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Preparing your kids for school is a bit like the great unknown – who knows what will happen!
Matt and Ash are gearing up to send Marlie and Oscar off to big school. While orientation has the kids prepared, the parents are not so sure.
To help with this, the dads welcome Mr. Luke the Teacher, a loved online educator with over 3 million followers on TikTok and Instagram.
Mr. Luke shares invaluable advice on preparing kids—and parents—for starting school, tackling topics like handling bullying, readiness strategies, and even the occasional need to take kids out of school.
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Ash, Yes, we survived our kids school orientation before they jump into the real thing. Do you know what, right now, it's all starting to feel very real.
Look, I nearly cry every time I think about it.
Not I can't wait to not have to pay daycare fees anymore because Oscar.
Will we go into a public school?
Yeah, I can't wait either. I feel like Marley, she's very ready and as scary as it is, it's the right thing to do.
I think as a parent, I need some more prep. I'm obviously going to big school.
He's had all the prep, but I haven't had enough.
Luckily, we have mister Luke the teacher to share his very insightful thoughts on how to get your family ready for the big transition to school.
Matty has a whopping three million follows across TikTok and Instagram, which tells me a lot.
Tells me there's a lot of parents out there that need to be schooled by mister Luke.
We ask him all of your burning questions about bullying getting kids ready for the big transition, as well as if you remember, Ash, we had the question a little while ago taking kids out of school for holiday. He answers them all.
Let's go.
Welcome back to two doting dads a one doting teacher.
I am Maddie j I'm ash and I'm a listening. I've already stopped it up. I'm mister Luke. It's going great. I will show myself out. That's perfect.
This is a podcast all about parenting. It is the good, it is.
The bad and the relatable.
And if you've come for advice, well, definitely you're in the right place this time. Absolutely one percent. We don't give advice, mister Luke when we never do it.
We're not experts.
Okay, but I can see you've got advice already written down.
I have my notes.
I am.
I am very well prepared today for those listening.
Luke's turned up with a notebook, so first to turn up with a notebook and our first non parent.
So welcome and thank you for joining us. Thank you very much for having me. It's yeah, it's a pleasure to be here. And hopefully I can, I guess, give some type of advice today.
I do have a question that I don't think you've written down these notes for the answer in your book, but I'm just going to fire it at you straight away your hair, shampoo conditioner? What are you using? Was your routine?
Look?
I wish I had a better one than what I currently have. I use like a doing one.
I don't think I've washed my hair and yeah.
People will be so annoyed by that because I had Sony messages going his hair's amazing.
How does he do it? It's a doing one.
Yeah, I should probably, Yeah, I should probably actually take more care of it.
And how often are we washing? Like once a week?
Probably twice a week?
Yeah?
How long have you had long hair for? Years now?
Yeah?
Years?
I'm pretty tempted to go as short as you really. Yeah, I think that could be fun.
I keep thinking like I want to grow my hair, and I get to an awkward stage like take it off, take it up right? Yeah?
Could you imagine the kids though, if you came in with a shaved head.
And I just didn't tell them, I think that they would it would traumatize. Yeah, there would be a lot of questions and a lot of a lot of concern like.
Who are you?
It's me?
I want to ask why teaching it is the bomb dot com. Being an educator is honestly amazing. You get to transform lives, and yeah, you don't really know where your impact finishes, I guess, particularly now that I teach like the little humans.
First year of first year of school.
We call it reception in South Australia, prep KINDI pre school, Yeah, a bunch of different names. But yeah, playing like playing in this like first year of big school space is really really fun because they're just like little sponges. I'm sure you guys have little ones, so you know that they just take everything on board, right, Yeah?
So yeah, annoyingly, where was that seed planted for you? Like, where did that appreciation for teaching come from? Was it when you were younger and you were in pre school or reception?
Yeah, whatever it's called.
My grandparents on my dad's side were both educators and they traveled the world teaching here, there and everywhere, which was really cool. So it's all I like to think it's in the blood. I've got a five year old, No, I don't hold on, rewind, I've got a brother who's five years younger than me, so growing up kind of showing him the ropes as we as we went.
