The Unteachables Podcast

Joining me is Carmel McGee, a Tasmanian educator and certified lead teacher who has spent much of her career chasing one question: how do we actually create the conditions for curiosity to thrive? Carmel works at Riverside Primary School in Launceston, where she helps build classroom cultures where kids are curious, capable, and courageous. Her thinking has been shaped by some seriously impressive influences, including Project Zero at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and inquiry learning legends Kath Murdoch and Susan Engel. If you've ever wondered how we move students beyond just complying and into genuinely wanting to learn, this episode is for you.
We get into why curiosity isn't some lucky personality trait some kids are just born with, and why it's something we can either deliberately nurture or accidentally shut down without even realising it. Carmel doesn't hold back when I ask her what's quietly killing curiosity in schools right now, and her answer about systems measuring answers instead of valuing thinking is going to make you rethink a few things about your own classroom.
We also get really practical. What does a curious classroom actually look like? What is the teacher doing, and what are the students doing? Carmel breaks down why curious teachers create curious kids, why modelling "I don't know, let's find out together" matters more than we think, and why something as simple as not rushing to fill silence can completely change how your students engage.
And because I couldn't let her go without asking the big stuff, we dig into Carmel's brilliant question: are we measuring what we value, or valuing what we measure? If you've ever felt like the things that matter most in your classroom don't fit neatly into a spreadsheet, you are going to feel so seen by this conversation.

What you'll learn:
Why curiosity isn't an inherent trait, and how it can be deliberately nurtured or accidentally shut down in the classroom
What's quietly killing curiosity in schools right now, according to Carmel
Why curious teachers create curious kids, and how modelling "I don't know, let's find out together" shifts classroom culture
The danger of measuring what's easy to count instead of valuing what actually matters, like curiosity, belonging, and engagement
Why wait time is one of the most underused, free tools available to every teacher
Practical, explicit strategies to get more students contributing, including the "sticky note slam" and extended think-pair-share
Why less than 5% of questions in most classrooms come from students themselves, and how to change that
How Carmel approaches modelling a curious relationship with AI in the classroom, rather than ignoring it or banning it outright
The one tiny shift Carmel would want every teacher to make tomorrow to bring curiosity front and centre
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:
Shop all resources
Join The Behaviour Club
My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management 
The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
Check out my website

Okay, so this one's a little different. I'm not the one asking the questions today.
I'm coming to you live from EduTech 2026, booth 1216, and before I put a single educator, leader or keynote speaker in the hot seat, my best friend and fellow teacher Jess decided it was only fair I sit in it myself first.
Jess grabbed all the questions you've been sending me on Instagram and in my inbox — the big ones, the spicy ones, the ones you've been dying to ask — and she fired them at me with zero warning. No prep. No notes. Just me, a microphone, and a best friend who knows exactly which buttons to push.
We cover everything from the biggest classroom management mistake teachers make, to whether you can be "too nice," to the one strategy that doesn't get nearly enough credit (hint: it's not what you think). And then — because Jess clearly wanted to see me sweat — we close it out with a rapid-fire game of Bin or Win, where I had to give my gut reaction to seating plans, phone bans, reward systems, homework, restorative conversations, AI in schools, and more. No hedging allowed. Well — mostly.
If you've followed the Unteachables for years, this is the closest thing to a "getting to know me" episode you're going to get. And if you've just stumbled across us here at EduTech, well — welcome. Buckle up.

What you'll learn:
The biggest mistake teachers make when trying to manage behaviour (and why it's not actually about the behaviour at all)
Why "too nice" usually isn't the real problem — and what's happening instead
The one strategy Claire believes is the absolute heartbeat of every lesson, but rarely gets talked about
Where to start if you want to overhaul your routines but don't know which one to fix first
The biggest myth about low-level disruption — and why responding to it is the wrong move
Why a lack of control as a teacher is really a nervous system problem, not a discipline problem
Claire's instant gut reactions in a rapid-fire Bin or Win: seating plans, phone bans, reward systems, group work, homework, icebreakers, whole-class consequences, open plan classrooms, teacher content on social media, restorative conversations, and AI in schools
The one hill Claire will die on as an educator (and it's a big one)
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:
Shop all resources
Join The Behaviour Club
My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management 
The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
Check out my website

