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
#39: Four Steps to Better Parent-Teacher Relationships: Tackling those Tough Conversations
Ever wondered how you, as an educator, can foster and nurture a positive and productive relationship with the parents of your more challenging students? This episode guides you through the hurdle-fil…
#38: A Candid Conversation About Returning from Maternity Leave, Mum Guilt, and the Pressure to Be 'Good Enough' at Everything.
There are so many things that I wish somebody had told me before having a baby.
Returning to work post-maternity and all of the waves of emotion and challenge involve is one of them.
This episode is i…
#37: What Good Classroom Management Can't Exist Without: A Chat with Marie Gentles on Teacher Capacity, Perception, and Felt Safety.
On today’s episode I have the pleasure of talking to Marie Gentles, you might know her best as the expert in BBC documentaries Don’t Exclude Me and Helping our Teens, and now as the author of the boo…
#36: Are You Confusing The Hell Out of Your Students? Strategies for Clearer Instruction, Better Engagement, and Less Challenging Behaviours
Do you ever give instructions for a task to a class full of students, only to have a bunch of hands go up or confused faces looking back at you? Maybe you have low level behaviours buzzing and a dise…
#35: Increasing Felt Safety (and Reducing Challenging Behaviours) Through Consistency and Predictability. A Deep Dive Into the Humble Seating Plan.
In this episode, I delve into the pivotal role of felt safety in classrooms. You'll learn how to craft a climate of felt safety that hushes unpredictability and amplifies familiarity, helping student…
#34: Co-Regulation Explained: The Core of Calm and Effective Classroom Management
This week's "pillar" episode of The Unteachables Podcast explains the concepts at the core of my approach to classroom management; coregulation, regulation and dysregulation.
I uncover how our surviv…
#33: Teachers, protect your peace this school year with these 5 crucial reminders
Teachers, this episode I speak through the 5 mantras I use in my everyday practice to stay calm, stay connected, and ultimately, protect my peace!
I made this a quickie so you could return to this whe…
#32: Teaching Kids with 'Big Baffling Behaviours': The Science of Opposition with Robyn Gobbel.
In this episode I speak to the incredible Robyn Gobbel, and when I say you’ll want to listen to this, you should really trust me on this one.
Robyn is a former therapist turned author, podcaster, educ…
#31: The 'Why' That Drives Our Behaviour (The 'Good', the 'Bad', and the 'Ugly'): The 5 Basic Needs
Today, we're diving deep into a common saying in the behavior management world: "Behavior is communication." But let's be honest, it's so broad that it often leaves us wondering, "What are they reall…
#30: We don't teach our subjects! We teach students, and there is one hell of a difference between the two
Once a mentor said something to me that changed the way I viewed teaching:
We teach students, not subjects.
I am an English teacher. I love English. I wanted students to love English as much as I did, …
#29: Dropping the ball on things at work? Don't worry, that's what they were designed for! A reframe around teacher time management.
I am sure I don't need to tell you this, but as a teacher, there is SO MUCH TO FREAKING DO! This is why some of the BIG questions I get asked from teachers, particularly newer teachers, is about thin…
#28: Are You Setting Your Students Up for Success, or Failure (Without Even Realising It)?
On today's episode I dive into how our beliefs and assumptions about our students have a direct correlation with either their success, OR their failure.
These are the Pygmalion and Golem effects. The …
#27: Addressing Misogyny (and Other Damaging Comments) in the Classroom: Your Step-by-Step Guide"
If you would like a printable cheat sheet of the steps found in this episode, click here.
Have you ever had to address comments from students that were homophobic, racist, misogynistic, ablest, or pro…
#26: Sorry, Not Sorry: How Apologies Can Be a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' for Students (and What to Do Instead)
In this episode of The Unteachables Podcast, I talk apologies, and the conundrum of forcing them. It feels like a knee-jerk reaction when a student has done something harmful... "What do you say?" or…
#25: Rethinking discipline: Why consequences are only a small piece of the pie
Join me in this week's episode of The Unteachables Podcast as I dive into the power of an actionable approach to restorative practice. Through this ep I will help you to discover how accountability, …
#24: A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Set Expectations, and (More Importantly) Make Them an Effective Part of Your Day-to-Day Classroom Management.
In this episode, I take you on a mini pod journey as I unravel my tips for setting expectations with students. Join me as I explore:
- The drawbacks of traditional rules and the power of expectations …
#23: Mindfulness: 'Airy-fairy' or a crucial classroom management tool? With Laura from The Kindness Curriculum
This episode is a BIG ONE!
The incredible Laura co-founder of The Kindness Curriculum visits the podcast to talk all things mindfulness (and beyond!)
Listen in to hear us chat about...
- Why classroom ma…
#22: Why Your Students Might Be Rewarding (or Punishing) You with Their Behaviour: A Discussion on the Insidious Pedagogy of Poverty.
"Have you ever experienced the quiet calm that sweeps over the room when you ask your students to copy the work off the board, write down definitions or do a word search?
If you teach students with so…
#21: When students say... NO! What to do, and how to avoid getting too triggered, with Danica from Little Bloom Consultancy
On this week’s episode I get to have a chat with the incredible Danica, an educational mentor and consultant and the woman behind Little Bloom Consultancy. Through her work, she helps educators and p…
#20: How to nail classroom management whilst leaving a legacy of kindness and compassion with every single student. An open house tour of That'll Teach 'Em
Are you ready for an open house tour into That'll Teach 'Em?!
13 years ago I stepped into the classroom with no confidence and no clue.
I was plonked into a chaotic classroom with 30 ‘unmanageable’ an…