Along, that was there as well.
I got really greedy in grade twelve though, because going I guess going through high school and everything, you think, oh, yeah, teaching, I did like a like a play school or not play school, like a playgroup type class that I got to be part of in grade eleven, so I knew education was probably going to be there. Grade twelve got super duper greedy, though, and went cool, do I want to go teaching or do I want to go like bachelor business specializing in property and like flip houses and like make millions.
Opposite right, And I was like, yeah, let's do that.
Graduate Grade twelve went straight into UNI focused on business property, lasted like two thirds of the year.
Absolutely hated it.
There was no passion, no desire whatsoever to third for a year, transferred into education.
And the rest of his history, I've never been happier. So you could have been on billboards.
This with that shaved head right, a completely different person. Absolutely, That's crazy how things work out like that. What made you just decide to do you know that that age group like it's such like you said, there's tiny minds like sponges.
Were you just drawn to that age group or.
Did you have other options that you I had other options, And when I first I guess graduated, graduated Union was in a primary school setting. I was specializing in p and also it so I was like a sporty nerd.
Combo was really fun.
But then after being a specialist in teaching, I guess from prep reception all the way through to grade seven at the time, that was really call. You got to make connections through the entire school and kind of have that relationship with all the students there, which was really fun. But a part of me did feel like I was missing out that kind of classroom experience. So after a couple of years of specialist teacher, I went into the classroom setting teaching grade four.
I was there for a couple of years, thought that.
Was fun, but dropped down to grade three and then was there for a couple of years, had fun, and then a position opened in first year of big school, and yeah, my principal at the time, it's like, hey, what do you think. Okay, I'll give it a crack. She's like, I'll hold your hand and show you the ropes and everything. And from day one it was like, oh cool, I'm going to be here until I retire.
Wow.
Was that feeling of like, ah, I've found my people was that similar when you started a UNI work, when you dropped hundred percent. Do you remember what it was like day one when you walked in and you're now doing your education?
Absolutely, that feeling of oh, this is where I'm supposed to be.
Your grandparents must have been like we knew you'd come back.
Got there in the end, went for a bargain.
Like when you're studying to be a teacher, the way in which you teach them. For anyone who's not following you on socials, to me, you're you've raised the bar so incredibly high. You're like we always kind of refer to you as like the Mishoney. You're so invested. Your rooms are like decorated. You know, you're going above and beyond. Were you already like that when you were studying or was there someone who made you be like that?
I was pretty committed from the get go.
I think once once you find something you're so passionate about, it just easy happens.
Love being a teacher.
I couldn't see myself doing anything else, even like, there's no way I could be selling houses right now.
It just wouldn't work. It's a really cool feeling.
Yeah, it's crazy when I watched your content and growing up, I never had a teacher like you, and I thought maybe maybe things would have been different if I did have a teacher like you. I felt like I definitely had teachers that I loved and I liked, and you sort of feel form bonds with.
But like watching your content and.
The way that you sort of engage kids and everything around them, just seeing so much fun but in a learning environment, it's like, man, like, I wish I had a teach like that, and we hope for our kids that we have.
A teacher like you as well.
That's why we wanted to get you on today so that we can you pick your brain and see where we can we can help the parents of the world try and navigate.
To navigate, yea huge change for not only your little ones, but also for you guys.
It's yeah, it's a big thing coming up.
And like I'm in a situation now where my son's about to go to the primary school.
I went to, Oh, super cool, which is a wild experience for me.
I think I was telling Matt about sort of going to the first orientation. Nothing had changed. Obviously, things get more model, they have to repaint and that because otherwise it would be a concern, But I sort of had a moment where I was like, what's going on here? It actually made me feel a little bit more nervous about the whole situation and how real it is. It took me back to those moments where I felt like uneasy, anxious, scared when I was going to school. Yeah, and it made me worry about Oscar, and I'm sure Matt probably has that same feeling.
Good luck with you become me.
