Thirteen Years Well Spent

Susan Taylor

What was school like for you? This podcast chats to young adults about what, from school they use in life and what they have learnt since. In the cumulative stories of real people, lets find out if school is doing as it claims - prepare young people for life.

  1. hace 6 días

    14 Tom

    Tom's story brings to the fore 'relationships, relationships, relationships'. He explains why he got into and out of teaching as well as his own experiences as a student. For me, in particular, is the consideration of 'work-life balance' from a student's perspective. Is it reasonable for a competent student to not be pushed to be better than their age-expected knowledge and skills?

  2. 25 jul

    13 Cameron

    Learning can happen in the noise. Not always, but perhaps the teacher's need for control sometimes misses the learning that is occurring through those peer interactions. Cameron's story gives voice to the perspective of young people who are chatty, and points out that this is exactly the source of his success in life.

  3. 18 jul

    12 Matt Pitman Educator Reflection

    Dr Matt Pitman's name has become synonymous with "connection" in Education. His books "The Connection Curriculum" and "The Connection Connundrum" and the "Digital Literacy Handbook: How to Think, Act and Stay Smart Online" are all available through Matt's website.  Guests have frequently shared their appreciation of teachers who 'saw' them in some way, or spoke to them 'as people' or cared. In this episode Matt and I chat about what this means for teachers and possibilities for greater authentic connection between the people in our school rooms. No teachers are surprised that quality learning happens in the space of positive relationships. This might be articulated by various school based programs, but is the way we live it, rather than the posters on the wall that make the difference to our young people.

  4. 12 jul

    11 Riley

    Riley's story offers insight into how anxiety came up for him, the thinking and attitudes that he himself, his family and his teachers found that enabled him to work with and his incredibly high level swimming achievements. Riley was able to leverage both the pressure and the competition of sports to help with learning at school. It is through relationship first that motivated him to improve, with teachers who were able to get the balance right.

  5. 5 jul

    10 Sof

    I wasn’t expecting Sof’s response to what to take out of school. - judgement!  Right. Sof talks about how grades are judgements. As I read through educational research, especially in an era where ‘evidence based practice’ is expected, the evidence is nearly always spoken of in terms of student outcomes - in other words grades. I wonder if that increases teacher tendency to push for better grades, and the inevitable judgement that comes.  Sof brings nuance and humanity to our thinking around school based education. She appreciates the complexity teachers move in, and invites us to consider meeting the humans in the room where they are to ignite their natural curiosity.

  6. 28 jun

    9 Lucy

    Yes, a duck. One of Lucy’s memories was being told off, strongly, for drawing a duck on the ‘blank’ page of her test. It was not until her late 20s that Lucy received a dyslexic diagnosis, and everything made sense.  Lucy’s story reveals that even with dyslexia a child can ‘crack the code’ of school and be successful in tests, but post school had to unlearn the assumption that your identity and worth are bound to test results.

  7. 21 jun

    8 Jazz

    Jazz wants teachers to know about neurodivergence and how to support it in ways that are respectful and helpful to the people in the room. She has some great ideas, some of which come from less than optimal experiences.

  8. 13 jun

    7 Rebecca

    Every story is part of the picture, and this one gives the perspective of lived SEND experience. (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). Rebecca offers important insights into the different ways school both enabled and disabled her. She describes bullying and some rocketing successes!

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What was school like for you? This podcast chats to young adults about what, from school they use in life and what they have learnt since. In the cumulative stories of real people, lets find out if school is doing as it claims - prepare young people for life.

Información

  • Creador
    Susan Taylor
  • Años de actividad
    2026
  • Episodios
    14
  • Clasificación
    Apto
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Thirteen Years Well Spent
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    Thirteen Years Well Spent