I didn’t grow up as the “ideal student.”
I was smart and curious, but I was also dealing with a lot at home. I talked back, pushed boundaries and played the clown. Not because I didn’t care about learning - but because I didn’t feel seen, challenged or understood.
Some adults wrote me off.
A few didn’t.
My form tutor, my PE teacher, my English teacher and one patient maths teacher chose to see past the behaviour. They held boundaries, but they did it with care, consistency and belief.
Those relationships genuinely changed my life.
I went from being the student who nearly got permanently excluded, to becoming:
a Teacher of Creative Arts
someone young people seek out when they feel overwhelmed
and now, an education consultant helping staff build the same kind of relationships that once held me.
The Doozie Educator exists because I know - first-hand - that when relationships change, behaviour does too.
After years working across mainstream, PRU, SEMH and alternative settings, I kept seeing the same pattern:
staff were doing their best, but burning out
behaviour systems were heavy on sanctions, light on relationships
pupils with the greatest needs were often the least understood
schools wanted change, but didn’t have practical, relational tools
No one was giving staff the mindset, language and strategies they needed to feel genuinely confident with behaviour.
I started The Doozie Educator to change that - with training and support that is:
honest and grounded
practical and realistic
relational and trauma-informed
rooted in lived experience, not just theory
Everything I deliver - from CPD to coaching to consultancy - is built around five core pillars:
Behaviour is communication. We help staff look beyond “defiance” or “disengagement” and get curious about what might be going on underneath.
Young people match the energy in the room. We focus on helping adults regulate themselves first, so they can respond, not react.
Trust is built in seconds, not hours - in greetings, check-ins, private redirections and soft landings. We show staff how to use these moments intentionally.
Behaviour is a skillset that can be taught. We support staff to teach emotional literacy, repair, communication and self-regulation, rather than just punish gaps.
Things will go wrong. Repair is how we show young people that they still belong. We give staff scripts and structures for re-entry, repair and moving forward with dignity.