#40 Is Recognition & Appreciation a Missing Leadership Skill? With Dr. Helen Kelly

#40 Is Recognition & Appreciation a Missing Leadership Skill? With Dr. Helen Kelly

What if staff wellbeing isn’t about reducing workload—but about how valued people feel at work?   In this episode of The Wellbeing Classroom, I sit down with Dr. Helen Kelly, a leading voice in educator wellbeing and school culture, whose experience as an international school principal, researcher, and former workplace health and safety lawyer brings a powerful and unique lens to one of the most pressing challenges in education today.   Together, we explore her work around recognition, appreciation, and feedback, and why these are often misunderstood in schools. Helen shares how something as simple as feeling genuinely seen can completely shift how staff experience their workload, and why many of the well-intentioned approaches used by leaders—awards, shoutouts, and quick fixes—often miss the mark.   We also explore the importance of understanding individual preferences, as well as the gap between what leaders believe they are doing and how it is actually experienced by staff… and much, much more.

#39 Is Human Thinking the Future Currency? With Miguel Rodriguez

Is human thinking becoming the most valuable currency in the age of AI?   Today, I’m joined by Miguel Rodriguez, founder of MR | ThinkLab, where he designs thinking-focused learning systems and AI-powered tools aimed at developing reasoning, reflection, and decision-making that truly last. His work sits at the intersection of cognitive science, instructional design, and AI, challenging a growing tension in education—where we’re getting better at producing outputs, but not always better at developing real understanding.   In this episode, we explore why so-called “soft skills” aren’t soft at all, why thinking may be the real differentiator in the future, and what it really takes to design learning that goes beyond task completion to build deep, transferable understanding—especially in classrooms where scaling that kind of thinking for every student is a real challenge… and much more!   Get in touch with Miguel:   mrthinklab.com Personal linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguelrodriguez86/ MR | ThinkLab linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mr-thinklab/?viewAsMember=true MR | ThnkLab facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61575462880163 MR 1 ThinkLab instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mrthinklab/   #Education #Leadership #AIinEducation #FutureOfLearning #CriticalThinking #Metacognition #EdTech #SchoolLeadership #LearningDesign

#38 Is Your Coaching Actually Building Teacher Capacity? With Dr. Addie Christian

What really drives meaningful and lasting teacher growth in international schools?   Today, I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Addie Christian, a seasoned educator and principal at an IB International School in China. With over two decades of experience, Dr. Christian has dedicated her career to designing strategic frameworks and cultivating leadership capacity that drives meaningful organizational change.   In this episode, we start our conversation by looking back at her transformative time as an instructional coach. We explore how her early inspiration from sports coaching shaped her core leadership belief: that true, sustainable change requires a collaborative group effort rather than a top-down mandate. We dive deep into the nuance of her career, from navigating the high-stakes environment of international education in India to leading in Beijing.   Most importantly, we examine the vital intersection between professional growth and staff health. We’ll dive deep into why trust and relationships are the essential foundation for any successful school transformation, how to navigate the challenges of instructional coaching across different cultural contexts, the role of PLCs in empowering teacher-leaders to own their practice—and much more!   Welcome to the Well-being Classroom

#37 Who Should Write Your School's AI Policy? With Tom Millinchip

How can primary school leaders look past the noise and build adaptable, stakeholder-driven digital policies that confidently prepare their classrooms for the future?   Today, I’m joined by Tom Millinchip, a Deputy Head of Primary, curriculum and policy specialist, and a passionate leader in leveraging technology for evidence-based learning environments. With 15 years of primary education experience across the UK and internationally, Tom is a prominent voice in the ed-tech space. He is the founder of AI Ready Bahamas and the author of an upcoming AI book specifically designed for primary educators. Tom specializes in building true community ownership—fostering deep buy-in from teachers, parents, and students alike to ensure a successful digital transition.   In this episode of our special mini-series, we dive into Tom's practical approach to building a comprehensive, dual-layered AI policy framework. We discuss how he used AI to pull together different global benchmarks to build a solid foundation, his strategies for creating a jargon-free companion guide that teachers can digest easily, and how to maintain an active, evolving policy that school leaders can easily update as the technology shifts—and much more!   Welcome to The Well-being Classroom.   Link to Tom’s Substack: https://tommillinchip.substack.com?utm_source=navbar&utm_medium=web

#36 How is IB Evaluation Serving Schools Today? With Ildiko Murray

How is the process of IB accreditation already being transformed into a genuine service that drives active growth and future-ready school communities?   Today, I’m joined by Dr. Ildiko Murray, an experienced Head of School in China with over 25 years of international educational leadership. Following her doctoral studies, she was engaged by the IB as a Subject Matter Expert to help create and develop some of the training protocols and practices that are actively reshaping how schools undergo accreditation around the globe today.   In this episode, we pull back the curtain on the world of school accreditation. We dive into why context must always be king, how schools are shifting from a mindset of "dramaturgical compliance" to authentic self-reflection, and how we must look to the future by leveraging strategic leadership, AI, and global citizenship to proactively guide our schools forward... and much more!   Welcome to The Well-being Classroom.