Hi there, teachers. Welcome to the Unteachables Podcast. I'm your host, Claire English, and I am just a fellow teacher, a toddler mama, and a big old behaviour nerd on a mission to demystify and simplify that little thing called classroom management. The way we've all been taught to manage behaviour and classroom manage has left us playing crowd control, which is not something I subscribe to because we're not balancers, we're teachers. So listen in as I walk you through the game-changing strategies, and I mean the things that we can actually do and action in our classrooms that will allow you to lean into your beautiful values as a compassionate educator and feel empowered to run your room with a little more calm and dare I say it, a lot less chaos. I will see you in the episode. Hello everyone, and welcome to the Unteachables Podcast. We're coming to you live from EduTech 2026, booth 1216, the home of the Unteachables Podcast for the next two days, where I'll be sitting down with some incredible educators, leaders, innovators, and keynote speakers from across the country. But before I put them in the hot seats, I thought it was only fair that I spend a few minutes in it myself. Joining me is my best friend and fellow teacher Jess, who is helping out here at the booth today. Rather than me doing the interviewing, she is going to be turning the tables on me and asking me some big questions that you have been asking over on Instagram and in my inbox. Just hot topics that have come up in our teaching community. So whether you've been following the Unteachables for years or you've just stumbled across us here at EduTech, this is a chance for you to get to know me. Here's some of my thoughts on classroom management, behaviour, teaching, and more. Jess, I am officially handing over the microphone.
SPEAKER_00Hi, I'm so excited for this. I can't wait to put you in the hot
seat. So, first question: What's the biggest mistake teachers make when trying to manage behavior?
SPEAKER_01I have not planned for these questions at all. Good luck. Just letting you know. I think the biggest mistake that teachers make when managing behavior is it's just about the behavior itself. So rather than realizing that behavior management or classroom management is this huge puzzle that has a million pieces, uh, it is seen as this really like granular thing about just behavior. So what is actually happening in the room and reacting to that and reacting to that and reacting to that rather than being something that is seen as like holistic. And I don't mean that in like a woo-woo way. I'm like, when you walk into the classroom before that behavior even emerges or presents itself, what are our routines like? How are we de-escalating things before they happen? Uh, what is the work that they're doing in front of them? Is it scaffolded? Do they feel successful? Um, there's just so many parts to classroom management that need to be
addressed and considered. And the biggest mistake that we do make about behaviour is that we think about it as just behavior, and it's not. It's so much more nuanced and it's so much more complicated than that.
SPEAKER_00I love that. Great answer. So I'm wondering, question two, can you be too nice as a teacher?
SPEAKER_01I think when we say nice, we think uh, like, I don't think you can be too kind as a teacher, but I think the person that asked this question must have been thinking of it in a way that was more permissive rather than kind or nice. I think that you can definitely, if you are by nature a very compassionate, kind person and you go into the profession for that reason, it can be very easy to slip into a role in the classroom as like a leader that is a bit more permissive. Um, and that's not you being too kind, that's you being too permissive. We can balance the compassion and the kindness and um, you know, the love that we have for our job and the care that we have for our students with being a really strong, credible teacher. So I don't think you can be too nice, um, but it's just about balancing the niceties and the way that we build rapport with our students and the you know, the compassion that we show them with those other things that make us a really strong classroom leader as well. Amazing.
SPEAKER_00What's one strategy that doesn't get talked about enough?
SPEAKER_01Uh, I think it's routines. Um, I think routines are spoken about a lot in a sense of uh like packing up, like coming into the classroom, how to like when you need to go to the toilet, what do you do and all of those things? But routines should be like the absolute heartbeat of your lesson. And you if you're not treating them as something that is foundational to absolutely everything that you do as a teacher, then you're not giving routines the attention that they really deserve. And I'm saying like everything. So when you walk into the classroom, what are the students doing? When they sit down, how do they know how to be successful of what they're doing? Are they going to be able to, um, when they finish, you know, finish a task early? Do they know what to do when they finish that task early? Is there a process for them to follow? Or are they going to be putting their hand up saying, I'm done, even though they're not really done? And then you are then split into 50 different people trying to manage the room. Um, solid routines,
like an you know, exit routine, solid routines. I talk about them like being different teaching assistants in the room. Um, and every single routine that you have in place is like having another support person in the room because it's supporting students to do what they need to do, how they need to do it, and just taking that pressure off us. And we are just inundated with things as teachers, and if we can just take that pressure off ourselves through those routines that are running the room, um, we need to be doing that. Otherwise, it's just it's too much in the classroom.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I'd like to dive a little bit deeper into that if that's okay. It's really hard to overhaul all of your routines all at once. Yeah. So if you could give some practical advice to a teacher who knows that they need to address their routines, what routine do you think has the biggest impact or um should be the first focus for a teacher?
