During our 4 days of training, Jodie shared her knowledge, wisdom and experience in the most calm and gentle of ways. That she cares about people first and foremost, before any other title they may hold is obvious from your first interactions with her. She guided our group through the material using well planned and engaging activities, allowing us the space to practise new skills with as much support as we wanted. She was warm, open and incredibly honest, sharing from her own personal and professional experience and encouraged us to be brave in acknowledging and owning our own lived experience and using the skills we learnt to support us in taking the first steps to making real, lasting change in any area of our lives.
Although this training was specifically suggested to improve student behaviour within our schools, the biggest impact for me has been in my personal life and being able to consciously and strategically identify systems and behaviours that are not actually serving me in the way I want them to and then applying the skills we learnt to begin to make intentional changes towards systems and practises that will serve me better.
I cannot recommend Jodie highly enough.
Sara Aylett, Assistant Principal, Mitchells Island Public School
jodiepaterson
Mitchells Island Public School
“I was first introduced to Jodie and Choice Theory at a 1 day Introduction to Choice Theory Professional Development day in early 2023 with my school. As a teacher, behaviour management is always at the forefront of my mind and new ideas and strategies are always of interest to me, especially in the current climate we as educators find ourselves. From the first session I was completely hooked. The ideas and strategies presented at this day challenged my thinking around behaviour, engagement and teaching practise in a way that it hadn’t been in probably a decade. I was very excited when my principal stated that our whole staff would be attending Basic Intensive Training.”
Sara Aylett, Assistant Principal, Mitchells Island Public School
Mitchells Island Public School
“Jodie sessions around feedback was so helpful to me and our staff. Teacher Observations are often a really tricky subject and Jodie’s sessions really helped our staff to become comfortable with talking about what effective feedback looks like in our school context. Jodie used and explained current research as well as her own personal professional experience as a school leader to support us to develop a shared language around feedback and create customised staff observation sheets, protocols and procedures around observations which have allowed our staff to become more comfortable and confident with our teacher observation process and engage in it more intentionally As someone who has always been comfortable with seeking constructive feedback, her sessions were also very helpful in allowing me to better understand my colleagues perception of feedback and how to best approach observations with them to make them a useful part of our teaching and learning cycle, and not the stressful situation they have been in the past.”
Sara Aylett, Assistant Principal, Mitchells Island Public School
Real World Leadership
“Congratulations on such a professional but so informative 2 days. Delivered with conviction but with passion and so much knowledge. You work beautifully together and it is always really exciting to be a part of what you both do. Thanks for always making it real. “
Principal
Real World Leadership
“Excellent two days of self reflection. Having the time and guidance to self reflect on my own leadership and where I want my leadership journey to go was outstanding. Gives you a really sweaty brain. “
School Executive
Real World Leadership
“ You have both created a safe space for self reflection and evaluation and really helped us think about who we are as leaders and how we can prioritise our brains and wellness in order to influence others to do the same and achieve their best. It was a hugely powerful PL that will stay with me for a long time and have a real impact on my practice.”
School Executive
Camden Haven High School
“Jodie is professional and knowledgeable. With her support, we are establishing consistent whole school practices that are creating a culture of improvement whilst also planning intentionally for high levels of staff motivation and wellness. Jodie interacts positively with our staff and is building the capacity of our middle leaders to lead school planning and evaluation with higher levels of confidence.”
Sharon Westman, Deputy Principal, Camden Haven High School
North Haven Public School
“Our Leadership team’s work with Jodie has been revolutionary and empowering. Stepping us through interactive and practical workshops, Jodie has challenged and coached us to create School Improvement Plans and evaluation processes that meet the school’s needs and priorities in an effective and efficient way. As Leaders, we all know the pressure of using our finite time wisely and supporting staff to invest in meaningful activities (or initiatives) that result in measurable improvement. We know this work demands strategic and analytical thinking along with interpersonal skills. The tools and guidance Jodie provides has allowed us to work smarter and with more clarity, resulting in a growing level of shared accountability and purposeful actions at our school.”
Nic Menzies, Assistant Principal, North Haven Public School
Staff Wellbeing
“The PL delivered by Jodie has been invaluable to me both professionally and personally. Having learnt how to support my wellbeing, as well as the wellbeing of others, has enabled me to successfully contribute to the general wellness of my home and school life.”
Staff Wellbeing
“This PL has provided me with the tools to look after my wellbeing, as well as support the wellbeing of others around me. Jodie’s knowledge and enthusiasm for creating a culture of wellness was evident and the mix of practical and theoretical examples was particularly helpful.”