← The Amazing Authorities Podcast
The Amazing Authorities Podcast
Cracking the School Code: Helping Parents Navigate a Broken Education System
00:20:42
Loading summary
Transcript43 lines
- [00:01]
A
Welcome to the Amazing Authorities podcast, where game changers, visionaries and category leaders share how they built their brands, platforms, and global influence. Your host is Mitch Carson, international speaker, media strategist, and creator of the Instant Authority system. If you're ready to learn from those who've done it and want to become the go to expert in your space, you're in the right place. Rochelle Callard. Excuse pronunciation. Here is. Here is my guest today on the Amazing Authorities podcast. Rochelle, welcome to the show.
- [00:42]
B
Thank you very much for having me, Mitch. I'm very honored to be here.
- [00:45]
A
Well, and you've got your professional microphone, the sure MV7, as do I. So we are going to provide great value, great audio content for our discerning ears to consume as we progress. Now, one of the things that I admire about you is your quest and feeling of freedom. You want this freedom to come up, so I'm going to dig right in. What personally motivated you to make this decision to plan this freedom shift and pivot?
- [01:25]
B
So I think that having been a single mom for most of my son's life, he's 27. I loved being a mom, and I still do, of course, but it's time for me. So it's time for me to have some more opportunity to travel, more opportunity to explore other cultures and to not have be tied to going to work and coming home every day. So my free freedom to me means being able to work when I want to work. So I enjoy work and I'm passionate about what I do, but I want to be able to work when I want to work. So that means freedom. And I would like to do that anywhere in the world. So that's really my goal at the moment.
- [02:11]
A
And I can so relate to that because I went through my own personal life shift, where I sold my company, went through a partner ending, where I went through the D word called divorce. And then the whole world opened up. And that for me was. Was 17 years ago where all that. Well, no, it's been 20, my gosh, 20 years ago. So you're. You're now deciding. This is for you. This time is now your time. You did your job. You ticked the box of being a parent. Your son's well on his way. He's a practicing lawyer with a big firm. As you mentioned, he's done well. So you. There is no guilt about leaving. There is no guilt about moving on and doing what Rochelle wants and. But your professional background. Give us a little short bio on what has brought you to where you are today.
- [03:06]
B
So I was A mature age student when I did my education degree and I went into the classroom for about 15 years as a teacher and then I was a principal. And when I was principal, I was out west, we call it in Australia. So out in a small country town with a small. In a small school actually out near Jeremy and I, I really burnt myself out. So I needed to, I wanted to stay in education, but I wanted to find another way because I felt like I wasn't able to really provide for the children's needs. So I investigated an opportunity with a franchise. I went into a tutoring business and there we're able to cater for individual needs and create individualized programs. So I've loved what I do, and that was. I've done that for the last eight years. So I've really spent over 25 years now in the education sector as a parent, as a teacher, as a principal, and also as a business owner sitting across from parents. So. So I have a unique perspective on education because I've really been a stakeholder in all parts of that, I guess, circle.
- [04:22]
A
So as a business owner, which is quite different. Well, there are some crossovers. I'm going to back myself up with that question. As a principal, you're managing teachers and you're managing students, Is that correct? It's not.
- [04:35]
B
Yes, that's correct.
- [04:36]
A
Okay, so what you did was you just, you're still in the same arena and you just shifted. You just wearing a different hat. Now you're in the private sector versus the public sector. Now you're managing tutors, Is that correct?
- [04:50]
B
Yeah, tutors, yes. And I'm selling really to parents. So parents are coming in looking for support for their children and I'm sitting across for them, doing like an interview, I guess, and an assessment and then telling them what we can offer. So I hear their concerns about school and how they're navigating school constantly, every day, thousands of them. So. So I know what the problems are and I have some ideas on how to address them, which is what I'm doing now.
- [05:19]
A
And what did you learn? Let's just go back to when you bought. You invested in this franchise. You bought. A system is what they provided. Here's the system now. All right, Rochelle, go. Go get them.
- [05:34]
B
So the system is, I would say, a teacher's dream. If I could take this system and I could put it into classrooms, I believe I could make a really strong impact in education and it would change everything. I have definitely have some opposition to that thought, but that's what I believe would happen. So I was able to take a program and deliver it in a way that gets results. So we build confidence. Children experience success and therefore they get results. They. That's what is not happening in the classroom. Not through any particular people, not through a people issue. Teachers are passionate, principals are passionate, people are trying hard. It's the system that's broken. So my franchise offered a system to deliver education in a different way and achieve the results that everybody is trying to achieve, which is to help the children experience success.
- [06:31]
A
Well, it opened up an opportunity to augment the teaching efforts by having this franchise to sell. But why isn't the Australian system, or the American system for that matter, doing a better job so these cottage businesses don't need to bloom?