SPEAKER_01I think it depends on what the biggest pain point in your lesson is. So if you're finding that your students are not coming in and settling immediately, if they're coming in drips and drabs, if they're not starting immediately, if they're not sitting down, if they're having a chit-chat when you want them to be doing something else, then start with your entry routine and think about, okay, well, when they come into the room, what are they actually physically doing? And it should always be a very quick, easy, three to five minute pen to paper settling activity. It can be related to the lesson, it can be something social, emotional, learning-based, like it can be just something they're able to do successfully. If you're finding that you're standing at the door at the end of the lesson and students are packing up early, there's chaos, and they're pushing at the door and they're wanting to leave, and you feel like you're the bouncer at the end of the lesson, then definitely start with a solid exit routine. And I bookend it. So I make sure I've got like a starter activity and then I've got an exit activity as well. And the reason I have that exit activity is to make sure that it's reinforcing my expectations of until the bell, until the very end of the lesson, we're working, we're doing something meaningful, and I'll be expecting to see that. So on the way out, you're going to be handing me that. So um, it just creates a little bit of a buffer for us as well as teachers. So just look at the pain points in your lesson. Like, when are you feeling the most overwhelmed? When are you feeling uh like you're finding it really hard to manage the room, and start with a routine around that.
SPEAKER_00That's fantastic. And I love that old saying of the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do. I do. Which is so easy to say but hard to uh enforce. But that routines would really be at the center of that.
SPEAKER_01I feel like the the times that I've said the the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do, is when I've literally been yelling at as students are leaving the room on the bell. The bell doesn't dismiss you too. It's too late.
SPEAKER_00Okay, what is the biggest myth about student behavior?
SPEAKER_01Uh uh, I think thinking about low-level disruption, people approach low-level behaviors as something that needs to be addressed as the the same as the bigger behaviors, where uh like it's never gonna work. Like if we look at each, just say you've got a class of 30 students and there's all of those low-level disruptions happening all at once, there's no human way that you'll be able to address each of those behaviors individually in the moment without spending hours and hours of extra time calling home or you know, addressing them after class, having restorative conversations. I think what we get wrong is we try to respond to low-level behaviors rather than mitigate them. All the things we spoke about routines, those are the kind of things that will reduce low-level disruption. If we go, Johnny, like put your
phone away, or Johnny, like get your legs off the table. Johnny, stop talking. If we're constantly nagging at the low-level disruption rather than thinking about how we can mitigate it prior, which is a whole thing in itself, um, we're actually never gonna get on top of it, and we're never gonna feel empowered to stop those low-level behaviors from happening and stopping our class from learning. So I think it's if I had to choose one thing, it would be that. It would be about the way that we see low-level disruption. And it really is one of the most misunderstood things in teaching, I feel. Um, and I fall in, I fell into that like trap so many times where I'd be like, oh my god, like I go to my head teacher, I've got this student in my class, they won't stop doing that, that, that. There's like a list of 30 things they've done. I've been like putting their name on the board with crosses, and it just it's the same thing over and over again. It's like, you know, Groundhog Day.
SPEAKER_00So I think that it's good then that we spoke about um the routines because like you said, it's it's better to um preempt or to I mean, what's the word?
SPEAKER_01It's mitigate. Yeah, it's better to mitigate, yeah, reducing them. So like you're putting it through a filter, you know, and then the behaviors that are still happening after you've put the filters through of regulation, routines, thinking about the teaching and learning and whether or not that's really accessible for students, when you've put those things in place, you're alleviating a lot of the pressure on those low-level disruptions because you're reinforcing your expectations, you're putting the supports in place, you've got the appropriate challenge there. And then when behaviors still do pop up, because they will, because we're human beings and that's just what happens, uh, like you'll have far less to deal with. And then you can make the phone call if you need to, and then you can, you know, chat to a student after class and it just be like a couple rather than the 15 that are causing disruption.
