Taught for the Day- the audio series

Hello lovely listeners! This week I am talking about something that is very close to my heart- our identity beyond being the classroom. We spend so many years of our life in this role that we naturally forget to focus on our other interests. So, I am here to remind you of that. Who are you beyond your teacher title? All other answers, like mom, wife, child, etc do not count. You have to dig deep and go 'beyond'. Let's get into it!

You must have heard the term 'gentle parenting' if you follow the online education content space. But what does it actually mean? There are far too many ideas and opinions. So to make it simple, in this episode I am sharing exactly how you can practice gentle parenting with your child and believe me, it is not that complicated.

It is possible that you might have to deal with some uncomfortable conversations with parents when it comes to their child's routines. Because, let's be real, not all children are accepting of the new school/daycare environment they are in. So, what can you do? I have a suggestion! Take notes and I am sure you will find your way!

Pacing across the classroom, my manager told me, "We need to go in lockdown". The Christchurch Terror Attacks of 2019 left a big impact/scar on the families who lost their loved ones. But, it did draw some significant conclusions for me too. Here's what I learnt from those 3 hours, locked up in the bathroom of my school.

A heart-to-heart, from a teacher to the teaching system. This episode is all about my opinion on the worldwide teacher shortage. The state of crisis the education sector is facing is appalling but what has caused this. Let's discuss...

I have got things to address! Really! In this episode, I am going to talk about a growing culture in children. I have lately observed that young children constantly keep busy and engaged. It is a trend now for them to go to different clubs and coaching after school. After all, we want to make our children multi-taskers. But, at what cost? It is now like if our child learns to hip-hop today, they will want to be dancers when they grow up. So, why put them through the busyness of life now? Shouldn't we just let them be?

Hello listeners! It's been a longgggg while. But, I am back. Season 2 continues!!! In this second innings of the second season, I am talking about a very commonly-but-never-openly discussed topic of anxiety in the classroom. As teachers, it is the most common thing to experience but then there's seldom any tools to cope with this. So, I have got you covered. Put on your earplugs, because this one is going to resonate with a lot of you!

In this episode, I am sharing a personal experience of working with different people. How everyone cannot like you or be friends with you at work. It is okay to just be professional. Discover some strategies on how to navigate through team dynamics in your workplace (especially classrooms)!

In the second episode of season 2, we will be talking through the process of getting started with forming your teaching philosophy. It is generally seen as a big task and can be daunting to navigate through as an entrant teacher. Therefore, I have broken it down into simpler steps and explained these in detail. So, now framing and curating a teaching philosophy should be a walk in the park for you! Hope this helps out all you starting teachers.

In the very first episode of season 2, we talk about my first ever job as an ECE graduate! The highs, the lows and all the realisations that came along. Join in as I sit down and speak about some harsh truths of the teacher-training process in the early childhood sector.

It is officially the end of 2022!! Woah, what a year it has been! I think I have just enjoyed all the experiences I have had this year. The lessons and the blessings, everything has just helped me so much. Also, let's not forget this has been the year where life has felt slightly normal than what it was a year back. So, as we sit back and have our 2022 memory book opened, let's be grateful and think about the things we will take forward in our lives from the new year. Having said that, with the end of 2022, it's also time for me to say 'buh-bye' to the first season of the podcast. Yes, today we will call the curtains on Season 1 of Taught for the day- the audio series and I will see you again in the next year. Until then, take care and thank you for all the love and appreciation, and a Happy New Year!!

Traditions are a part of each festival that is important to our families and we grow up watching these traditions come alive. Then as we turn into parents, we pass these on or at least try to pass these on to our children. But it is not really guaranteed that our children will carry forward these traditions. You ask why? Because they come from an altogether different generation and are a part of a completely different reality than the one we grew up with. While it might feel a bit challenging to accept this, here is an episode that will truly help you in trusting the process and being comfortable with your children's choices.

