The Unteachables Podcast

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

Mentioned Resource: The Engagement Bundle
Engagement slumping? You're not alone. Whether you're in the final push to summer or just hitting that mid-year wall where motivation has quietly packed its bags, this episode is for you.
Claire shares four no-prep (or low-prep) whole class games that gamify your lessons, bring back buy-in, and make the last stretch of the year actually fun, for you and your students.
And yes, she's also addressing that "hard pass, kids don't need more dopamine" comment she got on Instagram. Spoiler: these aren't video games.
In this episode, Claire covers:
Why engagement gets so hard towards the end of the year (and why it's not your fault)
Why gamification is a great way to boost engagement 
Why neurodivergent students thrive with novelty — and why what works for them works for everyone
Four whole class games you can use today, no prep required: 
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

What does it actually mean to be a professional in teaching? Not just "treated like one" — but what does professional knowledge, professional growth, and professional community actually look like in practice?
I got to sit down with one of the most cited education scholars alive — the incredible Andy Hargreaves — and honestly, I could have talked to him for hours. Andy is an author or editor of 40 books, an education advisor to governments across multiple countries, and the co-creator of the concept of Professional Capital — a framework that has genuinely changed the way educators and systems think about what it means to invest in teachers.
This is one of those episodes that I think is going to hit differently depending on where you are in your career. Whether you're in your first few years wondering if it's all worth it, or you're a seasoned teacher who's lost a bit of your spark, or you're a school leader trying to figure out why your staff keep burning out — Andy has something for you.
Here's a taste of what we got into:
In this episode, you'll learn:
What professional capital actually is — and the three types every teacher already has (and needs to grow)
Why staying in teaching longer than three years isn't just "getting expensive" — it's where the real expertise is built
The chess metaphor that will completely reframe how you see your early career (and honestly, any career stage)
What Andy believes schools are profoundly getting wrong about teacher wellbeing right now
Why "wellbeing add-ons" like yoga and meditation won't fix what's actually causing teacher ill-being
The three biggest causes of ill-being in schools — including one that hits way too close to home for Australian teachers
What collective autonomy means and why individual autonomy alone isn't the answer
Why the most powerful thing you can do as a teacher might be to fight for your autonomy together, not alone
What Andy will be sharing at EduTech Sydney — including his fascinating "teaching as repair work" framework
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