SPEAKER_00I find that low-level disruptions can make you feel like the most dysregulated because it's just constant, and I feel like your cup just gets fuller and fuller and fuller, and then you just reach a point where you sort of say to yourself, All right, well, tomorrow I'm gonna be even more on top of it. I'm gonna be even more strict because you want a way to like put a lid on it to make you like to make you feel like you're more in control. So I feel like the more that low-level behavior continues, the more punitive you can become because you feel so dysregulated and you don't have a way to you're like you're trying to teach at the same time, you're not just existing in a room with people. Um, you're actually trying to get through complex content and you're just juggling so many things at the same time. So I love that if you have some routines that you can try with your class to you know set the tone for the lesson, that that can actually help you regulate and gives the ch the children a space to regulate as well. Yeah. And then you don't finish the lesson like with your fists clenched, thinking, oh, tomorrow I need to like be way, you know, more strict. Because I feel like that's a cycle that I have been in before, and actually it's not helpful. It's not about your strictness that you know, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But it's a part is it's a part of being very human where when we're in a situation where we've got all of those low-level disruptions, you said control. A lack of control is a lack of felt safety for us as teachers. And when we don't feel safe, our nervous systems don't feel safe, we will do anything that we can to try to come back into a place of safety. And that is through being more punitive, yelling, um, you know, shout- like all of those things that we're doing is just us needing to get back into control of a situation that we feel so out of control with. And that's exactly why we end up, even though we might be, you know, have a really strong why and be such compassionate teachers and kind teachers, we still end up falling back on the strategies that maybe we were not wanting to fall back on. Maybe they're the strategies that we're like, oh god, I needed a teacher that didn't yell at me, or I need a teacher that did support me. We end up becoming the exact teachers that we didn't want to become. Yes. Because we don't feel safe in that space.
SPEAKER_00So I think students need routines, but teachers probably need routines as much. Yes, yes, absolutely. Especially if you're a high school teacher and you're going from classroom to classroom, yeah, a different cohort of students every 40 minutes to an hour. Yeah. I mean, I'm not a high school teacher, but does that make you dysregulated as well? Like if you're moving from space to space?
SPEAKER_01Switching, switching, switching all the time, and also different the needs of different student groups. Um, like you might have a year seven group, then you'll have a year 12 group that have completely different needs and they have completely different, like there's different demands in each of those classes. If you as a teacher know that even having a starter routine where you will be able to mark the role at the start of the lesson, because you know you've got that three minutes just to get your head together. You've got the starter activity there, you know students will come in a certain way, you've got that three minutes of breathing space just to like put something up on the board or get your slides ready if you uh moving from classroom to classroom. Um, routines alleviate a lot of the pressure and stress for us as well. Yes. And if you do it right, it's just a system you have in place all of the time. It's not extra work every lesson. Yes. It's just like the heartbeat of your lesson that you can kind of rely on.
SPEAKER_00And you do have an incredible routines bundle, I must say, that does like actually take all of that planning off your plate as well. And would you say that teachers who do go from like a year seven class to a year 12 class can use those same entry routines no matter the grade? Absolutely. Yeah. Amazing.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, absolutely. I think it's just about knowing, like students knowing what they're gonna do when they come in, students knowing what to expect when they leave the room. And as long as you're clear on that, you can use my resources, you can use your own resources. I mean, mine make it a hell of a lot easier. And they are so good. Thank you. Um, and it just gives it a lot more novelty as well, because if you have routines that students are rolling their eyes like going, oh god, okay, like she's got and I I honestly like I had some really bad starters in my time, and I was like, this routine sucks, like I hate having to do a do now, I hate this. Um, once you have a really uh well run routine, but then you add that little bit of novelty into it, it can be game-changing for the toughest of classes. It's amazing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00All right, let's do a rapid fire bin or win. Okay. Okay. I'm really looking forward to hearing your answers for these. Can I elaborate? Well, I mean, it's your show. Who am I to say?
unknownGo.
SPEAKER_01All right, seating plans. Win. A big, big, big win. I don't even care if that makes me old school. Am I allowed to elaborate? Yeah, go. Um look, I'm all for like student autonomy and flexibility. If you want to break them up into groups after, be my guest. I don't care what you do, but thinking about the heartbeat of the lesson, the routines that you have. If you can have students coming in knowing exactly where they're sitting, it's the path of least resistance to them getting started. What you don't want is students coming going, oh, today I feel like sitting next to this person. You stole my seat. I want to sit here, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Just the path of least resistance to you getting the students in the room. You might have a group of students
who are wonderfully like capable of sorting themselves out at the start of the lesson. Um, but as a rule of thumb, I would always make sure I have a seating plan.
