Honestly, if I get one more email telling me their business or school has had to “pivot” due to Coronavirus … I may explode. If there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that “pivot” will be on the first post Covid-19 bingo card for those absurd corporate words that weasel their way into our…
We did a little something special here at Real Schools Academy and I am delighted to share it with you! In May, RSA is launching its online learning platform and we wanted to give you a little taste before we get started. At first, we planned to make this available just for Graduate Teacher, but…
Sometimes, when things are tough, all you really need is somebody to talk to. Somebody who won’t judge you and doesn’t have a hidden or departmental agenda. Times are a tough right now – and the prognosis is that they’ll get tougher. Not for a second should any of us assume that a school shutdown…
I don’t think I’ll ever understand or accept why we have continued to keep schools open during this pandemic. I understand that there are two sides to the argument but let’s get serious about our job in schools and our role in the community. We stand for learning and citizen building, we are not child-minding…
I get it. When crisis comes, with it comes emotion. And in the midst of emotions – especially emotions like anxiety, frustration, uncertainty and fear – strategising and decision making is incredibly difficult. For School Leaders intent on human support, this can make determining the right thing to do or the first thing to do…
As teachers and school leaders are currently working hard to prepare for this new and challenging world of online learning and school closures, I just want you to know that it’s ok if it feels uncomfortable and overwhelming. There is a lot of great content, support, advice and tips on the internet and social media…
With the world being a little bit crazy right now, and all things being focused on Coronavirus, as a teacher you are being asked to do more, which means that your brain is working overtime, stress is high and most likely self-care is low. When so much is being expected of you and all of…
Sometimes, when things are tough, all you really need is somebody to talk to. Somebody who won’t judge you and doesn’t have a hidden or departmental agenda. Times are a tough right now – and the prognosis is that they’ll get tougher. Not for a second should any of us assume that a school shutdown…
At times of great stress and uncertainty, most will agree that some little slightly inappropriate laughter doesn’t go astray. Given that we’ve had a theme running this week around self-care for educators, it seemed a no-brainer that we’d find a way to care for ourselves by letting a little mirth and hilarity into your lives. So…
A video from Adam that describes our Real Schools intentions for the next few weeks. For us, it’s all going to be about:1) Service2) Generosity3) Advocacy
It’s term one. You are just over halfway. Your students know you and you know them. You are excited to see where the year will take you, learning together, laughing and having fun. Classrooms can have a sense of lightness about them, and it’s about this time of the year you find that magical balance…
It probably stands to reason that, after a couple of decades of outcomes-based education, that we’ve become a little fixated on outcomes? But what if we weren’t? What if we completely detached from the outcome of every single key action that Teachers and School Leaders deploy? What would happen if we cut the ties that…
Hello Teachers, Welcome to teaching. You have chosen one of the most rewarding, fun and exciting careers to embark on. Yes, it is also tiring, overwhelming and there are moments of stress that will arise too. Teaching though, can be a little bit, if not a whole lot easier than most will have you believe,…
I’ve been speaking to a few teachers lately about how to tackle that moment when a student gets you to the point of “Let’s have a little chat.” In my early days of teaching, I’d deliver a speech. A good one too. I do good lecture you see. And the student would sit there clearly…
Remember your first day on the job? Your first classroom to decorate or lessons to prepare? Exciting, scary, overwhelming? All of the above. Will the kids like me? What about the parents? Will I even be able to teach? And now as an experienced teacher or school leader, you find yourself supporting graduates as they…
By now you are probably having those ‘Is this really what teaching is like?’ thoughts.Days are long, intense, challenging. You have learnt to eat on the run, hold your bladder until the next break and unjam the photocopier – none of which they taught you at university. Welcome to teaching. Teaching: a job where calling…
Two stories this week have had a profound impact on me and I thought I’d take a moment to explain why. Those stories are: the 4 Corners report on the St.Kevin’s College saga, specifically the conviction of an athletics coach and former teacher on child grooming charges and the comments by Andrew Bolt and…
As a graduate teacher, you are finally free! No more lectures or assignments, essays or school placements. The classroom and students are finally all yours, to teach as you like and put everything you have you have learnt over the past four years into practice. I remember my university days… Science classes filled with experiments,…
Across 2020, we’re expanding the opportunity for Teachers and School Leaders to access three of our acclaimed Real Schools Professional Learning Events. For Teachers, we’re bringing Restorative Classrooms, Strong Classrooms your way. It’s a one-day crash course in the highest impact components of the restorative framework. These are the key shifts in practice and language that have…
Most schools will have already set their goals for the 2020 school year or if not, you would be getting pretty close. I reflect back to my time as a Principal and quite often I would set BIG and ambitious goals. Working closely with my Leadership Team, we would then follow up by making BIG…
The world is a competitive place … right? Well, to a point, yes it is. But perhaps paradoxically, more than ever in human history, your students will need to collaborate with one another effectively in order to do that competing in the big, bad world out there. It begs the question, “Should a classroom be…
In 2020, we’re taking three of our acclaimed Real Schools workshops on the road! They are: Restorative Classrooms, Strong Classrooms – a transformational 1-day experience designed to unlock any participant’s potential to make their teaching more effective and less strussful. Leading School Culture – a full-day masterclass in School Culture, pulling your work into sharp…
Teachers are now busily planning for a productive 2020. The kids are coming! This focus on lessons, curriculum, pedagogy and assessment is commendable, but is unseen by the hoardes of parents who think that you’re still on holidays. Parents eh. For all of the planning and professional expertise they remain as one of the…
We’re so excited to introduce you to Amy Green who is commencing just next week with us in a newly created role – Associate Director (Teacher Education). We could spend an inordinate amount of time writing in this newsletter our carefully crafted vision for supporting teachers as they commence their careers in an equally rewarding…
In schools, we often measure our success by numbers, data and results. This alone, isn’t enough and the recent bushfire devastation has reminded me of this. It doesn’t matter what part of our wonderful country you live in, there is no doubt you would be touched in some way by the horrific tragedy of the…
