19 Teaching Hills to Die On – An Australian Teacher’s Take
I came across one of those Facebook posts recently: “Teaching hills you’re willing to die on.” It was clearly written for an American audience, but I couldn’t resist going through the list and considering where I landed on each one. One of the things I enjoy about education is continually testing my own thinking. Which…
The Echo Chamber
What if professional growth has less to do with time, and more to do with perspective? What makes an experienced teacher? Is it ten years in the classroom? Twenty? A promotion? A master’s degree? Or is it something else entirely? For a long time, I assumed experience accumulated naturally. Stay in the profession long enough…
The Dam Wall
After eight years in educational leadership, this year I returned to a full classroom teaching load. No allowances, no extra entitlements, just a full teaching load comprising roll call, playground duties, and some of the most challenging classes within my new faculty. I expected to rediscover the joy of teaching, which I have. I expected…
Spicy Teaching Take #1: Should school leaders return to the classroom?
About a week ago, I shared a deliberately “spicy” take on LinkedIn to test an idea I had been reflecting on. As I’ve begun to more candidly share my thoughts on education and leadership, my audience has grown, and I was curious to see how this particular post would land. The response was certainly strong.…
My advice for HSC Music Students
If you had 30 minutes to talk with hundreds of HSC Music students, what would you tell them? I had this opportunity last Friday at the HSC Music Day in Newcastle NSW, with the specific brief of guiding students and staff through the mandatory written Aural Exam, which comprises 30% of the external Higher School…
Why My Music Room Has No Desks
Music teacher happiness is a classroom without desks. Seven weeks into my new role, I finally ripped the band aid off and removed the desks** from my music room. For many years, desks had been a staple of the space. They were part of the traditional classroom setup and, understandably, part of the routine students…
THE AGE-OLD QUESTION: WHEN DO SAFETY CONCERNS WARRANT RESTRICTIONS OF FREEDOM?
Australia’s new under-16 social media ban came into effect yesterday, and the public reaction has been fascinating to watch, especially in the comment sections of posts I, ironically, viewed on Facebook. It is a complex issue, and many people are genuinely and deeply opposed to the ban, often due to concerns about cybersecurity, government overreach…
🎶 Musical Corners – Wet Weather Magic! ☔️
What do you do with 100+ energetic primary students stuck indoors on these rainy days? You bring the music, movement and magic of Musical Corners! 🎧🎸🎻🎤 ChatGPT and I came up with this game where each corner of the hall represents a music genre, Pop, Rock, Hip-Hop, and Classical. Today I finally had the chance…
5 steps to writing a strong school leadership application
Recently I had the opportunity to be a panel member for an Assistant Principal role at my school (for context, K-12 central school in rural NSW public system). I put my hand up to be on the panel as I always enjoy reviewing applications to see how people approach the process and to ensure I…
Improving school outcomes: The case for an emphasis on wellbeing
I recently heard a Simon Sinek quote which went along the lines of, “wellbeing improves in the workplace when leaders recognise they are not responsible for the outcomes of the workplace, rather they’re responsible for the PEOPLE who are responsible for the outcomes.” I’ve always been passionate about the importance of wellbeing in schools, for…
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