If you are anything like me, I’m sure you would agree that the past half term has been a challenging one. As wonderful as it is being back doing our core purpose in classrooms with young people, we are stretched both emotionally and in the extensive new demands on our time. It is why this interview with Mary Myatt will, I hope, prove particularly helpful. Mary is a towering and inspiring figure in education, a former teacher and inspector, she now works with leaders and teachers to impro...

I’m really pleased that the final espiode of this series of the podcast is an absolute cracker. Bruce Robertson is a Deputy Headteacher and author of ‘The Teaching Delusion’. He also has an infectious enthusiasm for all things teaching and learning – believing it should be central to everything we do in schools.In this episode we look at what really constitutes great teaching, and how schools can generate a culture of continuous improvement. We also examine the kind of professional learning t...

How can we keep teachers in the profession? It is a question that many are wrestling with, and the retention rates suggest that in many ways, we are struggling to find the answers.Haili Hughes, has invested a significant amount of time exploring this issue. She is the author of the excellent new book ‘Preserving Positivity’: Choosing to stay in the classroom and banishing a negative mindset’.As you will hear, she interviewed hundreds of teachers in preparation for the book, hoping to unpick p...

In both of my books there has been chapters on the nature and benefits of a meditation habit. It is something I am hugely passionate about, and has had a real impact on my own stress levels over the past five years. In this chapter from 'A Quiet Education', Tackling Teacher Burn Out, I argued that it is one way in which we can prevent ourselves from becoming overwhelmed by the various demands that teaching places on us. For me, it has become an essential way to manage feelings of stress ...

The nature of our curriculum is a hugely topical and vital conversation for educators at the moment. In terms of our capacity to thrive and develop confidence as teachers, our understanding of the nuances of the curriculum, and how best to deliver it, is a vital exploration.Do we know how best to sequence our curriculum, are we confident pracititioners of our subjects – and what should we be teaching our young people?These are questions at the heart of the fantastic new Research Ed guide to C...

It was a real privilege to have the opportunity to talk to today’s guest on 'The Well Teacher Podcast': Professor Paul Gilbert. Paul Gilbert is a professor of clinical psychology, and the author of over twenty books, including the bestsellers ‘The Compassionate Mind’ and ‘Overcoming Depression.’ He was recently awarded an OBE for his services to psychology, after a forty year career. He established the Compassionate Mind Foundation in 2006 as an international charity with the mission sta...

What if there was a way to take back control and ownership of our wellbeing as teachers? What if we could pause from the busy world of teaching, slow down and take deliberate steps to become more effective and efficient?Dr Lucy Kelly, who is a senior lecture in education at Bristol University, has been wrestling with these questions and has been conducting some exciting research into the potential of reflection for teachers.In this episode we explore the exciting potential of her research on ...

This week is mental health awareness week, and I have two brilliant episodes of 'The Well Teacher Podcast' to share – both of which explore areas central to our mental health.The first is with psychology teacher and deputy head Mark Healy. Mark has developed a career long fascination with exploring the role of sleep in education, and has shared his findings in conferences across the UK.As we explore in our conversation: sleep is absolutely vital to not only our ability to perform in the class...

One thing I know I have been notoriously bad at in my teaching career has been finding a balance. I have always struggled with switching off from the all-consuming nature of teaching, and in proactively managing work demands. This week’s episode is for anyone else who has struggled with this perfectionism strand that haunts so many teachers. Aidan Severs, who writes the very popular thatboycanteach.co.uk blog has made teacher wellbeing one of his major focusses as a deputy head, his work with...

Life is challenging for everyone at the moment. The impact of Coronavirus and the lockdown on young people, however, has been particularly transformative. They can no longer attend school, see their friends, and can only leave their homes once a day. Many have had the opportunity to prove themselves academically removed, and face an unpredictable future.Dr Hazel Harrison (@thinkavellana), a clinical psychologist, has been doing some amazing work to try and support young people through this ch...

There is no denying that the first few years of a teacher’s career are hugely challenging: the retention statistics in the UK speak for themselves.Last year I completed an educational masters, and the dissertation looked at ways to improve the experience of teachers in their first five years. I interviewed a wide range of teachers for this – and one of the things that resonated was teachers feeling overwhelmed with expectations and struggling to create a meaningful work life balance. You can ...

This is the first of a series of interviews on 'The Well Teacher podcast' called ‘Lockdown CPD.’ It will explore with teachers the piece of research or book that has had the most impact on their teaching practice. Each interview will look at the practical implications of that learning in their classroom: what has changed, what has improved as a result of the reading they have engaged with?Mark Enser, Geography teacher, author of two superb books and TES contributor makes a brilliant first con...

This episode of 'The Well Teacher Podcast' is pure escapism, a chance to take forty five minutes away from the walls that might be closing in on us, to step away from the endless news stories and to have a furtive espace from family members!Instead, I am really excited to take you on Jennifer Bradley’s journey. The only British woman to have ever run across America on foot, she covered over 3000 miles, an amazing 43 miles a day over 80 days without a rest day.You know you are about the meet a...

It has definitely been a very strange week. My wife is working at home, so like many people out there I’m sure, I have my two year old boy full time, alongside trying to wrestle with our new online teaching world.As joyful as it is getting to spend some time with the wee lad, I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a bit concerned about the sudden void of more intellectual stimulation that this new isolated existence is presenting. I'm sure I'm asking the same question as a number of teachers: w...

The country, as we all know far too well, is now in lockdown. We have, however, one glimmer of hope – once a day we can escape the confines of our homes and exercise.One of the most efficient and effective ways we can do that, is to go for a run. I will happily admit now that there is an agenda in this podcast and this aim to spread the running joy: I am a running obsessive and have been running since I was around 13.In the more than twenty years of taking up the habit I have been lucky enoug...

Reflections of a self-isolated teacher: finding calm and purpose.

Kat Howard @SayMiss is a woman on a mission: to stop the patronising wellbeing advice often offered to teachers, and instead have a real intellectual dialogue about what we can about teachers being driven out of the profession.Kat, a deputy headteacher and an English teacher is the first guest on 'The Well Teacher podcast.' She is the author of the brilliant 'Stop Talking about Wellbeing', which aims to challenge the narrative on teacher wellbeing and provide guidance on how schools can...