If you can grab them in the first five minutes, everything feels easier. That's the magic of a great starter activity — and this episode is Claire's full Q&A on how to do them well.
Starter tasks are one of Claire's absolute favourite things (her words). Done right, they communicate your expectations before you've said a single word, shift whatever energy students are walking in with, and create the kind of consistency and predictability that makes your classroom feel safe — for your students and for you.
In this episode, Claire covers:
Why starter activities are classroom management magic — not just a nice-to-have
The guard dog analogy — why routines are "friends for the amygdala" and what that means for your most dysregulated students
The most frequently asked questions about starter tasks: Do they have to relate to the lesson? Claire's honest answer
What if students don't take them seriously? How to get buy-in by explaining the why
What actually makes a quality starter? Claire's criteria — achievable for every student, no extra input from you, pen to paper, three to five minutes, no prior knowledge required

Five starter activities you can try this week: 
Resources mentioned:
📦 [Routines Bundle]— entry routines, transitions, exits, early finishes, starters, and more — every routine your classroom needs in one place
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:
Shop all resources
Join The Behaviour Club
My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management 
The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
Check out my website

Teachers are constantly being told to move away from punitive approaches — but rarely given the actual, practical skills to replace them with. And that gap? It's leaving teachers feeling disempowered, lost, and like restorative practice just doesn't work.
This episode is Claire's answer to that.
She's breaking down her exact framework for helping students build real accountability after big behaviour moments — in a way that's realistic, respectful, and actually works in a real classroom.
In this episode, Claire covers:
Why restorative conversations alone aren't enough — and what's actually missing
What real accountability looks like (hint: it's not a forced apology or a lunchtime detention)
Her four-step framework: Regulate, Reflect, Repair, RecordRegulate — why you can't skip this step, and how to support a student's nervous system before any conversation happens
Reflect — getting students to genuinely understand what happened and why, using scaffolds that don't feel like an interrogation
Repair — letting students choose their own pathway forward so there's real buy-in and ownership
Record — why documentation isn't punitive, it's protective — for you and for them

Why students shut down in behaviour conversations — and how this framework changes that
The difference between compliance and genuine change over time
Resources mentioned:
🛠️ [Reflect & Repair Toolkit] — think sheets, regulation tools, reflection scaffolds, repair notes, and Claire's Classroom Management Digital Hub, all in one place
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:
Shop all resources
Join The Behaviour Club
My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management 
The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
Check out my website

Classroom management can feel like this big, intangible, confusing beast that no one can seem to nail down. Claire gets it — and this episode is her antidote to that.
Five non-negotiable moves. Five things she'd hand you immediately if you came to her tomorrow and said "I'm struggling, what do I do?" No fluff, no theory — just the actual things that are within your control and that you can take into your classroom today.
Because here's the thing: you can't control your students' behaviour. You can't control what they're dealing with at home, or how they're showing up. But there is so much you can control — and that's exactly where this episode lives.
In this episode, Claire covers:
Why classroom management feels so overwhelming — and the one reframe that changes everything
The five non-negotiable moves Claire comes back to again and again: Ready-to-go scripts — one-liners that keep you regulated when a student pushes every button you have
Routines — not just toilet passes, but the actual bones and heartbeat of your lesson
Buy-in first — why engagement and connection have to come before everything else
Community building — dripping in little moments of felt safety and belonging every single lesson
Crystal clear expectations — and knowing exactly how you'll respond when behaviour happens

Why leadership telling you to "get your class under control" is the wrong ask entirely — and how to feel proud of what you are doing
Resources mentioned:
📥 [Calm Scripts PDF] — 20 ready-to-go one-liners for tricky behaviour moments
📦 [Routines Bundle] — everything you need to build routines that work the room for you
Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!
RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:
Shop all resources
Join The Behaviour Club
My book! It’s Never Just About the Behaviour: A holistic approach to classroom behaviour management 
The Low-Level Behaviour Bootcamp
Free guide: 'Chats that Create Change'
Connect with me:
Follow on Instagram @the.unteachables
Check out my website