Ep15 - Why One Teacher Still Loves School: Finding the Magic in the Classroom - with guest, Poppy Artwork

Honey should we homeschool?

Join us, Tom and Leah, UK based parents, on a deep dive into both the school and home education systems as we try and figure out which route is best for our children.We'll be exploring some of the most talked about challenges of both home and state funded education methods. Trying to take an objective view and using scientific research where possible. We will also be interviewing people from both sides of these drastically different worlds. Whether you're interested in potentially home schooling or just fascinated as to why people would, we look forward to sharing what we find with you.

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Honey should we homeschool?

Ep15 - Why One Teacher Still Loves School: Finding the Magic in the Classroom - with guest, Poppy

June 09, 2025 • Tom and Leah • Season 1 • Episode 15

0:00 | 1:18:51

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Can school be magical? In this episode, we talk to Poppy, a passionate teacher who still loves the classroom and offers a hopeful perspective from a school setting. She shares what drew her to teaching, how she creates joyful learning experiences with her “teacher magic,” and why she believes school can offer something special.

You can find Poppy on instagram @theteacherwithpinkhair
Links mentioned in the show:

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Intro to Poppy

What areas of school do you teach in at the moment?

How was your experience of school as a child?

What helped shape your early experiences?

What inspired you to want to teach?

What are your initial thoughts about those who choose to home educate?

How much screen time do they have at their school, and what are your thoughts on screentime?

What is unstructured play and how much time do you get for it, and how is that given throughout the day?

How many are in your class, and how do they allocate?

How much time do they get for outdoor play and physical education?

How do kids at school socialise?

What do you think of the curriculum, and how do you think that has changed the shape of things like learning to read?

As a teacher what do you think the biggest challenges you face today are? SEN, and sifferent types of SEN support

If you could change anything about how schools are run, what would it be?

What are your thoughts on home education? Flipped question to us, how would we go about going through secondary?

What do you think are the advantages of school over home ed and vice versa?

What is teacher magic and how do you make school magical and fun?

If you had unlimited resources how would you design the perfect learning environment?

Have you got any resource recommendations?

Do you agree with Sir Ken Robinson?!

How would you approach teaching different age groups together?

If you did have children and you did choose to home ed, how would you structure it?

Do you have any tips or advice for those that are at the crossroads of school or home ed?

Is there anything else you want to mention to our listeners?

Leah

Co-host

Tom

Co-host