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“English Is Best in the Speaker’s Hands”… But Are We Saying the Right Things in Inclusive Education?

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Someone once said: “ English is best in the speaker’s hands. ” And honestly, I understand the sentiment behind that statement. Language evolves. People communicate based on culture, exposure, environment, and familiarity. Sometimes, as long as the message is understood, many people feel the exact wording does not really matter. However, recently, I found myself reflecting deeply on this within the context of inclusive education. Because while language may be flexible, professional language still shapes professional understanding. And in inclusive education, that matters more than we realise. The Terms We Use So Freely Over the years, I have heard phrases like: “Special education needs training” “Special needs education training” “Special education needs teacher” “Special needs teacher” used almost interchangeably. In many conversations, people understand what is being said, so the phrases continue circulating without much thought. But the more I reflected on it as an inclusive educatio...
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When Leaders Take Questions Personally: The Silent Damage It Does to Teams

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  Not every question is rebellion. Not every suggestion is disrespect. And not every request for clarity is a sign of distrust. Yet, many leaders struggle to separate feedback from personal attack. The moment people ask for structure, visibility, or explanation, emotions rise. Walls go up. Defensiveness enters the room. Suddenly, what should have been a healthy conversation becomes emotional tension. And honestly, this happens more often than we realise,  especially in schools, organisations, and virtual communities. The Leadership Trap Many People Fall Into A leader introduces an idea, launches a project, or coordinates a process. People engage. They participate. Then someone asks: “Can we clarify the process?” “Can there be more visibility?” “Can we create a system everyone can follow?” Simple questions. But insecure leadership often interprets those moments emotionally instead of objectively. Instead of hearing: “Help us understand,” they hear: “We don’t trust you.” And onc...
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Starting Is Easy. Staying Is the Real Work

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There is something I have noticed among many education professionals, especially those who run educational brands, or create educational content. A new idea comes. A colourful flyer drops. People engage immediately. Comments start coming in. “This is powerful.” “I can’t wait for this.” “This is needed.” Everybody is excited. For a while, the educator is everywhere: posting consistently showing up online speaking passionately building momentum Then suddenly… silence 🤐. The content series disappears. The webinar stops. The initiative fades quietly. And after some time, another flyer appears. Another fresh idea. Another launch. Another wave of excitement. Honestly speaking, many educators are caught in this cycle. And no, this is not about condemning innovation. Innovation is important. But there is something deeper happening beneath all of this. This is not just inconsistency From my work as a Neuro Linguistic Programming practitioner who coaches education professionals, I have learnt t...
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“If School Allowed It, I Would Have Flogged Your Child…”

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 A teacher wrote this in a pupil’s communication book: “If not that the school said we shouldn’t flog, I would have punished your child…” Pause. Because that one sentence is not just a complaint. It is a window. Into the teacher’s mind. Into the school system. Into what many classrooms are quietly dealing with. What is really going on here? Many teachers were trained in environments where flogging was normal. So for them, discipline and flogging are closely linked. Take flogging away, and suddenly, they feel like something is missing. Like: “How do I control this class now?” So when a teacher says something like this, what you are really hearing is: “I don’t know what else to do.” Now, let’s add the full picture This teacher is: new in the school not up to two weeks joined in the third term That is pressure! The third term is not the time to be finding your feet. Everything is fast. Expectations are high. So what happens? When people are under pressure, they fall back on what they ...
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The Fire Didn’t Start by Chance: A Lesson from a Simple Gas Cooker

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 Recently, someone asked me a simple question: “How does a gas cooker produce fire? Is it just by bringing a lighter close to it?” I smiled and explained: Gas cookers have built-in sparklers. When you turn the knob, gas is released, and a spark ignites it, and that’s what produces the flame. But sometimes, that spark stops working. And when it does, you need an external source like a matchstick or a lighter to get the fire going. Simple explanation. Everyday knowledge. But as I said it, something deeper settled in my mind. Gas Is Not Enough The cooker can be full of gas. Everything needed for fire is present. Yet without a spark, nothing happens. No flame. No heat. No meal. And I began to think of how many people walk into our schools every day like that cooker? Full of potential. Full of training. Full of ideas. But no spark. You see it in the teacher who has attended several workshops but still teaches from a place of routine, not reflection. You see it in the learner who is inte...
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Why Staff Relationships Make or Break Schools

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 In many schools, leadership is often defined by structure ... policies, supervision, targets, and outcomes. But beneath all of that lies something far more powerful. Human relationships. Because when the relationship between school leaders and staff weakens, everything else begins to struggle. From communication, morale, to collaboration, and ultimately, student outcomes. A school can have excellent policies, beautiful classrooms, and a well-designed curriculum. However, if relationships between leaders and staff are strained, the learning environment begins to feel heavy, disconnected, and sometimes even unsafe. Strong schools are not built solely on systems. They are built on relationships. And one powerful way to understand this is through a simple but profound idea: awareness. When Leadership Moves from Control to Connection Many leadership challenges in schools are not about competence. They are about communication, perception, and emotional responses. Consider this common si...
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The Child Who Couldn't Sit Still

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  Recently, a special education teacher reached out to me. She wanted to learn how Neuro-Linguistic Programming strategies could help her support a learner with ADHD. As we spoke, something became clear. She was describing a learner who was constantly moving, restless, and unable to remain seated for long . From her description, she appeared to be referring primarily to hyperactivity . This is a very common situation in schools. Many educators quickly associate hyperactivity with ADHD . But from a scholarly standpoint, this is not always accurate. ADHD Is More Than Hyperactivity According to the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is characterised by patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity . These patterns must: Be persistent Be developmentally inappropriate Occur across settings Interfere with functioning This means hyperactivity is only one as...
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