Hi friend!
Welcome to the 37th edition of the Teach Outside the Robot newsletter.
Engage. 😎
1. Quote to Think About
The thing I have noticed is that when the anecdotes and the data disagree, the anecdotes are usually right. There's something wrong with the way you are measuring it.
- Jeff Bezos
In our current ‘measure everything to smithereens’ culture in our schools, it’s very easy to get caught up in test percentages, marking schemes and grade boundaries. But if we zoom out, that’s not the most important thing.
In these troubling times, if we have created a learning environment where our children feel:
· Safe
· Valued
· Able to regulate their emotions properly
You have done an absolute world of good. Never, ever forget that.
2. Insight Worth Considering
Most of your students will forget everything you teach ‘em.
But what they remember will mean everything.
I can’t remember what Ms Pearce taught me in Year 6.
- I’m still terrible at Maths
- Forgotten how to make papier-mache
- The Roman history I learnt is dead as a dodo
But I do remember:
- How she smiled at me
- How she told me she believed me when no one else did
- How she said that I had an amazing brain and would go far in life
I couldn’t tell you if Ms Pearce is alive or dead. (I’ve heard rumours she might have passed on.)
But I will never forget what she did for me.
You will teach thousands of students over the course of your career. You'll forget most of their names.
Being almost two decades in this game, I can personally vouch for this.
• faces blur together after a few years
• whole classes dissolve into memory - names start to fade
• You’ll be more likely to remember the naughty ones than the ones who just got with work (sad but true.)
But here's the thing that gets me every single time.
They remember YOU.
Your words, actions and attitudes will be etched on their brain for a lifetime, long after you started collecting your pension payments.
Of course, grades, coursework and exam prep are uber important.
Don’t forget why you are an educator.
You’re not just in the exam business but the life improvement business.
Don’t lose sight of that.
3. Resource to Explore
I make no bones about it: the YouTube channel Charisma on Command has been an invaluable resource, helping me level up my body language and communication skills.
In this short but brilliant video, Charlie Houpert explains six ways that you can carry yourself and gain more respect from the people that you work with.
Charlie, where were you when I was working in alternative provision?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgkghUvC6PA&list=PLPBfPqt3L2Bel9E1p11CXqIYKsiHG9NSY
4. The Small Thing That Helped Me This Fortnight
Taking 10 deep breaths in the morning and evenings. I have tried and (largely failed) to build a consistent meditation practice. There are just too many things going on, and sitting on my own for 10 minutes listening to my own breath is challenging.
After listening to Atomic Habits by James Clear, I realised maybe it wasn’t that I was ‘not good at meditating’, but maybe I set the ambition too high. So I challenged myself to take 10 deep diaphragmatic breaths when I woke up and just before I went to sleep, and it works!
I feel a lot calmer in the mornings, and I drift off faster. Also, that simple practice helps to remind me to become mindful, especially in tense situations. I intend to slowly build it up week by week until I reach 10 minutes.
If you are like me and have trouble meditating, try this on for size!
5. A Question to Sit With
James Clear would describe what I just laid out in Question 4 as a ‘micro-habit.’
A micro habit is a very small, simple action that takes little effort and is easy to do every day.
So my question to you is simple.
“What micro-habit can you start today that you’ll be grateful you started 10 years from now?”
As always, thank you for taking a read 😎
Episode 3 of the Maverick School Podcast has dropped, and it’s a douzey!
It’s Part 2 of the episode entitled ‘Is This a Crisis Genaration?’ and I will be switching gears and looking at how young people can navigate these turbulent times to build better careers and lives.
Listeners will learn:
• Why the traditional CV is 'dead' - and what young people should replace it with
• Why learning to ask great questions supercharges your career in the long run
• Why learning how to combine your skills in interesting ways will help you open doors to opportunities you can't even imagine
When you have a sec, have a listen here 😎👇🏾
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep3-is-this-a-crisis-generation-pt-2/id1881678199?i=1000758248174
Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6AepyXSVwn88wRKMELwrIi?si=1DnJFxpNRCm5v88pBoS3Tw
Podbean
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-t4w22-1a86a92
The next newsletter will come out on Thursday, 16th April 2026.
From my family to yours, have a lovely Easter.
Until next time.
Karl