I think that's one thing that everyone, especially parents, and especially if it's if it's your first kid going to school, You're bringing your emotions into the experience as well. And it's something that I'm glad you're aware of it because some people aren't. So some people think that their child's going to have the exact same kind of experience that you had, But time has changed and everything everything is different and it's your kid's turn now.
Yeah, So already, thank you done.
We will ask a couple of questions projects you've been working on and your social media a little bit later, Yeah, but we have some questions ourselves. We also put the call out to our listeners and they've submitted some questions, so we've got a little.
List we're going to fire at you great.
And I guess part of the reason why Ash I'm not as nervous is because right now we have gone through two orientation days with Malie and she is like loving it.
She is so so ready, like a duck to water.
She just loving it like he loves it too. But I think it's me just being more.
I don't know, maybe because you didn't have a nice teacher.
Maybe you know, yes and no. But I think maybe my attachment to that school as well now that I didn't realize I had until I went back and I was like, oh, fuck, Like.
You're probably reliving some stuff.
There was great moments, but there was also really traumatizing moments in my childhood at that school, which we don't go.
Ash is real living primary school one day at a time. My first question is, mister Luke, how do you know when a child is ready for school?
Look, everyone has this kind of different idea of when a child is ready to when they're not. If there's a little bit of I guess hesitancy for or a little one, do we think, oh gosh, maybe they're not ready. I really it's kind of that age bracket of that five four, four, five six. Now with midgar intake, I get a little bit confused about when they start now because it's a little bit younger.
But we're fine.
There's so many different kind of starting positions for kids, so it's really hard when I think other people start to try and compare kids as well and go, oh, wow, you're you're a kid's way ready for school compared to mine, because mine's still you know, a little bit anxious in regusta a separation, like separation issues like that. So I think it's really important to be really mindful that we don't kind of judge what is the number one starting bar because everyone's starting on their own level. And yeah, one thing I love to say is like learning is not a race, it's it's really a journey that and everyone is on their own little journey. So everyone's starting position is going to be a little bit different. There's no kind of tick list to say everyone's like starting on this baseline and now we're off because we're all kind of bringing Yeah, we're all starting at our own different patients.
And especially when you've got like a kid with friends, they all sort of hang out and you're like, well, they seem ready like the compare thing really struck there where it's like you do compare them to a round.
So it's it's very easy to do, right, Yeah, it's easy to compare.
I can't remember where I got this from, but I remember I think I might have seen this online. They were like there was certain you know, can they count to ten? And like can they go to the bathroom by themselves? Is there any checklist that you say to parents if they're saying, well, I don't know whether I should hold much, hold back one more year or send them this year? Do you use a checklist?
Definitely, Like the bathroom's a big one. Definitely some independence around going to the bathroom for sure.
Yeah.
And then what about then from an academic perspective, Yeah, like do you say, oh, they need to be able to count to ten and they need to be able to say the alphabet.
Some base understanding of letters and numbers is always going to be helpful. But if they already know their abc'son one, two threes, you're that's our job like that, like, as an educator, that's that's what we're there for. So yeah, we teach those foundational skills in their first year of big school.
So yeah, and like you're saying, it's a journey and everyone starts in a difference exactly right.
Have you had many cases where a child has started and then you've had to say to the parent, I don't think they're quite ready. We would recommend waiting one more year and starting afresh. Does that ever happen, Well, I believe it probably would happen.
I've never personally experienced it, so I can't talk too much about it. Sounds really uncommon that that would happen. To start and then stay, Oh, actually come back again. You're not quite done cooking yet, Like.
Give it a go. But that was my biggest fear.
I was like, that's why I was so reluctant to send Mary as soon as she was old enough to go, because I was like, but what is it she has to come back?
And because we had a conversation last year that this time last year and you said I'm thinking about sending her and that she would have gone this year, and we did.
I think you deliberated over it, over it a lot, and you.
Would see it all the time, all the time, and even so that when they do send them. They probably still have that feeling in the back of the head. Have I sent them to early? Have I sent them too late? But there's some other questions along the line that might we might be able to get into on that. But I knew with me, I wanted Oscar not to be the smallest fish in a big pond. I wanted him to be more of an average side fish. Maybe in the brain.