Are you stuck with your Christmas prep and managing your children's meltdowns? Well then this episode is meant for you. It is quite a task to balance the two and then make choices between enjoying yourself and empathizing with your upset kids. So, here I have got four handy tips for you to help you support your children in the best way this holiday season. Try these and I promise they will work like magic!

Dear Parents, have you felt triggered just because of the way your child stood in front of you, spoke to you or looked at you? Has there been a raging anger blast through your body in that moment? Yes? Well then, have you wondered why that has happened to you or have you just exploded at your kids in anger? I ask so many questions because today I have some reflective things to say in the episode. Don't worry, I won't leave you with just questions. There are some serious answers here too, so sit back and get your earplugs because we are diving into the childhood experiences that have influenced your parenting today.

'Sorry', 'sorry', 'sorry'. How many times a day do we say this word? At least 20? Well, I definitely do say it more times than that. But have you ever reflected upon the reasons you've uttered this word? Maybe you have or maybe you have not, and today with this episode on apologies, I want you to think when was the last time you said 'sorry' to someone because you meant it and not because you wanted to brush things under the carpet or just politely excuse yourself from a situation. After all, it is easy to just utter a word that flatters our egoistic minds than acknowledge our mistakes. It takes a lot of strength to own up and take responsibility of our faults, and why we must think about this is because our children are learning what we are doing. They are learning to say 'sorry' without being apologetic.

Hello, Hello, Hello! I would like to present to you a very special episode of my podcast series that I have been working on for a while. This project has been in ideation for about a year and finally, last month me and my friend were able to come together and make it a reality! Even though making this idea come to life took slightly longer than planned, but I am glad that I took my time. So brace yourselves for a very, very, very insightful episode, where I, Sania Ayushi (Early Childhood Expert) and my friend, Janaki Soni (Practicing Counsellor), come together to discuss Mental Health. Also, before you think it's just another mental health awareness media material, let me tell you that we are actually discussing major takeaways here. So there's some value for everybody! If you are a parent, a child (who has access to video streaming) or an adult trying to be better informed human, you must listen to this podcast. We have discussed some extremely ignored yet important aspects of mental health like post partum depression, signs of poor mental health in kids, relationships after birth, expectations from fathers, raising children in the cultural context, mental wellbeing of families and much more! I have learnt heaps through this conversation and now its your turn. So go on and stream the episode because we are spilling lots of tasty tea here.

We have all come across people, places and situations that have put us in a bottomless well of expectations. In most cases, these expectations come from all the people we know and love. Perhaps, it is because they have this image of us that they can't let go and we also want to be seen only in that 'good image'. But in the process of fulfilling these expectations we end up only in a place of disappointments, either the person whose expectations we are trying to fulfill is not happy or we ourselves are tired of the work it is taking. So in the end, nobody is really happy and no expectations really get fulfilled truly. Well then where do we make the change? Whose expectations should you choose and try to live upto? Confused? Come, let's find out then!

I am sure that you must have heard that drawing boundaries is imperative for a healthy day-to-day functioning. Be it in our personal or our professional lives, we have to have boundaries to create a safe space for ourselves and in this episode of the podcast, we will be discussing just that!! So, grab your earplugs or connect that speaker, and let's get chatting about creating life with boundaries!

In life, we all have those days when we feel a little emotionally weighed down or challenged by our feelings. On these days, it might be a bit different or difficult for us to carry on just the way we usually do. But in our workspaces, we are expected to do so. We are expected to put on a garb of 'everything is fine' and put our emotions on the back burner. Well, it might seem like the right thing to do but my friend, your feelings will visit you again and they will bite you hard. The 'ignorance is bliss' phrase doesn't work here. You need to be in acceptance of your emotions and the things you are feeling, only then will you be able to comfortably lead your life. Because our emotions are the only true elements that make us who we are- both in our professional and in our personal spaces. So, here's an episode to give you some perspective on dealing with those emotionally difficult days while continuing your professional roles.

