In 2018, when I was in my previous role as Head of Performing Arts, I took on the goal of filming myself at school for 1 second everyday.
This project served a few purposes. For me personally it was a form of journaling and a great tool for reflection at the end of the year. For my school, it was a great way to promote what we do in the performing arts, and as teachers in general.
It was great fun to produce and highly recommend the idea.
To produce the video, I used the app 1 Second Everyday
One of the biggest shifts has been changing the conversation from “Literacy is the responsibility of the English faculty” to “Every teacher is a teacher of literacy.” Every subject has its own language, vocabulary and ways of thinking. Whether students are analysing historical sources, interpreting scientific texts or unpacking complex mathematical word problems, literacy is fundamental to success.
That philosophy has shaped many of the initiatives we’ve introduced across the College.
At John Paul College, literacy is now embedded within our Annual Action Plan and School Improvement Plan. It isn’t viewed as an initiative that sits alongside teaching and learning. It is a strategic priority that informs curriculum design, professional learning, intervention, instructional practice and faculty planning. This whole school approach has created the conditions for literacy improvement to become sustainable rather than dependent on individual champions.
There are few things more familiar in schools than collaborative time that begins with good intentions but does not quite lead anywhere. Meetings happen, discussion takes place, yet it can feel as though the real work never quite gets done. Elevated Conversations by Simon Breakspear tackles this challenge in a practical and realistic way.
One of the strengths of the book is how clearly Breakspear describes what many educators experience but rarely name. He refers to “weary talk”, conversations that go around in circles, where some voices dominate, others disengage, and time runs out before anything meaningful shifts. This is not framed as a problem with people, but as a problem of structure. Bringing people together is not enough on its own. Good collaboration needs to be designed.
Every now and then a leadership book arrives at the right moment. Not because it introduces entirely new ideas, but because it gives language and structure to things many leaders already sense but rarely make time to explore.
Grounded by Katrina Bourke is one of those books.
At its heart, Grounded is not a book about leadership techniques. It is a book about leadership as a human practice.
Grounded is a calm and thoughtful contribution to the leadership space. It does not promise quick wins or dramatic change. Instead, it offers a framework for understanding yourself more deeply so that your leadership of others becomes clearer and more intentional.
For leaders in education, it is a timely reminder that leadership is not only about what we do, but about who we are while doing it.