There's no problem with holding them back that one extra year if you have your own personal doubts about, oh, you know what are they Are they going to survive six hours by themselves in a new environment. Are they ready to learn and be that kind of individual person with those responsibilities?
You guys are the parents, right, It comes down to that gut instinct.
Okay, So advice on helping kids and parents transition smoothly into prep this is a big one.
I'm going to refer to my notes as well. All Right, we are currently in the of where you do all the orientation.
Yes, like, yeah, you guys have had a couple orientations already.
Look for the transition.
I think there's two sides of this, because we need to look at it for transition for kids and then also transition for parents as well. Both they both play a really kind of big part. So what should we attack first kids or parents?
Kids? Your kids? First kids?
First, I've got like kind of four things I want to focus on. Let's normalize the big feelings about going into a new environment and kind of like the new experience that they're going to go into.
So you know what, if we're nervous, that's going to be okay.
If we're excited then you said, like you're a little ones ready, that's going to be okay as well.
All kids are going to have I guess different feelings to what's coming. So yeah, we're just.
Going to like appreciate that and like validate it for them. Number two, talk about what to expect. I think it's really important that we kind of try and pull back the veil. That's kind of what we do during these transition times and everything is kind of give them a slice of what to expect, and hey, this is what our classroom might look like and everything. A bunch of schools also, and what my school has started to do is kind of open our classroom up before we actually go back like to school. So maybe in like week zero, some schools will open up the classroom so our little ones know where they're sitting, know where their tray is, know where they're going to like hang their bag and everything, and really get a feel for it. And that's something that I guess our parent cohort really appreciated because it, I guess takes away another level of what on earth, Like do I do with my bag on the first day of school?
Like where am I going to sit? What's what's the go? And I love ownership too.
I love ownership, we love routine, we love and like routines or bomb dot com for little people and big people alike. Right, I will happily say read books about going to school as well. There's so many, like amazing books about going to school, about starting school. Warmback goes to School is one that comes to mind, and you just kind of make small little connections about maybe what they're about to experience as well, but through text. And I'm a big avid like gay read every single day.
This is fun.
But there's a bunch of different different books out there about going to school for the first time as well, So yeah, add some of them to your homeland. That's a really cool thing. And then my last one is practicing like build routines. So when I'm talking about like practicing going to big school, what does like wearing a backpack feel?
Like? What do our learning this?
This is why I write notes because I'm like, I only have a short amount of time with you.
Guys, and I wanted to be so let's go. I'm learning everyone super cool?
But yeah, practicing like can they put their uniform on by themselves? Also with uniforms, like is the tag something that's going to actually like.
Get in the way?
And yeah, so if that's something that's going to be like an irritation to them, let's deal with that. Does their hat fit? Can they recognize their own name for their hat? Because you, as parents pay for this. You pay for the jumpers, you pay for the hats, you pay for the bags and everything, name everything, please and thank you.
That is a job for the parents. Please please photocopy that absolutely.
But yeah, and then also probably the biggest one is this is something that parents can do with kids as well. Food and what type of food do we like? What type of food is easy for them to eat, what's allowed to be eating at recess and lunch? But we also need to be really mindful about the language we are using when we're talking about food with kids, because I've experienced some going I can't go out to play yet because Mum or Dad have said I need to eat everything even though I'm full, but I need to like they said, I need to all my food.
I feel like such a bad part.
You're doing great, You're totally blind. This is me on the So yeah, wow, yeah I might do then that's great.
So I could do like a little trial run on like a weekend. When I make lunch, I put it in Marley's lunch blocks and I kind of say like.
Hey, can you open this?
Like yeah, absolutely, give it a go opening like what works, what doesn't work?
We've done the uniform, Yes, what's been happening? So this morning she.
Just worn his uniform every day to kindy. Yeah that's adorable.
Cool.
One kid started wearing it.
Now all the kids. We are already for a big wow.
The food thing is crazy because we always talk to our kids like my kids want to go back outside and jump on the trampoline, and I'm like, got to eat all your dinner first.