SPEAKER_00And that's before you even have met the students. Like it's just yeah, that's true. It's not like this class is dysregulated or challenging. I will give them a seating, but everyone. Everyone, everyone.
SPEAKER_01It's from the get-go. And I always just frame it at the start of the year, like I need to get to know your names, which I do. So I'm it makes it easier for me. And as secondary teachers, we have hundreds of students. Um, but that just then sets the tone for this is just what we do in this classroom. Amazing. Yeah, great. Phone bans. Oh, it's a hard one. I'm gonna say win. Just because even as an adult, I find I am constantly dopamine seeking with my phone as well, and I can't expect a student with less regulation skills to be able to do that in a classroom setting.
SPEAKER_00And then isn't it easier also if there is a phone ban when they are using a phone, you have a way to do that?
SPEAKER_01I guess it's like a more black and it's like a more black and white expectation, which I I do think that students when they like phones have become such an issue in so many ways and and have impacted the mental health of students so much. I mean, school should be a safe place. And even though there's pushback, I think that a phone ban creates a safer environment. Um, but of course there's caveats that as well, like there's always gonna be some nuance, but for the purposes of today, I'm just gonna say ban. Um, sorry, win.
unknownWin.
SPEAKER_01Ban? Win. Bin, win.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's either bin or win. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Um, reward systems.
SPEAKER_00Bin. I I knew you were gonna say why?
SPEAKER_01Because the rewards just lose their shine, and what's the point? They're gonna lose their shine. The students are going to only work if they're thinking that there's going to be something they get from it. It doesn't build intrinsic motivation. Um, again, there are like nuances to it. So neurodivergent students sometimes really do respond well to reward systems, but as a blanket thing, not as like an individualized, you know, kind of support. Yeah. I'd say bin. Okay. Yeah. Group work. Bin. Too hard. Just as a personal, just as a personal um opinion. Like, you know, I just hated doing group work. I know that it can be really beneficial. Um, of course, it's a win if you can do it properly and all that stuff, but um from a nervous system perspective from a teacher, it's it can get in the bin, you know. Get in the bin. Get in the bin. All right, homework. Oh, bin. I don't know. It's so hard because I know that student students then go into further education where they have to do homework, but they also have less like face-to-face teaching to do that. I think that there need to be some kind of boundaries that we set with humans from a very young age that says, like, you deserve time with your family, you deserve time for yourself, you deserve time to like I'm all for reading a book, but I would be doing that at home anyway. And I don't think that necessarily there are some parents that might need that mandated for them, like, and to you know, be encouraged strongly to do that. Um, but I would be more of the opinion that family time after a really big day at school, sitting around a table talking with your carers' parents, um, reading a book to go to beds, I think that that would be more beneficial than homework that doesn't serve a very specific purpose.
SPEAKER_00I I mean, as a primary school teacher, I've worked at schools where homework is the school policy, and it almost doesn't matter what you believe as a teacher.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Families don't even necessarily agree with it, and it's a very awkward situation because I agree, like, I don't think homework is necessary, like for the most part, especially in primary school. Yeah. And I think that the argument about like setting good routines um with homework. I mean, there's time for that. It doesn't have to start in kindergarten or you one or you two. Yeah. Um with the aside of reading, of course. Yeah. Um, it is a tricky one. Yeah. Because I have personally felt that I don't want to set it. Yeah. And I have been you've been made.
SPEAKER_01I basically been forced too. Same as in high school. Like, I haven't set homework for those younger grades because I'm like, if you do your work in class and I've set up, you know, all that kind of stuff, and I've had parents asking for it. Like it's yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Icebreakers win in the right way. I hate icebreakers personally. So do I. I mean, like, if you asked me to do an icebreaker right now, I would put you in the bin. Two truths and a lie. Uh, but that that's a good point because I think the reason icebreakers can really suck is because they require a lot of social risk. And if you're trying to develop rapport and community and all of those things for the class, it's more than just a one-and-done thing on the first day. Yes. Um, and something like Two Truths and a lie, if you're going around the classroom and you're asking students to do two truths and a lie, that student isn't listening to anything the other students are saying because they're just thinking about what their two truths and a lie, like, bloody hell, like what am I gonna say? You're not actually going to get that like community building that you want from your students. So, yes, in the right way, but also just knowing that developing rapport on the first kind of day of school or you know, week of school, but then making sure it's drip fed in throughout the whole year as well.
