#176: Kate Stockman on student voice, empathy, and why so many students stay silent.

This is the final one. My last episode live here at EduTech 2026, and I cannot think of a better way to wrap it up. Joining me is my teachergram turned real life friend Aaron Johnston, who popped his head into the booth yesterday and got roped into coming back for an interview. If you don't already know Aaron, you should. He is a deputy principal at Talara Public School, now in his 18th year of teaching, and he is well known across the teacher podcast space for leading the way on Aboriginal e...

I am still here at EduTech 2026, and today's conversation has completely lit me up. I'm sitting across from the wonderful Andrea Vandenbohl, deputy principal at Northam Grammar School, where she has spent the last five years leading initiatives that weave wellbeing science and character education into every part of school life. Andrea's work is built on the belief that educating young people is about so much more than academic achievement. Through her leadership of student leadership programs...

Joining me is Avril Waite, a secondary science teacher from regional New South Wales who is leading the integration of artificial intelligence across her school, while also being a strong advocate for trauma-informed practice and student wellbeing. Avril also coordinates the New Marine Pathways program, helping create university access opportunities for students pursuing marine studies across New South Wales. She does so much, and at the heart of it all is a commitment to equity, opportunity,...

Joining me is Carmel McGee, a Tasmanian educator and certified lead teacher who has spent much of her career chasing one question: how do we actually create the conditions for curiosity to thrive? Carmel works at Riverside Primary School in Launceston, where she helps build classroom cultures where kids are curious, capable, and courageous. Her thinking has been shaped by some seriously impressive influences, including Project Zero at Harvard, UC Berkeley, and inquiry learning legends Kath Mu...

Okay, so this one's a little different. I'm not the one asking the questions today. I'm coming to you live from EduTech 2026, booth 1216, and before I put a single educator, leader or keynote speaker in the hot seat, my best friend and fellow teacher Jess decided it was only fair I sit in it myself first. Jess grabbed all the questions you've been sending me on Instagram and in my inbox — the big ones, the spicy ones, the ones you've been dying to ask — and she fired them at me with zero warn...