DiscoverThe Unteachables Podcast#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.
#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

Update: 2025-09-30
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This episode is personal. Raw. Vulnerable. And honestly… one of the most important stories I’ve ever shared.

So if you’re a teacher who’s ever doubted the impact you’re having, especially with those students who seem like they couldn’t care less? This one’s for you.

Today, I’m taking you back to my own high school days. Not the shiny, well-behaved student success story, but the version of me who was skipping class, stinking like cigarettes, and seriously thinking about dropping out altogether.

And then… there was Miss Povey. My English teacher.
The one who saw me. Who actually saw me.

I’ve shared little bits of this before, but never like this.

Inside the episode, I’ll walk you through:

  • What was really going on for me during those high school years
  • The moment I nearly dropped out and the one thing she said that changed everything
  • The ripple effect of her belief in me (spoiler alert: it’s why this whole Unteachables thing even exists)

This is for every teacher who's ever wondered if that one sentence you wrote on a kid’s paper, or that 30-second conversation you had, really mattered.

I’m here to tell you, it freaking does.

What you’ll learn:

  • Why one teacher’s belief can be enough to change a life
  • The impact of seeing a student beyond their behaviour
  • How academic disengagement is often masking something deeper
  • A powerful reminder that your presence, your consistent, persistent presence, is more impactful than any program or policy

Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

RESOURCES AND MORE SUPPORT:

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In Channel
#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

2025-09-3025:23

#141: Tired of blank stares and the same 5 hands up? Here's how to get whole-class engagement (WITHOUT relying on cold-calling)

#141: Tired of blank stares and the same 5 hands up? Here's how to get whole-class engagement (WITHOUT relying on cold-calling)

2025-09-2323:41

#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

#140: If you've ever been told (or felt) you need to "be stricter" for classroom management success - listen to this.

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#138: Brain breaks that secretly boost behaviour (and help us reclaim a bit of teaching joy in the classroom)

#138: Brain breaks that secretly boost behaviour (and help us reclaim a bit of teaching joy in the classroom)

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#137: Feel like you need to split into 30 trying to support the whole room? This tool changes everything.

#137: Feel like you need to split into 30 trying to support the whole room? This tool changes everything.

2025-08-1819:54

#136: The entry routine that is magic for low-level disruption! The power of learning maps

#136: The entry routine that is magic for low-level disruption! The power of learning maps

2025-08-1218:33

#135: Is your teaching presence undermining your classroom management?

#135: Is your teaching presence undermining your classroom management?

2025-08-0521:11

#134: Bullying in the classroom?! 😖 How to talk to your students about it in a way that gets them listening, empathising, and creating change!

#134: Bullying in the classroom?! 😖 How to talk to your students about it in a way that gets them listening, empathising, and creating change!

2025-07-2819:23

#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

#133: Flipping your lid! The concept that changed everything about the way I responded to students in the middle of a meltdown.

2025-07-2217:48

#132: The No-BS Back to School Breakdown! Exactly what I do lesson-by-lesson in Week 1 to build rapport, set expectations, and create routines that stick.

#132: The No-BS Back to School Breakdown! Exactly what I do lesson-by-lesson in Week 1 to build rapport, set expectations, and create routines that stick.

2025-07-1525:14

#131: 4 sobering statistics that prove that teaching is the hardest, and most important job in the world.

#131: 4 sobering statistics that prove that teaching is the hardest, and most important job in the world.

2025-07-0726:32

#130: Dealing with defiance? You don't need to say a word - you just need these 3 game-changing non-verbal strategies!

#130: Dealing with defiance? You don't need to say a word - you just need these 3 game-changing non-verbal strategies!

2025-07-0115:44

#129: The exact one-liners I use in the classroom when responding to defiant or challenging behaviour (and why every teacher needs these!)

#129: The exact one-liners I use in the classroom when responding to defiant or challenging behaviour (and why every teacher needs these!)

2025-06-2319:20

#128: 4 ways imposter syndrome shows up for teachers in the classroom (and what you needed to know YESTERDAY to overcome it)

#128: 4 ways imposter syndrome shows up for teachers in the classroom (and what you needed to know YESTERDAY to overcome it)

2025-06-1720:12

#127: I met the King, and he asked me a question about the work I do with classroom management I was NOT expecting

#127: I met the King, and he asked me a question about the work I do with classroom management I was NOT expecting

2025-06-1018:21

#126: How to support staff mindset shifts around behaviour approaches

#126: How to support staff mindset shifts around behaviour approaches

2025-06-0216:16

#125: Q&A: Dealing with the class clown, when students gang up on you, and motivating unmotivated learners.

#125: Q&A: Dealing with the class clown, when students gang up on you, and motivating unmotivated learners.

2025-05-2621:34

#124: What to do when you’ve tried it all (and behaviour is STILL a battle).

#124: What to do when you’ve tried it all (and behaviour is STILL a battle).

2025-05-1911:22

#123: How to stand tall and confident in front of your class (even in the midst of some tough as heck behaviours)

#123: How to stand tall and confident in front of your class (even in the midst of some tough as heck behaviours)

2025-05-1216:21

#122: “Miss, that deserves a detention!!” When students tell you how to do your job.

#122: “Miss, that deserves a detention!!” When students tell you how to do your job.

2025-05-0513:27

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#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

#142: My English teacher saved my life (and she will never know it). The episode you need to hear if you've ever doubted your impact.

Claire English