SPEAKER_00And I will just plug your routines bundle because I do think that there are a lot of activities in there that they're not icebreakers, but they allow you to get to know your students um and their unique perspective on things, like you have the this and that and I love that you know my work though, that's nice.
SPEAKER_01Okay, you see it enough.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, so I will just plug your brain break um slides because I think that what you're talking about um in terms of like icebreakers not just or you know, get to know your activities not just being for the first day. Yeah. I love that bundle because it gives You have an opportunity to get to know your students, like with this or that, and the other um activities that you have. And I think that students would really appreciate you taking that time to get to know them. I know that the strongest relationships and the safest relationships I had in high school were for teachers who honestly didn't put that much effort in but knew me or knew something about me that felt like I was more than just a person.
SPEAKER_01It's just about opening opportunities for like genuine, meaningful discussion, chat, even if that's three minutes a day. That's all you need. Just to it's just about you can't force connection, you can't force things to happen, but if you're opening up opportunities for that, that's all you can do as a teacher.
SPEAKER_00And also like getting involved with the activities yourself. I absolutely having a bit of a laugh. Yeah. Yeah. And um hopefully being able to transition from that into yes, meaningful work. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Um, but you're gonna get so much more buy-in by doing that. So even if it's like, you know, just when you're transitioning between things, maybe you're going from an individual activity to a group activity and you need to like, you know, get the like upregulate the energy a little bit and get them talking and get them more comfortable, um, dropping a little three-minute thing in is building community and it's shifting modes.
SPEAKER_00I love that as well, because we often think about you know, helping students down-regulate. Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_01But upregulate is just as important. And I always think about like what what brain state is required for the lesson that like this part of the lesson that I'm doing. If I am transitioning into like an independent task, I'm going to be down-regulating them so they can switch on their prefrontal cortex. If I'm doing something that requires a little bit more energy and a bit more movement, something like let's do a quick this or that round where you have to go to like the different sides of the classroom. You know? That's so good.
SPEAKER_00All right. Whole class consequences. Bin.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. I've done it. Say no more. Uh have I done it? Yes. Did I do it for many years? Yes. Um, but I don't think the whole group should and it just builds so much resentment for you as the teacher. It builds so much resentment.
SPEAKER_00And also I think that students aren't going to feel safe coming to you if they have a problem, if they feel like you're going to punish the whole class as a result. Why would why would they come to you? Why would they tell you anything or yeah, you know.
SPEAKER_01And it just like it breeds resentment within like amongst students as well. But there's other ways that you can do it. Again, what we were talking about before though, like the safety of the teacher. If we feel dysregulated, if we feel like we're not in control, it kind of, if you're doing a whole class consequence, you're putting like minutes on the board, for example, you find that the class starts to police itself and you start to have students going, shut up, man, like we have to stay in for the for the rest of the lesson. And I think that that is a really big draw card for a teacher who needs to get back into control. Yes. Um, but I don't think it makes it the best strategy.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. And is that like a state of mind where you know the learning is going to happen as well when they're so I don't know, on edge? Yeah, yeah. And angry and resentful towards each other. Yeah. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Okay, open plan classrooms. I'm I'm actually speaking with one of the keynote speakers later on about how successful her and her school has been with open plan classrooms. But I have never found it successful. I think maybe because of the context I've taught in, I don't know, but I find it really hard. I find it really, really hard. I mean, per I do a personal bin.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_01Personal bin. But you can come back to that. Personal bin, but let me just like go and speak to this other educator and then I'll I'll circle back.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Teacher talk. Am I a hypocrite because I'm saying bin? Um, no, so obviously I'm on Instagram and So am I can follow me. Yes. The Sydney teacher. Shameless plug. Why not? James, cut it out. Um, no, the reason. Okay, so teacher talk. The only thing that I really it really gives me the ick is um filming in your classroom and creating content with your students present, even if their faces aren't there. I just it gives me the ick as a parent. And if I saw my students, my students, my child's teacher filming a lesson and I could hear my child's voice and I was on TikTok, like it actually makes me feel funny enough talking about it. So um yeah, I just don't think there's any benefit to it. I don't, I don't know why. Yeah. You can send me a hate message about that if you want, but like I I honestly don't understand why you have to have your students present and what message you're trying to send through that. Like I've made a very big point throughout my because I have started, I started the Unteachables five years ago. I never once posted in my classroom, I've never once posted myself teaching. It does, it doesn't dilute my message either. It doesn't dilute the message of me supporting you with classroom management because I'm not standing in a classroom. Um, and that's been something that's really important to me. I get real funny about it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I agree. Because I think like if you're about to teach a lesson and you're thinking, oh, hang on, I need to set up my tripod in order to film this content, yeah, you're not your mind is not on the children.
