teenage boys. Everyday in our teaching experiences we see those differences between girls and boys - how they behave and how they learn. Sometimes those experiences leave us pulling our hair out!! During our conversation Ali and I discuss some strategies that we can incorporate into our teaching that will make our lives a little bit easier!

Boys and girls are obviously very different. They look different, they talk differently, they certainly behave very differently, and most importantly, they learn differently. In today's episode, which is part 1of a 2 part series, I'm chatting with Greg, who is a primary school teacher. He shares with us his ideas and experiences around the teaching of boys.

For some people getting and staying organised comes naturally, but for others it is something that needs to be learnt. If you are someone who wants to be an effective classroom teacher, you need to be organised. The flow of the day is smoother and easier, there is less stress and the kids learn better. As teachers we are always looking for other or improved systems to have in place which is exactly what this episode is all about!

Imagine if you could have a better memory, make better decisions, concentrate better and be more productive. Imagine if I told you that you could have all these things, and for free. Would you be interested? Hell yeah! Apparently we can attain these things through the simple form of movement and exercise. In this episode I talk with Rose Prout, an experienced exercise physiologist in Dubbo, NSW. We discuss the benefits of exercise and the impacts it can have on us and our kids, both on the brain and the body.

Meet Liza Twohill, a practising health professional in Dubbo NSW. In this episode we discuss the importance of getting your macro nutrients right and limiting the amount of processed foods. We also discuss why it is important if you want sustained energy, a longer span of concentration and improved mood for the length of the teaching day. A lot of the time we know what we should be eating, but the tricky part is the 'how' do we make it happen, so Liza shares some of the life hacks that have worked for her.

Ann-Marie Furney, co-founder of SCHMIC (School Mentoring Improvement and Coaching) really got my brain thinking in this conversation. We talked about how as teachers we need to be deep thinkers, so our students will become deep thinkers, which is the culture we want in any school. If we want to create a cultural change in our schools, we need to have complete teacher collective efficacy.