It's probably bad because I spew it up at some point.
It's a big time obviously for these little ones, because they're taking that they're taking that ownership now they're they're not with mum or dad or their family man members to say, oh like three more pieces or whatever.
As teachers obviously were.
There to kind of help guide and manage, and we don't want anyone going hungry for the day, so we'll do what we can on our part. But yeah, there's there's a little conversation I think that parents need to be aware of and kind of tips and tricks that make it pleasurable for everyone.
Shall we see?
Yeah, Okay, we're about to blow ash his mind again for the.
For the adults. Okay, so big one. I'm also very scared. No, you're going to be fine. Like deep breath, We've got this. There we go. Model calm excitement the opposite of that. Okay, but what.
I'm referring to there is calm excitement about starting school. So this is for those ones who may be a little bit kind of anxious to start. Modeling this calm excitement and sharing your experiences, your positive experiences to school can really be beneficial in this kind of new stage of life. I've got a big one that I'll leave to last. But my next one is like, trust the teacher. We will look after your little ones because that is our job and we are so passionate about what we're doing, particularly us educators who are who are there for the first year of big school, Like this is our jam, Like we're here for it and we know how big it is for the little ones. For you guys as parents, there's a lot of trust involved, but it actually goes two ways because it's really important that you are really starting a relationship with us as teachers. It's this whole village mentality and everything, and it's all hands on deck to support your little ones. So yeah, we're both bringing things to the table. We're both going to support parents teachers. We're going to support those little ones to the best of our ability. And we've both got big important roles to play. And the biggest one I would say for parents about good buys, good buys and transitions, there's a big build up around these. With all my experiences as an educator and everything, goodbyeers are absolutely tricky. But I've got a couple of things that I want parents to kind of be mindful of. Okay, please don't cry in front of your child. Please please, I know there might be tears of excitement, but what we need to remember is that tears for little ones result or like, have a really strong connection with fear and being sad. Therefore, something's wrong. So if I'm a five year old child and seeing my loved ones cry and even though it's oh, it might be happy tears, something might be wrong.
They must be thinking what the hell is?
And then why are you leaving me in this brand new environment and you're crying? Something's wrong but you're about to say goodbye to me?
Why am I about traumatizing.
Although they might be happy tears because it's a new chapter in life starting, which is very exciting.
Please keep the tears. Save it for the car. Yeah, exactly right, Yeah, the car alone.
Like I do, look after yourself, So make sure you have something in play. A lot of a lot of schools do like like tea and tissues. So you drop off, you drop off your little one. You're keeping it together, You're doing perfectly fine. You're waving, and then you might go into the gym or the library or something and then have a little time with a cup of tea and talk to all the other parents. Who are going through the same thing. So a bunch of schools off of that, which is a really cute thing.
I think as parents we forget too that this like you've brought to the table, that this is about us as well and our transition. You thought about it that much until now.
Rip it off like a band aid. Sometimes it sounds terrifying. The thought of saying goodbye, especially if you're a little one, is a little bit like upset.
And showing some big emotions.
Of the time, if you reassure those feelings, absolutely, but you know what, You're going to be fine, let's like goodbye, I'll see you at the end of the day. Ninety five percent of the time that little one has stopped crying before they've even walked into the classroom. Yeah, because the other five percent it's taken ten minutes. Yeah, and they've had like a like a slow start to the morning because us as educators have realized, you.
Know what, don't unpack your back just yet.
Let's choose like a little friend and go playing like the little calm corner for a moment.
Many times a daycare where I've said goodbye and Lola may be crying and as I'm just about to leave, the doors about to shut and go. Okay, they go, and then I wheel myself away from her and she's crying again. Yeah, yeah, one more huge.
Yeah.
My drop offs are pretty quick. Yeah, but there have been times where like Matt, like exactly, I have Matt where I've had to go back in for a second, or I've even rescue him and we've gone home because there's been there. It wasn't the day, wasn't there.
Yeah.
Every time I've done like a quite clean rip of that band head, usually they've it's been fine.