SPEAKER_01What is your goal? Yes. What's that word I'm looking for? The intention. Yes. What is the intention behind setting up a tripod and recording yourself teaching? Is it for views and likes? Yes. Or is it to support other teachers with something?
SPEAKER_00Yes. You know, that's because I think that you could model a lesson in your classroom without the children present because you have if you truly wanted to, you know. Or model strategies because it's clear.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. But for the children to be in the room, and as you said, like now that I'm a parent, if I saw my child in a teacher's content, I would have to shut up their head or even just heard their little voice and knew that they were present.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. Yeah. Nothing is to be said more about that.
SPEAKER_00Okay, restorative con conversation. Restorative conversations.
SPEAKER_01Restorative conversations, bin or win? Definite win, but I'm going to bin the way that teachers are talked to about it and the way that they're expected to run these conversations. Because it's like this blanket, like we're a restorative school. Teachers are expected to run these really complicated, long conversations with educator and with students, and they haven't been properly equipped to do that. And it can be really hard. Like they take a lot of skill, they take a lot of time. So I think they're a definite win. Um, that's why I teach teachers to do them in a way that is quicker and more teacher-friendly. Like I've got like quick, like quick scripts for it. Restorative conversations is is born from restorative justice.
SPEAKER_02Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um, so it's not for a classroom setting. So a big win for restorative conversations, but the way that it's taught to teachers and teachers are supported to do these effectively needs work.
Yeah, and I would agree with that because I've tried to run um these conversations. And when do you do it?
SPEAKER_01You do it in your lunchtime and then you know the bell goes. And they need so much time. Yes. Yeah. And there needs to be a lot of pre-work to these conversations as well. And I spent, I think I've spent, I think it was a two a full two-week course on running these conversations to get to a point where I'm like, okay, I feel a bit more confident now and I can start to adapt it to my context. But it is really like it takes a lot of confidence. Do you think that that should be taught in universities then? Um there's a lot of things that should be taught in universities, yeah. Because I've never done that.
SPEAKER_00Like I've tried to run them and you know, try to do the right thing. Yeah.
SPEAKER_01But yeah, I mean, if they're trying to make it a priority, yes.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00All right, last one. AI in schools, bin or win.
SPEAKER_01Uh again, I'm going to uh caveat that with I'm gonna be speaking to someone later on about AI in schools. And I actually just saw um a post. I think where was the school? I think it was in China, don't hold me to that, where um they were teaching students to use AI, like they've made it a part of the curriculum. I just don't it's hard because I know that the future's moving forward. Like I know that this is really important for us to be aware of, and if we don't teach students this, and if teachers aren't using this, then we're gonna be left behind in a sense we need to be utilizing this resource. But I can't get past the environmental impact of AI. Like, I I'm it makes me feel sick to my stomach. Um, I'm really struggling with that morally. I think AI recently has been a really difficult thing for me to like kind of get my head around. So I'm not gonna say bin or win, I'm just gonna say watch this space and I'll learn more about it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I love that. Yeah, okay. One more question for you. Okay, it's a big one. Oh god. What's one hill you'll die on as an educator?
SPEAKER_01Just one hill. One hill I'll die on as an educator. God. Um, that teachers are nowhere near equipped enough for the demands of a modern-day classroom, and we're failing young teachers immensely. If I'm gonna say like one big, big thing, it would have to be that. I think that young teachers are being failed every day, and I think I was failed in in some ways when I was a new teacher. I think we're just not equipped to kind of get into a classroom and teach and classroom manage. Um, and the hill I'll die on is that we need to completely overhaul what we're being taught in teacher training. Um, if you're listening out there from university, get in touch. I would love to speak to you. Uh, but yeah, that's that's the hill I die on. Yeah, fantastic. Okay, that is it. Thank you so much, Jess, for putting me in the hot seat.
SPEAKER_00It was so much fun, thank you.
SPEAKER_01And thank you for all of those of you listening. I shall see you next time in our teachers podcast. Woo! Woo!