The Unteachables Podcast
Welcome to 'The Unteachables Podcast', your go-to resource for practical classroom management strategies and teacher support. I’m your host, Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher and leader turned teacher mentor and author of 'It's Never Just About the Behaviour: A Holistic Approach to Classroom Behaviour Management.' I'm on a mission to help educators like you transform your classrooms, build confidence, and feel empowered.
Why am I here? Not too long ago, I was overwhelmed by low-level classroom disruptions and challenging behaviors. After thousands of hours honing my skills in real classrooms and navigating ups and downs, I’ve become a confident, capable teacher ready to reach every student—even those with the most challenging behaviors. My journey inspired me to support teachers like you in mastering effective classroom strategies that promote compassion, confidence, and calm.
On The Unteachables Podcast, we’ll dive into simple, actionable strategies that you can use to handle classroom disruptions, boost student engagement, and create a positive learning environment.
You'll hear from renowned experts such as:
Bobby Morgan of the Liberation Lab
Marie Gentles, behavior expert behind BBC's 'Don't Exclude Me' and author of 'Gentles Guidance'
Robyn Gobbel, author of 'Raising Kids with Big Baffling Behaviours'
Dr. Lori Desautels, assistant professor and published author
And many more behaviour experts and mentors.
Angela Watson from the Truth for Teachers Podcast.
Whether you’re an early career teacher, a seasoned educator, or a teaching assistant navigating classroom challenges, this podcast is here to help you feel happier, empowered, and ready to make an impact with every student.
Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss an episode packed with classroom tips and inspiring conversations that make a real difference!
The Unteachables Podcast
#109: Quick Win Challenge! When behaviour happens, stop and ask this one question.
In today’s episode, I’m sharing a personal story that shaped how I approach behaviour and relationships in the classroom, and how a single moment of connection can shift everything.
IN THIS EPISODE, I DISCUSS:
- A deeply personal story from my school days: How one teacher’s unexpected response broke down my tough exterior.
- Why connection is key: The profound impact of showing care and curiosity over control.
- Practical ways to connect with your students: Simple phrases to use when addressing challenging behaviour.
- A powerful reminder: Why “connection is never the wrong answer” and how it can guide your approach.
This Week’s Quick Win: Start with connection.
Take a moment to pause and ask: Are you okay? or What’s going on?
Building connection in those tough moments may not always lead to immediate change, but it will always give you the best shot at creating buy-in and trust.
Remember:
Behaviour is nuanced and complicated, but connection simplifies the approach. Write it down somewhere you’ll see it: Connection is never the wrong answer.
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
Resources and links:
- Take the "What's Your Teacher Type" Quiz
- Join The Behaviour Club
- My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management
- The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
- Browse all resources on TPT
- Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
- Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
- Check out my website
Welcome to your weekly Classroom Management Quick Win Challenge. True classroom management is not how we address behavior when it pops up. Instead, it is a compounding effect of many, many micro decisions we make in our teaching practice before the behavior even pops up. In these Quick Win episodes I'm handing over one actionable, small but mighty tool to help you move the needle every single week to stop crowd controlling and to start calmly classroom managing like a pro. Let's dive into this week's game changing challenge. Hello, lovely teachers, welcome back to Quick Wins, where I just give you one small thing you can immediately action every single week. That's going to compound and compound over time to incredible change.
Speaker 1:I have probably mentioned it a few times on this podcast, but in high school things were quite tough for me. I had a lot going on. I had to grow up quite quickly. I didn't feel very safe or seen or heard, and my behaviors at school definitely told that story. I was disruptive. I was sent out of class a lot. I'd skip class just to go and smoke in the bushes. Our school was in the middle of nowhere and it was surrounded by bushland, so there were plenty of places to run away to. During school time I'd be told off by my teachers constantly and I did not give a single crap. You know how you try to talk to students about their behavior and they just say I don't care or maybe F off. That was definitely me, and one teacher stuck in my mind as clear as day and this episode is dedicated to her. But once I was out in the bushes smoking instead of being in art, and my year advisor came out and busted me and she started giving me a hard time and I said, oh, fuck off. And she could have done a number of things when she busted me smoking in the bushes and I said fuck off to her. She could have. By the way, this is another explicit episode, if you didn't realize, because I think when we're talking about behaviors, I don't want to sense that, I don't want to gloss over that, because we need to be able to know, like I don't know. It just seems silly if I'm trying to support you through challenging behaviors, but I can't even say what they say or what I said in this situation.
Speaker 1:But this teacher, she could have just read me the right act. She could have, you know, threatened to call my mom or given me a detention or a scab duty. Did everyone else have scab duties or was that just an Australian thing where you were told to go and pick up rubbish? But she just said, claire, what is going on? And I was taken aback and I remember that moment so clearly because I was tough and I was a bit of a shit. Clearly because I was tough and I was a bit of a shit. And she was the first teacher to not make that about them and recognize that something was going on with me and it was the mid 2000. So there was not a lot of social emotional work in this happening in schools at that time, trust me.
Speaker 1:But in that moment she chose connection and my walls immediately dropped and my tough exterior that I had worn like a shield for many years, it just melted away and I sat in the dirt sobbing and I sought her out the next day to apologize for swearing at her and she was able to address my behavior when I felt calm, seen and had buy-in. So, yes, she said what the hell was going on there, like you told me to fuck off and you were in the bushes smoking when you should have been in class. Like what was happening she was able to talk to me about my behaviors, but she was able to do so in a way that I had complete buy-in to, rather than me just completely shutting off, which I did most of the time. I was just shut off when people were talking to me about my behaviors Cause I'm like you don't give a crap about me, you don't care what's going on. And I actually listened to her. I listened to her lecture me about the dangers of smoking and how I shouldn't swear, and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, because she followed the mantra that I spoke about in that last episode. She made a decision in that moment that brought us closer together rather than driving us further apart. She made a decision to connect with me over disconnect with me.
Speaker 1:So today's quick win is this just start with connection. So if you see a behavior happening to say hey, you, okay, what's going on that's unlike you. Is something going on? Like whoa, that was unexpected. What's happening? Are you all right?
Speaker 1:If there's a behavior that happens, you know every student is not going to respond the way that I did. Not. Every student is going to drop their walls and immediately have this big breakthrough with the teacher, but it will give you a far better chance every single time of getting buy-in, that you need to make the changes that are needed. Every single time, I mean every time it is going to be the best option for you to start with connection. So this week, what I'd like you to do is write it in your diary, on a sticky note, on the back of the toilet door, wherever you're going to see it Connection is never the wrong answer.
Speaker 1:Behavior is complicated, behavior is nuanced, it's complex, it's all of the things, but that one sentence just makes it so much easier. Connection is never the wrong answer. Start with connection. Are you okay? Hey, what's going on? That's unlike you. Is there something going on? Whoa, that was an unexpected comment that you just made towards me. What's happening? You're right, cause that doesn't sound like you. Again, not every student will have that response. However, it's always going to give you the best chance of buying, of connection, of change. Have a wonderful weekend, teachers, and don't forget to take care of yourself, because this work is a hell of a lot harder. If you don't, I shall speak to you next week.
