·S3 E86

86. When Teachers Care — But the System Still Breaks Kids

March 2

34 mins

Episode Description

There is a particular kind of confusion that happens when your child likes their teacher.

If you’ve ever thought, ‘But she’s so lovely… why isn’t this working?’ I explore this massive question wth Bronnie Hammond-Vale.

This episode is for you.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Sometimes the problem is the gap between teacher intention and system capacity.

A teacher can care deeply.

A teacher can try hard.

A teacher can be doing their best in a room full of kids who all need something different.

And still… your child keeps escalating, shutting down, falling apart, or being labelled as ‘behavioural’.

Not because your kid is the problem.

And not because the teacher doesn’t care.

But because the system is rigid, under-resourced, and built for compliance — not regulation, flexibility, or neurodivergent reality.

WHAT WE COVER

The ‘she’s lovely… but it’s still not working’ gap (teacher intention vs system capacity)
Why teachers end up buying sensory tools and resources with their own money
What school funding often gets spent on instead (and why it’s not always what kids need)
Why neurodivergent supports should be universal, not ‘special’ (the wobble chair example)
How rigid systems create the ‘bad behaviour’ narrative when teachers don’t have tools
Why fear-based discipline ‘worked’ back then (and why it’s not motivation — it’s trauma)
The missing piece: what teachers can do (scripts, toolkits, repair) when punishment is off the table
Why a child walking out can be a skill, not ‘truancy’ — and what a supportive response looks like

THIS EPISODE IS FOR YOU IF…

Your child likes their teacher but school is still going downhill
You’re stuck between ‘they’re trying’ and ‘this is not working’
You’re watching schools spend money on optics while teachers fund basics
You’ve been told your child is ‘naughty’ when you know it’s dysregulation
You’re exhausted from advocating and still feel like nothing changes
You want practical, real-world strategies that work in a classroom of 30 — not theory

Find out more about Bronnie Hammond Vale here

https://www.honeycombadvocacy.com/

RELATED ADHD MUMS EPISODES

🎙️ When Teachers Care — But the System Still Breaks Kids

🎧 1️⃣ When School Decides Your Child Is the Problem

🎧 2️⃣ SCHOOL SERIES – When School Becomes the Trauma

🎧 3️⃣ IEP Meetings Are Broken — Here’s What to Say Instead

🎧 4️⃣ Being Judged for Choosing Understanding Over Punishment