You must have heard that time is king and we are all its pawns. Well it's quite literally the truth, especially when you are trying to figure out a way for yourself through a mountain of work. There is work and there is always going to be work, but what you have today (time), you will not have tomorrow (time). So we all need to be very smart about how we manage our work around the time we have, otherwise later on it will only lead to an overwhelming feeling of stress and anxiety. I have dealt with these feelings and that is why I know that this episode is going to be great for you to understand the application of time management!

Hello everyone! This episode is going to be throwing some serious light on the much-pertinent issue of teacher's guilt that is experienced by most teachers globally. While discussing all about the teacher's guilt, I will also be sharing some great tips that will help teacher's deal with it. So, stay on and listen to this episode for some real emotional tea!

Kia Ora whanau. How have you been? I am here to share a very exciting episode on planning and evaluation. As teachers, we all struggle with getting all our assessment reports done on time and so, I have consolidated some of my goto planning tricks into this episode for you! You will definitely find life to be much more easier, when it comes to planning, after listening to this podcast stream. So go on and listen to it right now!

Kia Ora listeners! It has been so long since I posted an episode (well just two weeks tbh) and here I am ready with a brand new one. This one is an interesting episode with some cool reflective insight into role modelling. There are several moments when you feel like, "Oh my God, why do I need to be on my best behaviour in front of my child?!", and today we will be tackling those feelings and moments, how they contribute in shaping our children and how some slip ups can be rectified. Role modelling is significant but it is tough to maintain. So, brace yourselves for an honest, easy and pragmatic episode on role modelling as adults!

There are umpteen number of tasks and an endless to-do list always waiting for you as soon as you get to your classroom. So, how will a teacher ever get it all done and give any attention to the children in the midst of all this? In this episode of the podcast, we delve into that and discuss all about that 'rushing around' you do in your classroom. If you are a teacher and are struggling with that busy class schedule, then this episode is surely for you. I am taking the dip and unveiling my strategies on how I got my classroom chores and teacher-to-pupil time all in check! Grab your earplugs for this one.

Hey'all! I am so excited to share this small initiative on the occasion of International Yoga Day 2022. I have come across many moments when Yoga has really helped my children in the classroom. In fact their muscles are so agile, that they end up doing all the poses better than an adult could ever do! In this episode, I speak to my friend, Janaki Soni, who was kind enough to help me out. She is a practicing clinical counsellor and a yoga expert, and she has some great things to share. Listen on!!

Dear parents, I know there are several days and times when you feel overwhelmed and far-too-stretched being 'mums' and 'dads' to your little ones. It is quite an exhausting role and in today's episode, I am here to remind you to slow down for your greater good. If you keep running while your fuel tank is signaling that empty sign, then you are doing no good to anyone. Yes, not even for your children. Because what they are seeing is that, "pushing oneself while continuously being stressed or disturbed is the normal thing to do", and that is not a message that we want to give out to our kids! So, let' change this together and raise a happy future.

In this episode of the podcast, we will be talking about teacher wellbeing! When you are teaching, there are many moments that cluster together and make you feel worn out. In early years specially, ensuring a balanced professional and personal life is very difficult. Most of the days, on coming back home, your health signs you to slow down. Here, self-care becomes imperative. So, in order to help you with this practice, I am giving you a few tips today that you can incorporate in your daily life and make your well-being a priority, as a teacher! Remember, you can only attend to your children/students when you have attended to yourself. Listen on and take care.

Have you been in a situation before where you felt like there are too many bills you need to into at the same time? Your heart wanted something, but you were scared of the outcome? The need to get to the best results overrode your decision making process? Well, if you have answered yes to any of those questions then I might have an insightful explanation for you. In this two-part episode, we are discussing the impact of perfectionist expectations on humans (both adults and children). We will look at the standards that children are subjected to and how this translates into their adult life! Hopefully, this episode will have a learning leaf for all of you- parents, children and adults alike!