- [06:48]
B
Well, that's right. I mean, why is it, I think that's the question. Why aren't we doing a better job? Why are we stuck in the, you know, hundreds of years ago running a system that isn't evolving with the times or. All education system seems to do is pile another topic and another subject into the curriculum that teachers have to deliver. I was in the system when we had to start doing coding. You know, I'm teaching grade ones how to do coding. I know I need to teach grade ones how to do maths and English. Right. And now these days, entrepreneurship and life skills and business skills and there's so many other things we should be direct, we should be revamping education in its entirety.
- [07:33]
A
Well, and that's my point is why haven't the school systems caught on? Why is it that it's necessary to have an outside business? Why are they having to pay for their kids to get educated properly through an outside business and not in the
- [07:50]
B
primary curriculum, that somebody at the top in the government would have to make big decisions that could be unpopular. There's a bit of a school of thought amongst teachers. Some people like a more scripted program type approach. I do personally, that's my what I think works and that's what I've seen with children. But there's another school of thought where I need to be more creative and have more flexibility, take children down the path that they need to go down. I think there's an opportunity to do that. But I think if we stick to an explicit teaching style, we get better results and we get children who are then able to be creative. So if you take away that opportunity for teachers, which is actually already happening in the classrooms these days, but teachers, teachers just. There's too many demands and the higher ups are just saying, oh well, we need to teach this now, we need to teach that now. And they're throwing it in left, right and center. Nobody really wants to make a big call and say, well, how should we change it? I also don't think actually people have a solution right now. I don't think people have a solution that the higher ups have a solution. The government doesn't have a solution. I'd love to trial my business in a classroom and then in a school and see what happens. Because I can make an impact in an hour a week right now, in one subject, one hour a week, and I can make an impact.
- [09:22]
A
So give me an example. When you say an hour a week, what, what?
- [09:25]
B
Well, that somebody comes for tutoring one hour a week, and I can make an impact on their. I can catch them up and help them make an impact on their ability and their success in the classroom. So there isn't a program in schools that can do that. Because if I take a child out of the classroom while I'm trying to catch them up, then they're missing what's happening in the classroom, first of all. Secondly, while that gap starts to grow, if we're not able to cater for the, we're not able to take them back. We have this system where if you're five, you have to be in prep or grade or the first year of school. If you're 10, you have to be in this year level. You know that that's not working for everybody. There's a whole, Most of my clientele are not ready for the year level curriculum that they're, we're trying to teach them in the classroom. So the whole system needs an overhaul. And I think people are too scared to. The government's too scared to make changes like that. And schools aren't allowed to talk about it, teachers aren't allowed to talk about it, principals aren't allowed to talk about it. So nobody's talking about it. And so nobody's, Nobody's doing anything about it.
- [10:34]
A
For fear of reprisals.
- [10:36]
B
I think so. I think for fear of reprisals. And I also think because nobody really has a solution, right? Nobody's. I don't see them looking for a solution. They sit and they do these inquiries. They come up with ideas, you know, they implement them over 10 years. They're just band aid solutions. Nothing's working. There's not, I don't think anybody would. Can look you in the eye and say education's working in the Western world. So, you know, there's definitely new businesses out there. Starting new schools. I know of some. And starting new opportunity, new ways of teaching and learning. And I think that over the next five to 10 years, we're going to see a lot more of that, but they're going to be private education. So how long before our government schools catch up? I don't know.
- [11:23]
A
Well, you've got a, a solution. You've learned this as a lifetime educator, not just through the government system. You've now been in the private sector for eight years and now you're, you're shifting into another area. Tell us about that. What have you found? You found the gap and you've, you filled it.
- [11:45]
B
Yeah. So while I would love to change the system, I would love to do that. Right. And lead that. Definitely would like to do that at the moment. I think the gap is where parents getting help. Parents can't navigate the system. They don't know how to help their child. What can they do? How can they help their child? So the school Clarity Hub is a resource for parents and parents who have this nagging fear that something's going wrong. They've tried to talk to the school. They can't get traction. They don't understand why their child's not getting the support they need. They don't understand what the options are, what the language is that the schools are using. Education has a million acronyms. And so I give them a clear decision making framework and some practical tools to help them navigate that system and have confident conversations that achieve results and make a difference for their child, because that's what we're all looking to do. So I'm offering a way to navigate the broken system. I'm not offering a way to fix the system. I can't fix the system. We have to work inside the system or look for alternatives like homeschooling or other education options. But if people want to stay in the system, I'm here to help them navigate that.
- [13:05]
A
And you've got a resource for them to at least guide them at the initial stage. Tell us about that resource. And it's a book, isn't it?
