There’s something special that happens when you meet a teacher who truly loves what they do. Meet Alexandra Deul — an Early Childhood and Primary teacher whose creativity is matched only by her deep love for her students and her craft.

You can hear the joy in her voice when she speaks about connection — about those everyday moments in the classroom when relationships come alive, and children’s voices are not only heard but valued.

Alexandra shares with us a simple yet powerful idea she calls the Family Meeting — a three-step process for building relationships and nurturing trust. What began as a classroom practice soon rippled outward, inspiring her students’ families to bring the same approach into their homes.

But as Alexandra reminds us, even the most beautiful ideas can be challenging to implement. She talks honestly about the resistance that sometimes surfaces — the fear of losing control — and how she continues to lead with patience, courage, and heart.

And she doesn’t stop there. Alexandra has also created a free online space for educators — the TeacherLab website — a hub for sharing, learning, and inspiration. You can find the link on her LinkedIn profile.

Enjoy and please share widely, love to hear your thoughts and comment , take care Liisa❤️✌️

LinkedIn

Aleksandra’s Profile

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleksandradeul/

Today I’m thrilled to introduce my guest, Sarah McLoughlin, joining us on the mobile from Brisbane, Australia. Sarah is an educator with experience working alongside at-risk populations. Her passion lies in helping communities break down gatekeeping, reimagine funding systems, and design advocacy strategies that truly create lasting equity.

In our conversation, we explore some big and important questions, such as:

What exactly is self-strategic advocacy?

What drew Sarah into this work in the first place?

What is the purpose of her handbook the power of self- reflection?

How does her service model bring together the principles of safety, transparency, and power-consciousness?

What is trauma, and what are some of its symptoms?

How do we begin to heal from trauma?

What are some of the barriers that can prevent people from seeking support?

And finally, what advice does Sarah have for those working inside systems who may themselves be experiencing trauma or burnout?

This is a powerful and deeply necessary conversation — one that I believe needs to be heard, reflected on, and shared widely.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead — and remember, BE KIND, Liisa

Sarah Ailish’s Profile

linkedin.com/in/sarahailishmcloughlin

Website

Strategic Self-Advocacy - A Teaching for Those Who Were Never Meant to Survive the System—Yet Do https://www.strategicadvocacy.com.au/

🎙️ In this episode, we meet Dr. Mari Paloniemi Lindström, a lecturer at the University of Dalarna here in Sweden. With a background of 25 years as a middle school teacher specializing in mathematics learning, Mari’s journey led her to complete her doctoral thesis on Teachers’ Professional Competence and Working Conditions in Swedish Schools.

Together, we explore the current landscape of Swedish education—its successes, its struggles, and everything in between. Mari takes us inside today’s classrooms, where challenges range from unqualified teachers being allowed to teach, to teachers asked to cover subjects without proper training in maths content and pedagogy—factors that directly affect students’ learning maths.

We also dive into why so many teachers are moving between schools each year, how the role of the school principal is shifting, and the mixed blessings of digital tools in education.

This episode is a must-listen for teachers, educators, caregivers, and anyone with a stake in education.

So tune in, reflect, and share this conversation widely. And as always—be kind. – Liisa✌

References:

Mari Paloniemi Lindström (2025) Teachers Professional Competence and Working Conditions in Swedish schools (Doctoral Thesis). Department of Education and Special Education. Faculty of Education, University of Gothenburg. Sweden.

Mari Lindström, Stefan Johansson & Linda Borger (2025) Does formal teacher competence matter for students’ mathematics achievement? Results from Swedish TIMSS 2019, Educational Research and Evaluation, 30:1-2, 137-166, DOI: 10.1080/13803611.2024.2367486

Mari Lindström, Stefan Johansson, Linda Borger (2024) Teachers’ formal qualifications and instruction in grade 4: Effects on student achievement in grade 4 and 6 The European Conference on Educational Research, ECER 2024, Nicosia, Cyprus - 2024

Stefan Johansson, Mari Lindström, Linda Borger (2023) Teachers' Formal Competence and Their Reading Instruction in Grade 4: Effects on Grade 6 Achievement 10th IEA International Research Conference - 2023

Mari Lindström, Stefan Johansson, Linda Borger (2023) Teacher Job Satisfaction and Student Mathematics Achievement: Relations to Working Conditions and Teacher Competence 10th IEA International Research Conference - 2023

Mari Lindström, Stefan Johansson, Linda Borger (2023) Does Teachers' Subject-specific Specialization Matter for Students' Mathematics Achievement and Student Assessed Instructional Quality? Results from Swedish TIMSS 2019 The European Conference on Educational Research (ECER), The European Educational Research Association (EERA) - 2022