Have you been in a situation before where you felt like there are too many bills you need to into at the same time? Your heart wanted something, but you were scared of the outcome? The need to get to the best results overrode your decision making process? Well, if you have answered yes to any of those questions then I might have an insightful explanation for you. In this two-part episode, we are discussing the impact of perfectionist expectations on humans (both adults and children). We will look at the standards that children are subjected to and how this translates into their adult life! Hopefully, this episode will have a learning leaf for all of you- parents, children and adults alike!

Loosening up is not bad and in this rather competitive rat race, you might as well choose to walk and not take your speed seriously! In this world of follies and flaws, the pressure of being correct all the time over rides most of our life decisions. Especially if you look at our work lives, the professional world is only growing in competition and hence, we are always running a race. It is scary when you think about taking a chill pill. But, there's a but. We need to give ourselves a breather and the confidence that we can still remain in the game without over thinking or over analyzing our little learning mistakes. Listen on to get a perspective.

In this episode we will be talking about the universal concept of teamwork! We all know that in a team, there's so much of effort and energy that needs to be put in and therefore, dedicating time and diligently strategizing to build a good group is important. All your team mates don't need to be your best friends, but you can still make it work and guess what, you have to! There is absolutely no slipping away from working in a team where everybody is new to you. So today, I am sharing some really useful tricks and tips to help you make that dream working, while having a full team on your side! I hope you enjoy this episode, as much as I liked recording it! Happy listening.

If you are beginning your teacher training or are just exploring the options as a teacher support, this episode is going to help you understand the word 'teaching philosophy'. Have you ever felt the fix of having to choose between teaching methods and approaches? Well, I have and I know that out there is a sea full of philosophies and it can be very difficult to decide which direction you want your boat to sail! So, here I am helping you in this episode to figure out what to choose and how to choose and if you choose! Head on and take notes, cheers!

In this episode of the podcast, we will be talking about my student-teacher days and how I actually made through all the drama, with dramatics (literally)! Teaching is never an easy game and it was only after my first placement week that I realised how bad I was. But with some interesting few days of hard work and of course, some really profound reflections later, I charted my own way out! So, if you are looking into getting in teaching then you have to listen to this episode!

Listen to the trailer of my podcast! Welcome to taught for the day- the audio series. I am Sania- a writer, educator and an art enthusiast. In this podcast series, we will be discussing all things teaching, parenting, well-being, education, mental health as well as life in general. I also share my thoughts through weekly blogs on my website www.taughtfortheday.com. If you would like to connect with me, then please find me on instagram as taughtfortheday or on linkedin as Sania Ayushi. With this series, I intend to share my teaching experiences in New Zealand, and in other places around the globe, while shedding some light on the education industry and how as a community we can add value to each other's lives!

Do you ever think about the new tantrums of your child after every unfamiliar experience of theirs? In the first couple of weeks of a child starting at a daycare, kindergarten or a preschool, the most common things that happen are irregular eating and sleeping. Now, parents are obviously worried seeing this. They find it very difficult to fathom that their child refuses to eat, sleep and drink for such a long time. This can sometimes get very disturbing to see. So here is a quick guide into understanding why that really happens! Listen, because this one is a gem of an insight.

In this episode, we will be talking about some useful tips around getting your child ready for the preschool experience. It can be quite a daunting time and navigating through it, especially if you are a first-time parent, is hard. So here's a quick guide to help you get ready for the ultimate preschool experience. Enjoy!

The transitioning process of children, starting their preschool journey is probably the most difficult time. I have been in early years education for quite sometime to know that settling-in is the most difficult phase for both children and their families. It is indeed a challenge that requires consistent efforts from teachers and families. So here's a helpful 10 mins to support your preschool jump! This episode is also available as a blog post: http://taughtfortheday.com/2022/01/17/some-time-and-more-trust/