EMpowered Podcast Take Over Series: The Connection Curriculum with Matt Pitman

If you’ve ever felt like something is missing in your school community, whether it’s student engagement, teacher retention, or just a general sense of belonging, this episode is for you.

Guest host Matt Pittman is talking about one of the most overlooked solutions in education.

Instead of sticking with bandaid fixes for disengagement, behaviour, or burnout, Matt shares how prioritising connection can shift your entire school culture and actually make teaching feel good again.

Matt is the Head of Senior School at Catholic Regional College Caroline Springs, a Catholic secondary school in the western suburbs of Melbourne, Victoria, and the author of The Connection Curriculum.

An experienced educational leader and a doctoral student researching connections across school communities, Matt’s experience is varied, from the leadership of curriculum teams and programs to student wellbeing, student improvement and community engagement portfolios.

He has led Positive Education and student support programs and has a passion for working with students, parents, and staff to develop new understandings of the needs of young people in the 21st century.

What you’ll get from this episode:

• Why connection is the actual foundation of behaviour, well-being, and engagement.
• How relationships, belonging, and meaning work together to create a thriving school community.
• What empathic curiosity looks like in practice (and how to ask better questions).
• Why emotional intelligence isn’t just a buzzword.
• The difference between inclusivity as a policy vs. inclusivity as a practice (and why most schools get this wrong).
• How school leaders can create real, lasting culture change (without burning out their staff).

Teaching should feel good. Connection is how we get there.

A huge shoutout to Matt for taking over the podcast. If this episode resonated with you, make sure you hit follow or subscribe. We are just getting started.

Connect with Matt Pittman

• LinkedIn: mattlukepitman
• Instagram: mattlukepitman
• Bluesky: @mattpitman.com.au
• [BOOK] The Connection Curriculum - Igniting Positive Change in Schools Through Sustainable Connection

Upcoming events Matt will be speaking at

• NEAA Staff Conference, Melbourne: 15 May
• EDUtech, Sydney: 11-12 June
• National Education Summit, Melbourne: 28-29 August

Go to his website and social media for more information

Resources for you

• Check out my Creating Conscious and Compassionate Classrooms bundle, which is a 10-part guide to behaviour support grounded in connection and empathy. It’s packed with resources to help you create a trauma-informed, neuro-affirming classroom that supports students holistically. Just $47 and full of actionable, real world strategies.

Connect with Em

• Website: emmagentle.com.au
• Instagram: @em_gentle
• LinkedIn