Yeah, because they've been Why is that still crying?
How do you deal with bullying at such a young age? Can we clarify what bullying is? And disagreements and debarcles with friends are bullying? Is that intentional ongoing behavior that is like real power driven. Everything else is a disagreement with friends and everything.
So it's a blanket term that just gets thrown out.
Exactly right, exactly right.
It was like five year olds, they're best friends and their worst enemies and their best friends.
It's a rotating door, right, rotating door, or exactly right, it's within a couple of minutes, you were best friends, and now you don't want to play together, So now that's bullying. So yeah, we just need to be really mindful about kind of how we're using that word. Obviously, bullying is never okay, and we don't take it lightly at all. And little tiny humans are still understanding how to be a friend and how to successfully have friendships because they're just coming out of this whole notion of we play together. It's parallel play, so it's like both of us are playing in the same pit. We're both building our own thing. But some people might see that as oh, they're friends, they're playing together.
I actually have no idea what you're building. You have no idea what I'm building over.
Here, because we're playing in the same vicinity, we're not actually playing together.
Okay, can I give you a scenario if you have tickers, let's say in the sand pin and let's say one person who is trying to play with the other person and the other person's just saying, I don't want you to play with me, yeah at all, But say it's consistent. How do you say we have to be kind and you have to play with other people. Where's a line of well, you know, we're entitled to our own boundaries.
You have to respect that.
It's a wonderful scenario and it's something that we talk to our class about as well. It's super important that we're all kind. We all need to be kind to each other. However, we don't have to be best friends with everyone as well. So it's all about trying to find that balance of you know, what, are we playing or I don't actually want to play with you right now and that's okay. I think we need to be okay with that being okay because we don't want to force I guess individuals, just like we as adults, we don't want to be forced to work with people if we don't want to all I meant so, yeah, it's just it's about being really mindful. Us as educators can kind of work through that and you know, kind of soften the blows and find I guess other alternate ways to support that one child who's trying to look for someone to play with.
I think the big one that you said, no matter the circumstances, you'd be kind.
We need to teach them how to respectfully like be okay with that.
Okay, good question for me here is how do you deal with challenging behavior from a student.
What counts as challenging behavior?
You can tell us that one was actually from a teacher. Yeah, so I guess if you are dealing with a child who's being disruptive or being unkind, do you smack the kid? It's no, No, we don't, he said.
I think like if you, for example, in class, might be like, you've got a kid who's just disruptive, he's not listening to you, he's not listening to anyone else.
Do you discipline? It's me as a child, So how do we deal with little ash? Yes?
No, Look, it's it's really about having that relationship. I guess us as educators, if this is something that is ongoing, obviously we're going to have communication and have discussions with mums and dads and family members to see if you guys have anything put in place that works with for your little one. Really, it's about I guess, teachers ourselves trying to figure out what scenarios are. I guess bring on that behavior if there's something like if there's something specific learning learning wise, if there's a learning barrier, that it's the behavior is because maybe we're trying to avoid something that we don't want to do, Like, maybe we're not very good at mass, so during mass time, I'm actually just going to play up. So we're going to put some kind of supportive practices in place for that child just to make sure that everyone can learn and that individual can continue to do their best with support in place.
So, yeah, does it help when the relationship with the parent is really good as well?
One?
Yeah, so you have that open dialogue.
Yeah, because you guys might be experiencing exactly the same thing home, but you might have your own little tools in your toolbox that you use really successfully. And if that's something we can replicate in the class for little Ash to be the best.
Version he can be, we want to know about it.
Is there such a thing as end of term fatigue?
Yes?
Can you tell the bags under my eyes right now? For you or the kids, for everyone? End of term fatigue completely a thing, especially for the little ones. I teach over in South Australia. So our first term is eleven weeks, So you're going from like KINDI or like preschool whatever it is, to big school and it's an eleven week term, five days a week.
It's a marathon. Welcome right, that is a marathon.
So and I say that for term one, but end of term there's four terms each of them. Men, So we experienced this a couple of times. End of year exhaustion huge, but end of term exhaustion absolutely a thing for the parents as well. I'm sure you've either.
