The School Can't Experience
The School Can't Experience
Podcast Description
For parents and caregivers of young people who struggle to attend school, and related education and health professionals. We share their experiences and insights into what is going on for our young people and how we can offer support.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast focuses on themes such as advocacy for school accommodations, emotional distress in young people, and effective support strategies for parents. Episodes cover specific topics including alternative educational pathways, understanding the nervous system's impact on attendance, and collaborative approaches to problem-solving between parents and schools.
For parents and caregivers of young people who struggle to attend school, and related education and health professionals. We share experiences and insights into what is going on for our young people and how we can offer support.
Nina’s son was a bright, quirky young person who loved rocket science, coding and books. By high school he was having panic attacks every morning, and a ten minute walk to school could take an hour. Then, in Year 11, he was told that if he stayed in his ATAR subjects, his low marks would ruin his friends’ chances of success. When Nina investigated, she found the school was describing how the system is actually designed.
Content warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide, including the loss of young people in Nina’s children’s school communities. If that isn’t something you can hear right now, please skip this one or come back to it later
Dr Nina Rovis-Hermann is a mum of four, a former ballet dancer who left school after Year 9, and now an academic with a background in psychology and a PhD in education. She shares her family’s experience of School Can’t: supporting her son through anxiety and grief after losing a friend, getting him out of a school that no longer worked for him, and discovering that a TAFE diploma could get him to university a year earlier than his peers. He is now near the end of his degree.
Nina also shares what her research found when she asked: what makes a quality school? She followed ATAR students through Years 11 and 12, and even the young people the system is designed for described it as The Hunger Games, pitted against their friends and feeling they had no choice. She explains how NAPLAN, My School and competitive ranking shape what schools can prioritise, and why quality should be judged by what students experience, not just the results they produce.
Her advice for parents choosing a school: treat NAPLAN as one small snapshot, visit, watch how teachers and students speak to each other, trust your gut, and remember that no decision about school, subjects or university has to be forever.
Connect with Nina
Related episodes from the archive
- Episode 67 – Why Schools Must Ask Students What Helps, with Dr Haley Tancredi – https://schoolcantexperience.buzzsprout.com/2447546/episodes/19591101-67-why-schools-must-ask-students-what-helps-with-dr-haley-tancredi
- Episode 73 – Stop Fixing the Kids, Fix the Conditions with Dr Shelley Moore – https://schoolcantexperience.buzzsprout.com/2447546/episodes/19801235-73-stop-fixing-the-kids-fix-the-conditions-with-dr-shelley-moore
School Can’t Australia Facebook Community – https://www.facebook.com/groups/schoolphobiaschoolrefusalaustralia
If this podcast or the School Can’t Australia community has helped you, please consider making a donation or volunteering to help. Find out more here: https://www.schoolcantaustralia.com.au/get-involved#donate
If this episode helped you please take a moment to subscribe, rate, or review the podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It genuinely helps other School Can't families find us.
If you are a parent of carer in Australia and experiencing distress, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or contact the Parent Help Line. – https://kidshelpline.com.au/parents/issues/how-parentline-can-help-you
You can contact us to volunteer to share your School Can't story or some feedback via email on [email protected]
Disclaimer
The content of this podcast is based on personal lived experiences and is shared for informational and storytelling purposes only. It should not be treated as medical, psychological, or professional advice under any circumstances. If you have concerns about your health or well-being, please seek guidance from a doctor, therapist,…
Disclaimer
This podcast’s information is provided for general reference and was obtained from publicly accessible sources. The Podcast Collaborative neither produces nor verifies the content, accuracy, or suitability of this podcast. Views and opinions belong solely to the podcast creators and guests.
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