This month I'm delighted to share with you this interview with my good friend Olive Pellington, author, coach and educational expert.
In this interview we talk about (among other things) meditation, Olive's latest book, and the fois gras method of education!
LISTEN TO THE EPISODE HERE
Unfortunately the quality of the recording is not great. Therefore you can find a summarized report of the interview below the show notes.
Show notes
Olive's latest book, You and Your Child, the Path to Success can be found on Amazon, in both Kindle and Paperback versions.
More details about Olive's coaching company can be found at http://www.ovpcoaching.co.uk/.
Further details of the gratitude diary exercise can be found here. http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Gratitude-Journal
We talk about the author Jack Canfield, who has been a huge influence on Olive. More details of Jack's Canfield's published works can be found here. http://jackcanfield.com/product/
Transcript
Welcome to the podcast Olive. Could you tell us a little about yourself?
I have a background in education. I moved from education into coaching and am now in my fourth year of coaching.
What are some common education issues that prevent students from achieving their maximum potential?
Students need to enjoy their learning in order to do well and it is very difficult for students to enjoy their learning, if those who are facilitating their learning do not enjoy their job. The reason I moved into coaching, was that I realised if you could balance the fulfillment of the student in their learning and the fulfillment of the teacher in their job, then you achieve that creative, innovative style of learning.
What common obstacles to teachers face?
Teachers usually go into teaching because they are passionate about educating the next generation and they are passionate for their subject. However, teachers are often unsupported by senior leadership teams within schools. This can lead to them feeling that they just need to get through each day. When I work with teachers and students, I help them to identify their purpose. Once they have identified their purpose, they can work from that purpose with much more enthusiasm. I find the students generally take new ideas on board very easily.
How does working with students differ to working with teachers?
The students are like sponges. They adapt to new ways of learning well. when I work with students I help them to unravel all of their frustrations. Once we have done this, they make a breakthrough. They're not being told any more, "We can't talk about that because it is not in the curriculum." One of the things we get from coaching is the cracking open of the egg. They students learn that there are no limitations, there are no boundaries, unless you put them there.
What age group do you tend to work with?
Generally nine to eleven year olds but my whole scope is nine to nineteen.
Is there a type of student you tend to work with?
As you might expect, I work with the children who are really struggling. I help to bring those children who are on the verge of dropping out, back into the system. I also work a lot with children on the C/D borderline at GCSE. Helping these children all comes from that nurturing. It comes from that creativity. I also work with those high achieving students. These students often get left to plateau in school. Working with a coach reinvigorates them and brings them up to the next level.
Why do children lose their enthusiasm for learning?
Every child is unique but when it comes to learning, issues often stem from the child's self-esteem. Perhaps they feel that nobody notices them. Or they are noticed too much and they want to pull back from learning. Once we identify the little seed that led to this great big weed, we can unravel it and help the child to gain a better perspective. I aim to help them believe in themselves.
Why did you make the change from teaching to coaching?
Teaching is a very stressful job. There is a lot of pressure on teachers to force feed information to children, a style of teaching I call the fois gras method of teaching. Children just don't learn this way. I became very ill with stress and was persuaded to leave teaching. I realized during this period, that students needed to learn how to learn, and teachers needed to learn how to teach, but to still look after themselves. I knew that coaching would be a better use of my knowledge and experience.
How do you help adults in your coaching work?
A lot of issues come from our view of the world, the way we think, the progressions we make all affect us. I coach a lot of adults through changes, such as career change and relationship change. It's fascinating to see people change.
I was recently working with a lady who wanted to move out of teaching but she didn't really know what she wanted to do. We found a path for her and she is now running her own business and is very happy.
I generally help people who are stuck in a rut. They know that they're not happy, but they're happy enough. They know they got what they wanted but it isn't enough. They know there's something missing but they don't know what it is. Sometimes just a small change is needed, such as having gratitude for what they have. I help them to find their purpose and live their life to that purpose.
What are some exercises you can do to get out of a rut.
An exercise everyone can do is to jot down everything you're unhappy with. Often people store things up. Getting them out can really help. Write them all down. Then don't dwell on that paper. Put that paper to one side and take a few deep breaths. Meditate or take a few deep breaths just for a minute or two.
Then take a clean sheet of paper. Write down all the things you do want to do, no matter how ridiculous they seem. As an adult it's rare that we really allow ourselves to think about what we really want to do. Feel good about the things you do want.
Taking a few deep breaths is similar to meditation. People often think of meditation and being airy fairy. However, we meditate all the time.
Then assess the list of things you want. For each one identify why don't you have them. You will realize that some of those things were realistic and you could have had them, but you made a conscious decision not to.
Now take action. Take those first steps. Make that phone call. Enroll in that class. This brings positivity into your life. as you start to achieve the small things, you will feel more confident about going for the big things.
Talking about positivity, you are one of the most positive people I have ever met. How do you stay so positive?
Thank you. It has built up over the years but now it comes from a place of gratitude. An exercise I practice every single morning, no matter what I'm doing, is to ask myself
"What am I grateful for today?"
You can always find something to be grateful for. You'll find by doing this exercise that you notice more things to feel grateful for during the day.
I agree this is a great exercise, Within my hypnotherapy practice, I often task clients with this exercise. It's particularly good if you are feeling low, as it changes you perspective of the world to be more positive. It can be really small things.
So, why did you get into coaching? How does coaching fulfill your purpose?
I have done a lot of work with Jack Canfield, author of "The Chicken Soup for the Soul Series." I realized that my purpose was to help others to find their purpose. I want people to realise "Wow, I can do this."
I get a lot of energy from the students and give a lot of energy back.
Please tell us about your new book.
It's aimed at parents and also has exercises for children. It's all to do with how parents can become a more proactive and interative part of their children's educational progress, rather than becoming the ogre. It can be used at SAT, GCSE and A Level standard. It explains how parents can help with their child's learning at home. And by that, I don't just mean sat at a desk. I mean being in the kitchen, helping with recipes and having chats with their children. It is called "You and your child, the path to success."
I decided to write a book as the parents of the children I was coaching wanted more information about how they could help their child. It's a very easy to read, practical book.