Felt it or going to feel it.
So it's really important that I guess by the end of term we are starting to kind of dial back. I guess the outside of school commitments as well, you might be dialing back. I guess if there's any kind of like homework policies in place, we're starting to pull back just to kind of like ease the pressure off so we can rest. Rest is vitally important for students, for teachers, for adults.
We all love a good sleep. So by the end of term there is.
A little bit of kind of like take your foot off the gas a little bit, because we would be under the impression that we've been going hard for an x amount of weeks.
The kids in pre school do they do napotal Like if a child in your classroom is like, mister Louis, I'm really tired.
We have had little ones fall asleep on the couch before, particularly early in doesn't happen anymore.
It doesn't happen anymore. Sleep at the tables, yeah.
Bless but yeah, big school stance, and you're on a high for the first couple of weeks, reality kicks in and you're.
Like, oh wow, I'm still here hard work. Why am I still here? What is this?
Like? Oh wow, I have there's this expectation that I'm going to push myself and be my own learner.
What's this? Opinions on open.
Plan verse traditional classrooms? Now, first of all, can you define the both of them?
Because I don't know.
Cool, So open plan we're talking about probably two classrooms or more being in kind of one big space sharing some type of learning area, gotcha, Yeah, whereas closed classroom is your one teacher, four walls, one door, classroom, teacher prison. Yeah, well no, what's your classroom? So I'm in an open classroom. I think it worked really really well. First things first, we think it's a great transition to big school, specifically because I guess for my school, we've only got two grade zero classes, so we're straight away altogether everyone in the cohort knows everyone. Come grade one, you're now mixing with individuals that you don't even know kind of your year, and I.
Remember doing that key yep, I hated that.
Collaboration with students we think is really cool as well, but also the ability to kind of I guess, group like minded students. What it also allows is for us teachers to also put in place specific support or intervention for those who maybe need a little bit more help growing.
What would you say is your biggest struggle as a teacher or biggest struggle is.
Probably the amount of self doubt you have or the doubt you put on yourself as an educator. I think I could be doing so many more things better than I already am, and absolutely and educators, and I'm sure if any educators are listening, they're all going to agree. It's not something that stops when you leave school. It's really hard to turn off from teaching, so you're constantly thinking about your students. Trying to turn off, I would say is probably one of the bigger struggles.
If there was a sign of you being an amazing teacher, that is it.
Right.
We had a question a little while back where it was is it okay to take your child out of school term to go on family holidays.
As the teacher.
As the teacher, what's your thoughts. How long of a holiday are we talking about, because we can get pretty specific, right A couple.
Of days is let's be realistic.
I've just did three weeks, all right, cool, awesome, two weeks, weeks cool, two weeks, I think for junior primaries, so like grade two down, the amount of incidental learning that can happen during a family trip is fantastic. So incidental learning is you're not you're not teaching ABC's and one tree threes, but it's that stuff that is exactly right bang and it is about that life experience, and that's super valuable. I absolutely love family time. I had time off growing up to go on family holidays as well, so sometimes it's.
Going to happen, so I'm all for it.
Yeah, you've got a little responsibility during that family time to ensure that that incidental learning is happening. Obviously, if you're on a beach, kick your feet up as well and swim and have some fun.
We are itching now towards Christmas, we are, so maybe some of the parents of the kids that you teach, they might be listening. What do teachers really want for Christmas as presents.
Look code hard cash presence that I have previously received that have been absolutely amazing.
Plants obviously doing one shampoo, doing one shampoo.
Yeah, yeah, that'd be doing great.
Look a little message voucher I know is appreciated by some of my staff.
We're talking, Yeah, now we're talking.
We love the thought of coffee cups.
We have so many coffee cups. Picture you're holding a coffee cup. There's so many another one.
Yeah, we don't expect anything that's very diplomatic of.
Are you're way waking?
I can't ask, I feel like you're too nice the worst gift, but we will say the coffee cups are in the category.
Of is there any worst gifts that come on? We don't know the worst gift you've ever received. No, I haven't received any terrible gifts. Yeah, what's the worst coffee cup?
