My first year of teaching was the hardest year of my life.

In Term 4 of my first year, I received a new student who exhibited some really challenging behaviour. Within a week I was frustrated, in tears and at the bottom of a barrel of out-dated, ineffective strategies that I had sourced from those around me. Through this new student, it was made obvious to me that I had an enormous gap in my knowledge surrounding trauma informed practice and I knew going forward I had to address this.

While I was proud of surviving the year and determined to keep going, I was exhausted. In 2023 I moved states, managed to obtain another year-long contract in a school with a positive culture and felt quietly confident with my classroom management. With neurodivergent learners in our learning community, once again I felt I wasn’t doing my best to support them.

The approaches I had adopted felt like I was trying to coerce these learners into doing their work, which didn’t feel like the right strategy. On top of this I was pushing myself (as all new grads do) to keep up with the experienced teachers around me. By the middle of the year, I was physically and mentally tired.

Nowhere in my studies was the term ‘neurodivergent learners’ ever mentioned.

We wrote essays about differentiation and teaching ‘the whole child’, but with no understanding of how the brain works. I lacked practical skills on how to hold space with a child who is dysregulated. I had no idea what sensory seeking was and needed to find a way to better support one learner when an emotional outburst occurred (because the previous year’s reward/consequence model was no longer working).

In addition to this, life as a new grad was a bit daunting. Being at a new school I was hesitant to do things differently, so I started looking for support.

I decided to put me first and dive in!

The first time I played around in the TGGM Library I watched a webinar on emotional intelligence. During the webinar Em modelled a few lines that could be used when children are experiencing big emotions. The next day one of my students was having an outburst and, having listened to the webinar the night before, I was better prepared to interact with this child. The difference it made to their response was astounding. I was calm, there was no power struggle and within a couple of minutes the child transitioned to their set activity.

From that moment I was no longer worried about doing things differently because I had experienced the benefits of a calm and compassionate approach when supporting a child. I have gained so much confidence from tapping into Em’s knowledge (as well as the guests experts). From reframing my mindset and how I perceive certain situations, to focusing on praising the process students undertake rather than the outcome. When I watch a video, I set an intention to try and put one thing into action. It’s never perfect but I keep getting better.

I can’t put into words how much TGGM has changed my life.

I remember the first time I engaged with one of Em’s polls and being genuinely surprised that she responded as quickly as she did. That speaks to her unwavering commitment to having a profound, positive impact on the heart of the education system – teachers. Every new grad needs someone like Em in their corner, sending you good vibe voice notes to reassure you that everyone makes mistakes and, some days, just by showing up, you’re doing an awesome job. Within the space of three months I’ve gone from worrying about not being good enough to knowing that my best is more than enough.

I am a much calmer educator who continues to strive on embracing a non-punitive approach to classroom management. That looks like taking more time to talk to students in my class and out on the playground, implementing more brain-breaks and having more fun!

The Education Library has been an incredible resource I have been able to tap into when I come across a challenge. I love the focus on emotional intelligence and self-care because that is where good practice starts.

What I the love most is that Em weaves her own experience with the latest evidence, helping to bridge the gap between theory and practice. I love that the TGGM community is, like me, continuing to grow and evolve. Em leads by example – taking messy action – and is the most positive, self-aware leader I have ever engaged with. I am excited for being a part of the much-needed change our education system and learners need.