Jeepers, there’s a lot of schools out there trying to do something about Student Voice as a key objective in their strategic plans. Which kind of tells me that there might be something wrong with the way we collect data on this topic – but that’s probably a topic for another Home Truth. Rather than…
Today, I’m heading out for lunch with my great mate Martin “Bucko” Buchanan. We’re celebrating that he’s turning 50 … and that I’m not … yet. Bucko is one of those presences in my life that has slowly become an unquestioned constant. I guess that can happen when you’ve been friends for 37 years. Over…
Cages have two key components – bars and the gaps between the bars. And when we try to improve student behaviour in schools with systems of control – such as programs, rules, matrices and policies – we build an impressive cage of sturdy bars. The problem we have is that student behaviour cares not for…
The phone on my Principal’s desk rang and I didn’t even get the opportunity to say “Hello”. “Get down here now!” shrieked my panicked Year 5 teacher, an educator usually calm and highly competent. In the background I could hear the enraged screaming of a 10-year-old boy’s voice. I knew that voice. On my hasty arrival at…
I remember my Prep teacher, Mrs Wardle. I know that not everyone can remember their Prep teacher, but I can. I can’t remember anything about what she taught me, but I remember feeling cared for, safe and comfortable in her presence. She was such a kind woman. I also remember my Year 11 Maths teacher,…
Due to some genuinely misspent time viewing late night crime dramas on TV, I have come to a conclusion that post-mortems are bad. Let’s be honest, it’s an already dead person – often brutally murdered – being unceremoniously picked over by a scientist. There seems to be some assumption that finding the one stab wound that finally…
If you hark back to your own days at school and to your favourite teachers, it’s likely that those inspiring and influential educators you reimagined had two common qualities about them – they were firm, but fair. The very best teachers make an art of this simple understanding. From a firm point of view, that teacher…
I watched Linda Cliatt-Wayman’s famed TED Talk How To Fix A Broken School, for the first time several years ago now. But something she said during it stuck with me. “Eliminating excuses at every turn became my primary responsibility.” Primary responsibility. Cliatt-Wayman’s philosophy is simple. Students who start behind the 8-ball needn’t spend their years…
One justification I often hear for punitive or zero tolerance responses to behavioural challenges in schools is that it prepares students for the realities of “the big bad world”. I can understand the sentiment. There certainly are punishments for adults who break rules and laws. So, the notion seems sound that, if kids get away…
The hardest workout has gotta be the first one. I’m not a particularly fit guy, but I’m currently in a pretty healthy habit around daily exercise. I attend a local backyard gym run by young, local footballers. I’m the oldest and fattest person there – but they’re really helpful and kind. Through their support, understanding…