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!
- Update frequency
- every 6 days
- Average duration
- 22 minutes
- Episodes
- 140
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
#59: Struggle with boundaries as a teacher? This one sentence will change absolutely everything about how you see them, and hold them.
Struggle with boundaries as a teacher?
Safe to say you're not alone on that one.
These stats are scary:
(NASUWT survey Nov 2023)
- 87% of teachers say their workload has increased in the past year.
- Teachers…
#58: Do your students take you seriously? How to balance being warm, friendly, and approachable, with holding crucial behaviour boundaries.
Is it possible that being too friendly is harming your classroom management efforts?
No.
Okay, maybe a little, but not in the way you think.
Does the below resonate?
You feel like you have a really great…
#57: “You'll NOT act a fool in my classroom and go unchecked!” What it really looks like to have solid classroom expectations and boundaries (HINT: It's not that)
What comes to mind when I say that as teachers we need...
STRONG expectations and FIRM, CONSISTENT boundaries.
Does it sound like:
"You as a student are not going to act a fool in my classroom and go UN…
#56: TEACHER PEP TALK! Feeling powerless in the classroom? Disempowered? Disrespected? Like you have no control? This is for you.
Classroom management can, oftentimes, leave teachers grappling with feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, failure, and powerlessness.
You might feel walked all over, that you can't do anything about be…
#55: Q&A. Help! I get ZERO support, advice, or mentorship from my leaders around the challenging behaviours in my class. [A SNEAK PEAK INTO THE PRIVATE PODCAST]
A very special bonus episode coming to you from the That'll Teach 'Em Private Podcast!
On today's episode I answer Michelle's 'question' (well - I respond to her comment).
"This can’t start quick enoug…
#54: So if punishment is OFF the table, what is ON it when it comes to behaviour? 3 tangible takeaways to implementing a non-punitive classroom management approach.
So the research shows that punishment doesn’t change behaviour? So then what do we actually do as teachers?
What’s on the table when other things feel like they are off it?
In today's episode:
- I give y…
#53: If your classroom management doesn't include these 3 things, it won't work. A walk through of my entire classroom management approach.
It is so easy to get lost in the noise in teaching. ‘Best practices’ are pretty dependant on who you speak to. Some will advocate for a trauma informed approach, some talk about restorative practice …
#52: I had a strong why, but I was still a weak teacher. What it really took to develop my classroom management practice.
We are often told to go back to our 'why' as teachers when things get tough.
My goodness is it important for us to have a strong purpose in a job like teaching, yet it certainly is no classroom mana…
#51: How to become a 'Disruptive Educator', and make the move from high-control to compassion-driven classrooms with Bobby Morgan of The Liberation Lab
On today's podcast episode I interview probably THE most quotable guest I have had on the show.
Bobby Morgan, the founder of The Liberation Lab, is a spearhead for disruptive education practices that …
#50: Teachers with few behaviour issues have the following 5 things in common... Or do they?
There are absolutely no absolutes when it comes to behaviour. So when somebody makes a sweeping generalisation that if you do X, Y, and Z you will have very few behavioural issues in your class, they…
#49: No homework, no mandatory testing, AND shorter school days? The observations of an Australian teacher exploring Finland's world-class education system.
On today’s episode I talk to Jess Steadman who is an experienced Australian primary educator. You might know her as @thesydneyteacher on Instagram where she develops resources for teachers, but I bro…
#48: Should we be ‘letting things slide’ as teachers? Or should we be holding students accountable for every little challenging behaviour?
Classroom management is nothing if not confusing. One of the things I have been told along the way is that we need to be picking our battles with behaviour. Another thing I have ALSO been told along …
#47: How teachers are set up to fail, what SHOULD be included in teacher training, and what a trauma-informed approach looks like in action. A discussion with Em Gentle, founder of The Grad Guide
Today I am joined on the podcast with Em Gentle, a graduate teacher mentor, fellow edu-podcaster, and founder of the grad guide where she supports new teachers adopt a trauma informed approach to tea…
#46: What it really takes to change behaviour with the hardest to teach (and why it can take so damn long)!
Today on the podcast we will be talking about working with the students who are the hardest to teach, and the hardest to reach.
The students who you are told to try to build the relationship with, bu…
#45: Are you classroom managing like a fist, or a palm? A game-changing metaphor that will shape the way you approach behaviour in the heat of the moment
In today’s episode, I am going to be giving you a visual metaphor to approaching challenging classroom behaviour that can be a game changer.
This is something that I was taught way back in my first y…
#44: The one thing you need to do during the holidays to improve your classroom management in 2024.
I spent the first 5 years of my career feeling like I needed to be ‘all over’ every single facet of the lesson to contain and reduce challenging behaviours. This meant working through almost every w…
#43: 2023: The year I became a mother, a wife, and an author. Reflections, regrets, and lessons learnt.
2023 has been one of the biggest, and most transformational times in my life. Both professionally, and personally.
It has been a year where too many dreams decided to show up at once (I understand how…
#42: Want to do some laid-back learning at the end of the year, and STILL maintain a calm and controlled environment? This is what you need to know.
As the year draws to a close, things start to get increasingly challenging.
You have your head teacher telling you that you need to keep learning until the last minute, even though you KNOW your stude…
#41: What Is the Conscious Competence Ladder, and Why You Need to Know About It for Learning, Behavior, and Your Own Professional Development.
One of the things that used to really grind my gears as a teacher was when I was trying to teach a new skill to students, whether it be an analytical response or a piece of creative writing, and they…
#40: Want a Calm Lesson? You Need a Calm Start! The 3 Proactive Classroom Management Strategies Every Teacher Should Know!
The first 5 minutes of a lesson can absolutely be make or break for behaviour.
What you do in this time and how you prepare for it can be the deciding factor between a productive, calm, controlled spa…