- [13:16]
B
Yes, it is. It's a book. So it's called Cracking the School Code. And the book outlines my framework, which is a decision making framework which allows you to identify, identify yourself as one of four parent types and then have a look at what your strengths are and what maybe your challenges are when you're navigating these conversations with the school. How to have these conversations, what steps to take, how to work with your child at home, how to have parent Teacher meetings that are productive and get traction, how to look for outside support as well, how to navigate pediatricians and occupational therapists, behavioural optometrists and be able to find some solutions to help your child build confidence as well. So the book covers all of those areas within with an aim to bridging that gap between what's happening at school and what can I do about it and how can I navigate this system. Because most parents can't take their child out of mainstream education, they have to work and so they don't have any options and they're floundering and they don't understand why schools are doing what they're doing. So the book outlines that there's a whole chapter in there about what's the language of schools and what teachers really mean. And so when they, so that's, that's my, that's my book. The Cracking the Code. And then I have some courses that lead from that to help you delve more deeply into that experience and to navigate your own personal issues or challenges for your child. Because everybody's different and this will give
- [15:01]
A
them a roadmap to improve their, their ed, their education while their minors up until the university age.
- [15:09]
B
Correct? Correct.
- [15:10]
A
Okay.
- [15:11]
B
So mainly really probably up to high school. I do have a high school transition kit as well, so transitioning from primary to high school. But I'm finding a lot of these by the time children get to high school with, with issues that I'm seeing, there's starting to be school refusal and participation in school and really low self esteem and confidence. And more and more parents are identifying this need in primary school. So in primary school I'm really trying to work with parents when it first appears, when it first happens and they know something's wrong, but they don't know what to do about it or how to navigate it. So probably from the beginning of school, school, I'm seeing this in the first year of school. So from the first year of school up until early high school is probably what, what this is best for, for rather than, you know, later high school where we're working more with teenagers. I might, I may develop some resources for that down the track.
- [16:09]
A
Okay, well that, that'll take them to the next level too because you've, you've worked in this sector your whole life, so you know what landmines to avoid. Step this way. Nope, you don't want to blow up here. Let's, let's work around this so you can proceed not only with clarity, with caution and knowing what, what to Avoid, you know, it's, it's sad. We had this chat, you know, before our interview today about the system being broken. Is there a viable solution in the. On the horizon?
- [16:46]
B
I don't see one really. The reality, I see small. I see private sector developing private schools that I do think will be successful and fill the gaps, but it'll be about whether or not that becomes mainstream. And so I think that there's definitely solutions out there, but whether governments are willing to take those solutions and make them mainstream. So at the moment, unfortunately, I don't see a solution sitting there in front of me. No. And I don't think teachers or principals. Educators do either. I think everybody's just wading through thick mud.
- [17:34]
A
Yeah. And that doesn't allow for progress, does it? So it's okay. So you've got, you have this guide, this path because of your experience that will take. It's mostly for parents where they're going to be able to guide their, their children through the education system and get the most out of it.
- [17:55]
B
Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's. There is a percentage of kids who love school and parents who don't experience many, many things. Right. My own son was successful at school. He was what I call a.
- [18:10]
A
Okay, okay.
- [18:11]
B
So it was. But I still had challenges. I definitely still had challenges. But I do, I see definite, you know, that there's a small percentage of children, maybe 10, 15%, who are schoolies and who don't experience the same challenges. But there's a growing proportion of students experiencing more and more challenges every day. And it's because the gap is growing in their education, in their ability to keep pace with the curriculum and teachers don't have time to go back over things. So the gap just keeps widening. Kids lose confidence. And so I don't, I think it's just, I don't see a solution at the moment for those kids unless we were to stream things. That would be my personal solution. But I can assure you that there'd be comment, many comments that said that that wasn't a solution and, and somebody would pull some research paper. I know there are out there that says streaming doesn't work. Personally, my personal experience is I disagree.
- [19:14]
A
Okay. Okay. Well, where can they find this information and download your book to get.
- [19:19]
B
Absolutely. So I the. At my website, which is the School Clarity Hub. So www.schoolclarityhub.com you'll find the website and be able to have a look at the resources that are available and download the book.
- [19:34]
A
The School Clarity.
- [19:36]
B
No, no, that just School Clarity Hub School clarityhub.com Correct.
- [19:41]
A
Well, that's great, Rochelle. I enjoyed our time together. Learned a lot. Guests or excuse me, the audience, our guest today, Rochelle Callard, gave you great information. If you've got a child that is potentially struggling or if you're struggling with what's going on in school, seek out her guide. She's the real deal and she'll be able to help you and your children navigate the system much better worldwide.
- [20:11]
B
I certainly will. Thanks for having me today, Mitch.
- [20:13]
A
Okay, we'll see you soon.
- [20:15]
B
Thank you. Bye bye.
- [20:16]
A
Thanks for tuning in to the Amazing Authorities podcast. If today's episode inspired you, take a moment to subscribe, rate and leave a review. It helps more experts like you rise to the top for behind the scenes access and free resources to boost your authority. Head to MitchCarson.com until next time, stay amazing.