I've turned them into like little mug planters like that. So they're definitely utilized. So yeah, they're definitely yeah, utilized, upcycled. But there's a limit.
Yeah, if you're listening, don't get mister well, the dynamic between parent and child we try and deal with meltdown in all sorts of different ways. You as a teacher, if a child has a meltdown in your bar, what's the best way you know how to deal with it.
I think it's really interesting as well, and I just want to flag the difference between meltdowns that kids have with parents and kids have at school with teachers. I've had chats to parents and we see sometimes completely different children in kind of our space compared to what you see in yours, obviously because the relationship is different.
Sometimes hate me.
Yeah, So how do we deal with send meltdown? Again?
This is where parent like parent teacher communication comes into play.
So there's no secret word. There's no secret word. Yeah, and I'm done.
Yeah yeah, yeah, no secret word.
And it's definitely individual by individual.
It's truely related to you because I walked in on Oscar in class to pick him up at big school.
You sit cross legs straight up. It just like, who are you?
What have you done?
Is that one mine?
I was like, do you think there will be a time when I mean, like, now you've you're almost you're close to three million followers across cross platforms. Yeah, I mean, is there any thought in your mind? At all that maybe I'll retire from teaching so I can make content full time.
Then what will my content be about?
Look, I absolutely love this little social media life that has, I guess, grown into something pretty cool over the last couple of years. I can't see myself ever leaving education and teaching. I might drop down because I only wait point eight so I've got one day off a week. I could potentially see myself dropping down again in a couple of years if it's all going really well.
But I don't think I'll ever believe.
I'll always be I'll always be tied somehow into teaching and education.
It's it's too fun. Wow, that's a really good answer.
But also, you're a published author, I am. Please tell us your book and what your book is about. Yeah, my book is guess what we are doing today? I had to think about that for a second.
Yeah, so being a published author is pretty cool. I actually have a copy for you.
Do we have copy of our book for him? You guys know as well? After running book, it's pretty cool. It's pretty awesome.
You must have so many parents who are just fighting over the fact that they want to get their kids in your Are you having to deal with something like that. Luckily, no, I don't believe it because I think it would literally kill to.
You moved down to Bondai Public, and.
No, I think any child is going to be in wonderful hands going into prep.
Unless you were creating an absolute lie on social media. But talking to you, I can tell what an amazing person you are. I never had a teacher who is as incredible as you, like you genuinely care so much and what you do for kids is amazing.
It's a very kind thing to say, so thank you for talking earlier.
And it's like, maybe if I had a teacher like you in my earlier days, I would have cared more for school. It's good to know that there's still amazing educators out there.
There absolutely is, I think. Yeah.
I think it's a really exciting time as well. Obviously with social media so readily available and it's pretty easy to make content now, so I consider myself very lucky to really enjoy creating content about something I'm so passionate about, which is teaching and education.
So it's really cool. And thank you so much for joining us.
Thank you, thank you for leting me. Miss you have been schooled all right, Ash, are you ready born ready? Well I wasn't born ready. That's why we had to get mister Luke in. So now I am ready to go.
If you have enjoyed this episode, please we would love it. Mister Luke would actually really love it as well. If you would review subscribe, give us a couple of stars and me not two, give us three or four anything except five A plus. As a teacher would call it very good. Linger, You'd be a great teacher. Didn't you tell me you wanted to become a teacher.
I think if this goes tits up, I'll probably be a teacher.
God good luck to wherever you end up. Also, you can follow us on social media.
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There's a couple left?
They are selling like hotcakes, hotcakes from the tuck shop, if that makes any sense. I'm talking about the Calendar's Raunchy Ranch twenty twenty five. There are a couple may contain nuts. That's if you left. They're about twenty nine dollars, but all proceeds one hundred percent of proceeds it gets donated to an amazing charity called Rise Up, who do such great work with victims of domestic violence. So if you don't want to miss out, jump into the show notes. There's a link there we can buy your calendar for next year.
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This episode was recorded on Gadagle Land